Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, says the Government is taking steps to engage Jamaican youth within the diaspora on matters of mutual interest.

Senator Johnson Smith said particular focus will be placed on facilitating greater input by the young people in the decision-making process in Jamaica.

In this regard, she said her Ministry was working to establish the appropriate platform that facilitates their full participation.

“It is critical that we bridge the generational divide and create a new avenue where young people can make their contribution on matters that are important to them,” the Minister stated.

To this end, Senator Johnson Smith indicated that she has commenced dialogue with youth leaders in each of the diaspora locations she visited to date. These include New York and Orlando in the United States, and Toronto, Canada.

“I have plans to visit other locations which will give me the opportunity to engage with our young people,” she added.

The Minister was speaking at a recent reception hosted in her honour by the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, DC, USA.

Senator Johnson Smith used the opportunity to reiterate the Government’s commitment to also engage with and involve the wider diaspora on matters affecting Jamaica.

She also updated guests on various initiatives undertaken since the Administration of Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, assumed office.

These and others, the Minister said, were aimed at achieving national prosperity through economic growth and job creation while maintaining fiscal prudence.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (4th right); and Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks (4th left), share a moment with a group of Jamaican students who attend Howard University in Washington, DC, USA, during a recent reception hosted by the Embassy of Jamaica.