Senator Gabriela Morris has laid out an ambitious and comprehensive plan to uplift and empower Jamaica’s youth during her address at the People’s National Party (PNP) launch of its 10-pillar ‘Mission Jamaica Love’ manifesto Tuesday evening.

Speaking passionately at the event, Senator Morris emphasised that the PNP views young Jamaicans not only as the future but as a vital force in the present. “Our youth are not just the future, but they are the here and now, and the PNP acknowledges that our young people are facing significant challenges when it comes to access to opportunities,” she said.

Morris outlined that the PNP recognises that young people are indeed bearing much of the burden in Jamaica regarding affordable housing and educational opportunities. “As a government, the PNP is committed to putting young people at the fore. The party has already started, and I believe that we must commend our leader [Mark Golding] for giving young people a platform to share in decision-making, to share in policy development, and the Junior Shadow Cabinet, which we established, I think, is evidence of that.”

She said the party has taken an approach that focuses on four key areas of youth development, including education and training, job creation and entrepreneurship, support for the creative industry and community spaces, and mental health and youth protection.

Education and Training

A major focus of the PNP’s youth development strategy centres on overhauling Jamaica’s education system. Senator Morris announced the party’s commitment to reforming the national curriculum to better prepare young people for the modern economy.

“The PNP will be focusing on reforming the curriculum to include subjects such as climate science, looking at artificial intelligence, because we believe that we must equip our young people with these skills so they can compete not just locally but internationally,” Morris added.

The PNP also plans to overhaul the HEART/NSTA Trust to increase access to skills training. “We want to ensure that in every parish we have institutions that are geared to providing the skills that our young people need, and so we will be expanding the capacity of HEART to offer more training programmes to our young people.”

To bridge the digital divide, the party plans to roll out a National Digital Literacy Programme, aiming to train 25,000 young people by 2029. “Another area of focus that falls under our education sector is that we want to look at digital literacy, because we know that we are in a technological age, and our young people, in competing and being equipped, must be trained with those skills.”

Job Creation and Entrepreneurship

Recognising persistent youth unemployment and underemployment, Senator Morris outlined plans to create 20,000 new jobs, especially in tourism, agriculture, and the creative industries. “One of the challenges that persists, especially for young people, is that while jobs might be available, these jobs are highly unstable, and they also offer low wages,” she said, noting that young people don’t want to stay in a country where they have to be fighting to survive and make ends meet.

To encourage youth entrepreneurship, particularly in areas such as technology and the creative industry, the PNP proposes a National Youth Fund, starting with $1 billion, replenished annually. “One of the things that we are committed to doing as the next government is focusing on our entrepreneurs, because we want to encourage young people to not just be consumers, but producers, to create, to build, to develop,” Morris continued.

Creative Industry Support and Community Spaces

Senator Morris highlighted plans to enhance support for youth in creative expression, culture, and sport. “We know that our young people are incredibly gifted. However, they need the support to develop their craft, to market their craft, and to earn from their craft.”

The PNP will launch a $1 billion creative fund, build industry hubs, and construct 200 new community centres across the island. “Another thing that we believe is critical to developing our youth is the development of spaces for them to meet. And so we know that in a lot of communities, while there are community centres, a lot of them have been locked up. They’re engulfed by weeds. And so we want to revitalise our communities for our young people.”

Mental Health and Youth Protection

The PNP is also placing youth mental health at the front and centre of their mission. “We will be prioritising support for not just youth, but our people who need mental health care and support. Another thing that we want to focus on when it comes to our youth and the care of our youth as well, is looking at initiatives that will prioritise at-risk youth.

“And we want to ensure that we have at least 20 centres that will be identified as spaces for intervention when it comes to at-risk youth. This is our commitment to ensure that our young people are engaged, are given alternatives, and are not led down the wrong path. So we are giving them a chance at transformation,” Morris continued.

Throughout her presentation, Senator Morris reinforced the message that youth empowerment is not a campaign slogan but a national imperative.

“Young people are not just a voting bloc when it comes to election time. We are real people who have real challenges. And I am happy to be a part of a party that recognises that in order to build our future, we need to empower our young people. We need to support our young people so that they can truly see Jamaica as a place where they can really work, live, raise families, and do business,” Morris said.

Persons interested in reading the PNP’s manifesto can click on the link https://pnp.org.jm/manifesto-2/