Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna says her ministry and its various agencies are committed to empowering the nation's children and providing them with a space where they can speak out about the issues affecting them.

"We want children to speak out. That is really our mission and our purpose. Every child has a right, every child has a voice and we want our children to become more involved in their own development and in their own space," Hanna said.

The minister was speaking at the Office of the Children's Registry (OCR) Child Participation Programmes awards ceremony last Friday at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

She noted that the child participation programmes form part of the Ministry's mission towards getting children more involved in nation building, particularly in matters that directly or indirectly concern them.

Hanna said the ministry is also encouraging more dialogue between parents and their children. "The other thing that we are encouraging is for adults to learn from their children, because it's not only important for you to pay attention to their day-to-day needs and responsibilities, but also to sit with them and learn from them," she stated.

winners

During the function, presentations were made to the two winners of the ORC's Jingle Competition held last year to mark the agency's fifth anniversary. Children were required to send in a jingle that included a message about reporting child abuse to the OCR, as well as the toll free number (1-888-PROTECT).

The winners are 12-year-old Trae Gibbs of Wolmer's High School for Boys, who won in the 10-13 age category; and 16-year-old Kingston College student Jerome Bennett, who won in the 14-17 age group category.

They both received a weekend for four at an all-inclusive resort, BlackBerry smartphones, trophies, and book vouchers.