THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS
LAISENIA TUITUBOU
Address at the National Youth Leadership Training Camp on the 13th January 2018.
• The village elders
• The Distinguished guests
• Government officials
• Members of Navoci Youth Council
• Trainers
• Participants
• Ladies and Gentlemen
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Bula vinaka, Namaste, Salaam Aleikum and Good Morning to you all.
It is indeed a privilege for me in my capacity as the Minister for Youth and Sports to officially open the National Youth Leadership Training Camp.
I am very pleased at the organisation of the Youth training camp which will undoubtedly provide our youth participants with knowledge and understanding on many ranging topics.
As I perused the workshop program I realised that the aim and objective of the training camp are much similar to the Ministry’s mission and vision.
My Ministry also has a strong belief in preparing young leaders to understand their proactive roles in different areas of life.
This is achieved through our non-formal education and sports program. Many youths have been able to find proper footing in the society through the Ministry’s empowerment and training program and a large number have successfully found permanent employment.
Many have also become leaders and have organised and initiated multiple projects in their communities.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the civic leadership training workshop similarly aims to prepare you young leaders to understand your roles in the electoral process and to develop competencies to become role models of integrity.
The training I believe will lead to the setting up of peer youth leaders network to inculcate civic leadership skills to other youths in schools, neighbourhood and youth groups.
The true demonstration of your effectiveness as youth leaders will be the practical things you get done and the positive tangible things that you achieve through your endeavours.
Become agents of change, become people who do things, change the paradigm, make your communities better and ultimately you will make Fiji better.
I hope the training, which you have been receiving and are yet to receive will enable you to establish cohesive relationship and cohesive groups to foster cohesive communities and thus a truly cohesive society in our country.
Your government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports is unequivocal and resolutely committed to the establishment of a cohesive society.
Dear youth participants, you are the new vanguard in our quest to have the youth take their rightful place in our country’s affairs.
In our efforts at national revival and rebirth, yours is the task of commencing the process of developing our most precious resource; our human resource.
I charge you also to rigorously pursue self-development to first develop your own skills, education, work ethic even as you strive to improve the lot of others.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we the Ministry of Youth and Sports have a strong belief that youths can bring about positive social changes in communities.
Our Ministry has continued to support new and existing youth groups and realised that there is further need to inculcate leadership skills along with other organisational skills among youths if we are to achieve a vibrant and a dynamic youth sector.
We have also provided an opportunity to youths from all divisions to voice their opinions towards the national youth policy review. The policy will reflect issues that concern our national youth populace.
This is an opportunity provided to our youths to be part of something great, to have a voice in the decision making process and most importantly to make a difference through your positive contributions.
Finally, to all participants and facilitators may you all have wonderful experience at this leadership training camp.
Do build networks, make new friends and most of all enjoy your time with each other.
With those words I know officially declare this leadership training camp open.
Vinaka, Dhanyabad, Shokran and thank you all.