After years of waiting, the young people of Central Islands Province are finally getting a place to call their own…
By Georgina Maka’a
For years, the young people of Central Islands Province had a dream – but no door to walk through.
That changed this week at their provincial capital, Tulagi.
During the province’s 45th Second Appointed Day celebrations, shovels finally hit the dirt for the CIP Youth and Children’s Resource Centre, ending a wait that should have ended long ago.
Edith Kuali, President of the CIP Youth Council, stood before the crowd barely holding back her emotions.
“The road that brought us here was not paved with support for our youth,” Kuali said.
“It was paved with doubt, with dismissal, with a culture in our own communities that has for far too long looked at our young people as threats instead of treasure,” she added.
Her words hit hard – the culmination of years of fighting for a place young people could finally call their own.
Kuali refused to accept the narrative that blames youth for society’s failures.
“You cannot plant nothing and expect a harvest.
“You cannot give young people no space, no pathway, no platform and then turn around and ask why they are struggling.”
She spoke of talented young men and women across the province – full of ideas, skills and passion – sitting idle not because they lacked drive, but because opportunity never knocked.
“We called them the problem,” she said, her voice rising. “But the real problem was that we never gave them a chance – and that ends today.”
For Kuali, the groundbreaking signals a new chapter.
“For every door that was shut in your face, this Centre is one that will always be open. For every year you felt invisible in your own community -today, we are seen.”
Andre Tipoki, Director of the Youth Development Division at the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, said the centre will be far more than a building.
It will be a safe space where young people can access information, learn life skills, find guidance and take part in activities that matter.
“It will strengthen everything we are trying to do in youth development, child protection and building stronger communities,” Tipoki said.
He urged the province’s young people to make the centre their own once it opens.
“Support it. Learn from it. Innovate. Guide each other. Create a better future for yourselves and your communities. Let this be a place where ideas grow and positive change begins.” Tipoki stated.
The total cost for the construction of the Youth Centre is $3 million, funded by the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA).
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