YOUNG PERSONS in St. Mary could soon have ready access to information technology and youth-friendly services, as the country's second youth information centre is scheduled to open towards the end of September in that parish.
In an interview with JIS News, executive director of the National Centre for Youth Development, Ohene Blake, said work was proceeding on the youth information centre, located on the grounds of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in St. Mary, and should be completed by next month.
He also said that planning permission was recently received from the St. James Parish Council for the construction of another youth information centre.
Plans for the opening of the St. Mary centre follow the launch of the youth information centre in Portmore, St. Catherine on July 10.
Mr. Blake said the centre in Portmore has been used to "study our teething lessons" to perfect the one in St. Mary.
It will be similar to the one in Portmore and "is a youth-friendly space that is geared to place all those elements that will assist in the development of a young person."
The staff complement of the St. Mary centre will be made up of an administrator, to be sourced from the National Youth Service (NYC), and two youth empowerment officers, who will be assigned to the parish.
Mr. Blake said one of the officers has already been recruited and started working, even though the centre was not up and running. Explaining the officer's early move, he said, "we thought it prudent to have some on-the-ground work started."
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
He said the 15 to 24 age group would be targeted for the new centre, and that similar to Portmore, the St. Mary centre would provide access to information technology and other communication technologies, "inclusive of fax and photocopying". In addition, the centre would offer career guidance and counselling sessions for young adults.
"Currently, the plan is to have six computers in St. Mary. As with Portmore, there will be an information booth where you can pick up information on scholarships and training opportunities, information on human rights and on youth clubs and organisations in the parish," Mr. Blake said.
He said young persons will be able to use the centre to print research material for assignments, course work, or resumes for prospective employers. He said for those young persons who were not proficient in the use of computer programming such as Microsoft Word or other pertinent software, help would be offered by the empowerment officers. In the Portmore centre, Mr. Blake said, plans were being made to expand its cyber centre with the addition of more computers. This, he said, was due to the high demand for computer usage by young persons in the parish.
"In Portmore, there are three computers with Internet access, and an additional five are to be added in a month's time," he said.
Mr. Blake pointed out that one of the computer stations in that centre was configured for access by the visually impaired and for persons with disabilities, so it has the requisite software and upgraded keyboard for disabled young people.
