-Awareness campaign to focus on the Family-
Philipsburg- The Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports is launching its official annual awareness campaign in commemoration of the International Day of the Rights of the Child, which will be observed on November 20th.
The campaign is a collaborative effort between the Department of Youth Affairs, the Department of Sports, UNESCO, schools and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and aims to bring awareness to children, parents, and the community on the whole, about the rights and responsibilities of children.
This year’s theme which focuses on “Family and Society”, will be lead under the slogan: “Strong Families Nurture Strong Societies”, which addresses articles 5 and 9 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. These articles were chosen as focal points for this year’s campaign considering that the stakeholders committee recognizes the important role of the family and by extension the community in nurturing wholesome and productive children and thereby positively influencing the society in which we live.
The calendar of events will once more see activities hosted by various stakeholders in the community and promises to impact the lives of all age groups.
Featured for the first time will be a “Youth Rally”, organized by the Department of Youth Affairs and Team Blue Ribbon, the winners of the Youth Desk Innovation Competition. This rally is scheduled to take place on November 20th and will see various schools participate in the parade alongside the New Generation Status band. The Rally will end in front of the Government Administration Building with an address by the youth, prayers and declarations for the youth and by the Youth of St. Maarten.
The campaign will also highlight a public meeting conducted by the St. Maarten Youth Parliament at the Parliament Building on the topic:-“Strong Families Nurture Strong Societies” under the auspices of the Sint Maarten Youth Council Association. This meeting will be held on Friday, November 27th and will be aired live on Cable TV channel 120 starting at 5:00pm.
Other annual activities on the calendar of events will be an official commemoration ceremony hosted by the Department of Youth Affairs, the annual “Movie Night” hosted by the St. Maarten Promoting Young Ambassadors, an annual “Panel Discussion” hosted by the Voice of Our Children Foundation, a Sports Day and Family Fun Day” hosted by the St. Maarten Early Childhood and Development Foundation, an Inter-island Sports day of friendly games hosted by the Department of Sports, the Department of Youth Affairs and the French Collectivity and finally a Rights of the Child Christmas Party for invited children.
The Department of Youth Affairs encourages the public to come out and participate in these activities as it pertains to children rights and responsibilities while we endeavor to Inspire, Educate and Empower our youth.
Interested individuals can visit the Department of Youth Affairs’ Facebook page to see the 2015 Rights of the Child Calendar of Events or can contact the Department of Youth Affairs for any information at telephone 54-22056.
