Youth
Services
Unit
Issue # 23
June 2013
The Cayman Islands
Youth Assembly (CIYA)
The Cayman Islands Youth Assembly (CIYA) was formed as a direct result of the 2000 National Youth Policy. The document in its entirety can be
found on www.ysu.gov.ky in the document library.
Inside this issue:
The section that pertains to CIYA is on p. 89 but the excerpt is as follows:
CIYA
4
Youth Flex
5
My FAN Club
6
Youth Empowerment
7
(i) RECOMMENDATIONS ON INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES FOR
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
(a) Cayman Islands Youth Assembly
This should be an umbrella body of young people who represent various categories
of youth and who advocate on behalf of young men and women. The role of the Assembly is to be the voice of young people regarding the National Agenda. Representatives of this body should sit on the National Youth Commission (as discussed
below in (b)).
This mechanism would ensure ongoing consultation and participation by young
women and men, an integral part in the implementation of the NYP.
Back l-r Nijel Powery, Ashleigh Reid, Brandon DaCosta, Annie Moore, Lashawn Syms,
Mellony Bryan (Programme Officer), Corey Christian, Kelsie Woodman-Bidden, Tayvis Walters, Kianda Parchmon, Henry Hill.
Front l-r Nordania Stewart, Chantal Martin, Moesha Ramsay-Howell, Kathy Gonzalez,
Sydonie Barett, Chynna Martinez, Kendra Rankine and Jada Andrade.
1
Head of Unit’s Message
Katherine Whittaker M. Sc. Ed., M. Sc. HRM
‘Most young people are bored within the first three
weeks of their school summer holiday.’ This is the opening
sentence in an online article by Street Chance dated August
22, 2011 titled, ‘Summer holiday boredom contributed to riots and looting, kid say’. It’s an interesting article and upon
reading and placing the article within the context of the 2011
rioting in parts of England you will draw your own conclusions. What is perhaps most indisputable for parents and
caretakers is that you must brace yourselves and plan now
as at some point during the nine (9) week long summer vacation your child will turn to you with the dreaded words,
‘I’m so bored’. How do you respond, in the short term, and
what can be done on a summer long term basis to stem the
tide of summer boredom?
work experience might be part of a youth’s daily or weekly
schedule. The remainder of the day or week for this young
person’s schedule might be a day camp or using home as
the base with part-time supervision.
Long term plans
Young people are used to and thrive on a well-thought
about and goal oriented schedule. There are repeat routine
activities in the schedule with a few one-off splurges
thrown in. Your repeat activity could be a day camp. Of
course it’s important for you and your child to select a camp
that they have some interest in attending. Most day camps
are scheduled to more-or-less coincide with the hours your
child would normally spend in school. It would also be a
good idea to inquire about the scheduled activities so you’ll
have some idea as to where your child will be during the
day and what they will be doing. Of course you need to
know something about the people offering the camp and
arrange for part-time reputable adult supervision once camp
is finished for the day.
Another option parents might consider is to use home as
the base for the main schedule. If that is the case then some
form of adult supervision is required. This might be convenient for extended families that pool all their resources
together to hire adult supervision, plan activities or projects
throughout the day and week and to share forms of individual or group entertainment. Parents considering this option
might also stagger their vacation time such that they are the
form of adult supervision during the summer vacation. The
splurges might be visits to points of interest but with a creative objective for visiting which causes young people to approach the visit with ‘new eyes’ or a given ‘agenda’. Admission to some points of interest on island is free or discounted for young people. A weekly volunteer hour/period might
also fit in nicely for young people. Volunteering at a Vacation Bible School (VBS) might be an option.
Work experience, with or without monetary compensation, might be an option for some young people and their
parents. Summer is a good time for young people to experience what it’s like to engage with the public and to interact
with co-workers – in a workplace setting. This
Short term plans
Short term plans are just that - for short periods of time.
Nine weeks of summer vacation for full-time working parents might not fall into that category. These are the
‘splurges’ I was speaking about earlier. If they are planned
as treats through-out the long term schedule they will allow
young people to stick to the schedule as they know ‘relief’
is hours or a few days away. Once planned these activities
also allow parents to work any transport issues into their
working week/day.

A weekly trip to a community library to select reading
material ensures that young people are kept academically engaged during the summer.
 A weekly trip to the movies allows youth to maintain
friendships with classmates who live in other districts
during the summer.
 A weekly lunch date with your child might allow oneon-one time to re-discover your child’s uniqueness and
plans for the future. It might also offer an opportunity
to observe how your child is adjusting to some environments outside your home. You might discover
some teachable moments in this simple outing.
 A weekly visit with a grandparent – especially if the
grandparent is retired and has a flexible schedule during the day.
Just to recap. Summer vacation is at least nine weeks
long this year. You need to prepare. Your child/teenager
depends on you to plan, or participate in the planning of,
their summer schedule of events. Children and young people need to be supervised by responsible adults during the
summer. You have three (3) weeks before summer vacation
starts. Plan a safe, fun and productive summer.
http://www.streetchance.org/news/6, ‘Summer holiday
boredom contributed to riots and looting, kids say’, viewed
May 18, 2012.
2
Youth Services Unit Staff:
Mrs. Leasa Charlton - Youth Empowerment Officer
Mr. James Myles - Youth Coordinator
About The Advocate
The Advocate is a publication produced by
YSU for young people. It is a tool for young
people to read about the positive things that
other young people are doing.
Ms. Mellony Bryan - Programme Officer
How can you get involved with
The Advocate?
Young people interested in writing, photography and or editing who would like to contribute to The Advocate can simply contact us
at Youth Services Unit (YSU).
[email protected] or 943 1127.
Where is The Advocate distributed?
The Advocate is distributed electronically.
Additionally, it can be viewed at
www.ysu.gov.ky.
If you are interested in
receiving a copy please send your email to the
above email address.
YSU - Programmes





3
Youth Flex Radio Show
Cayman Islands Youth Assembly
Summer Camps
My FAN Club
Choose to be a Positive Trendsetter (Youth
Workshops)
CIYA consists of youth ages 10-17 years of age. A cross
section of youth is drawn from the Student Councils of
each high school across the Cayman Islands. It offers opportunities for civic and governance education, further cultural exploration and for young people to
discuss among themselves issues affecting them in their
daily lives. The end product of this education and discussion are two well-researched and robustly debated Position
Papers by Youth Assembly members. These Papers are
then presented to the Minister of Youth and the Chairman
of the Cayman Islands Youth Commission. The Minister
of Youth may consider these contributions in his contribution to the National Agenda and the Youth Commission
Chairman has an informed opinion on matters affecting
young people and is better equipped to advocate on their
behalf.
Weekly CIYA meeting @ JGHS
The weekly Youth Assembly meetings offer opportunity
for like-minded young people to gather, discuss, research
and learn more about issues that affect them. The meetings are structured and facilitated by a Programme Officer
from the Youth services Unit. Presenters are knowledgeable professionals in areas where youth assembly members
indicate they need to know more about in order to write
their Papers.
For more information on CIYA please contact the Programme Officer - Mellony Bryan at 943 1127 or
[email protected]
CIYA social
CIYA meeting in Cayman Brac
CIYA outing to Winter’s Land in East End
4
By : Takiyah Smith
5
6
7
8