Annual Review Meeting of Youth Centers and Youth Friendly Integrated Service Centers

Coordinated by Youth Center Division of the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education, the 3-day Annual Review Meeting of Youth Centers and Youth Friendly Integrated Service Centers has begun at Puenzhi Guesthouse in Trongsa today. As usual, the primary objective of the meeting is to review the activities implemented by Youth Centers (YCs) and Youth Friendly Integrated Service Centers (YFISCs) in 2020 and develop new strategies for further enhancement of youth programs and services that are being provided through these Centers. The meeting also serves as a platform for the staff of YCs/YFISCs to share their new ideas, experiences and good practices. 

Today, after being updated on some of the major initiatives of Youth Center Division, DYS, MoE such as the revision of the National Youth Policy 2011, development of youth thematic analysis report, etc., the participants have shared the progress reports of their programs/services delivered over the past one year including those initiatives taken to help young people cope with COVID-triggered issues. It has been found that the YCs/YFISCs have successfully implemented almost all the planned activities although some had to be re-structured to be delivered online due to COVID-19 pandemic. They were also briefed on the core mandates and functions of Young Bhutan Network (YBN), a platform instituted under Youth Center Division to engage and empower youth-led groups in Bhutan. Since YCs/YFISCs are focal points for for YBN, the participants were sensitized on how they can reach out to youth groups in their region and link them up with YBN.

For the next two days, the participants will have discussions on challenges faced by YCs/YFISCs, share their experiences/good practices and develop new action plans for next year. They will also be oriented on the updated features of DYS portal and other relevant matters. 
A total of 20 officials from 13 YCs/YFISCs and Youth Center Division, DYS, MoE are taking part in the meeting which will end on 5^th March, 2021.