MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS
HON.PARVEEN KUMAR BALA
Monday 23rd November, 2020-12:40PM
• Respected Talatala
• Village Elders
• PA Kadavu
• Government Officials
• My Ministry Staff
• Respective Youth Clubs
• Ladies and Gentlemen
Bula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all,
I am pleased to be with you all today in the island of Kadavu to close the week-long training.
I am also pleased to be here to mark a new horizon in the lives of our youths who will receive grant assistance under our Youth Farm Initiative Program.
At the outset, I wish to thank you all for a warm welcome, Vinaka-vakalevu!
Ladies and Gentlemen, youth issues are cross-cutting and we need to work hand in hand. The Ministry of Youth and Sports continues to make inroads in empowering young adults through our non-formal education, empowerment and outreach programs. These are programs run in more formal settings or we take the training to the village in our approach to ensure effective service delivery.
Over the last financial year, the Ministry has completed a total of 35 Empowerment trainings- some of which are on financial literacy. This year the ministry has completed a total of 9 trainings with an expected 27 more trainings to complete throughout this financial year. We are building our future leaders through such trainings.
We want to inspire youths to address the daily challenges they face and become role models to others within their community. We also want our youths to be engaged and assist the respective communities in their work as well.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this financial literacy training enables participants to learn key areas in financing such as basic budgeting, cash flows, credit & savings and record keeping.
Financial literacy is one of the major challenges facing young Fijians in becoming self-sufficient. As youths, a key component to growth is having the ability to understand and apply financial skills.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Mobile Skills programme is an outreach; capacity and skills building programme. It utilises vocational education to teach youths to improve their skills and build on from the skills they already possess.
I am pleased to note that a total of 33 youth participants here in Kadavu have been trained on both the Empowerment training and Mobile Skills training programs.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as mentioned earlier-I will also be handing over farming assistance to 6 well-deserved youth clubs .The Ministry for Youth and Sports had initiated this program six months ago to engage the youths in farming. It is a partnership between the Ministry, the youth clubs and the landowners.
The Ministry’s Youth Farm Initiative program provides grants to youth clubs to cultivate land and grow crops. I am pleased to note that a total of 159 youths will benefit from this farming assistance.
Ladies and gentlemen, Sports development is also a primary focus of my Ministry. Hence besides the development of youths in Kadavu through training, the Ministry is also mindful of the current development of the sports grounds at Vunisea. Given the challenges encountered in its development, the Ministry is adamant and will expedite relevant processes to ensure this is completed and handed over within the next calendar year.
With those few words, I wish to congratulate you all and wish you well on your future endeavors.
Vinaka-vakalevu!!