Suva, January 22 – The National Youth Council of Fiji was has been applauded for its contribution towards youth development in the country.
While formally farewelling the National Youth Council of Fiji from the Ministry of Youth and Sports office complex at Waimanu Road yesterday, the Director for Youth and Sports William Naisara paid tribute to the work that the youth council had actively engaged itself in especially in the areas of youth development.
“The National Youth Council of Fiji has a long history in Fiji ever since its pioneering days in the 70s as it was pioneered by the Civil Society Organisations which has now come to be grouped as the Fiji Council of Social Services, all throughout this has been a growing and strengthening process for the council.
“The Council has been rejuvenated and revitalized through the support of the Ministry and has grown into an age where we see that they can now mature as adults and grow as an umbrella body,” said Mr Naisara.
The Director stated that the senior management of the Ministry had seen it fit for the youth council to grow as an umbrella body and to continue its move towards independence and by better serving the interests of our young Fijians across our communities as an independent non-charitable organisation.
“The council will now be better served in that role in a facility up there under the wings of the Fiji Council of Social Services, so particularly we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of the Ministry as we see the duration you spent here would have consolidated those linkages so that you can continue to use them in growing further the interest of the National Youth Council,” he said.
Mr Naisara reminded them that Government would recognize them as an effective partner in furthering youth development in the country through policy making and implementation.
“We will continue to see the National Youth Council of Fiji in years to come as holding a very important role in the youth development landscape and we are continuing to talk to partners and meet with government line agencies as you will see in draft national development plan, the youth council continues to feature strongly in government’s development efforts so that in the long term we see the youth council’s role continuing to feature in the policy making processes for young people.”
National Youth Council of Fiji general secretary Jone Nawaikula said that the move came at an opportune time for the council as they strived towards independence as an organization.
“I must thank the Ministry for giving us the opportunity for being housed here because we can now confidently say that it has come at an opportune time for us to become fully independent and to step out on our own.
“Our move to the Fiji Council of Social Services is not necessarily severing ties with the Ministry but it has come for the National Youth Council to become independent and to work hard as an NGO and we will continue to work with the ministry on various thematic areas that we need to tackle together to address youth development issues,” said Mr Nawaikula.
Youth Council president William Nayacatabu echoed the same sentiments saying; “We can say that we have grown with the assistance provided to us from the Ministry but the time has indeed arrived for the youth council to become fully autonomous and independent and I thank the Ministry for allowing us to be the generation to make that change, for the council to be autonomous and 2016 is the year to remember with the National Youth Council of Fiji becoming fully independent.