The Lomaiviti Provincial Youth Festival ended over the weekend after two days of sporting competition aimed at reviving youth engagement and addressing social issues in the province.
The two-day meet took place at Nasau Park on the island of Ovalau.
Youths from the province’s 12 districts took part in the festival in sports such as rugby sevens, women’s netball and mixed volleyball.
The festival was organised by the Fiji National Sports Commission and had the support of the Lomaiviti Provincial Office and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Present at the event, Youth and Sports Minister Jese Saukuru said another youth festival would be held next year.
He thanked the event’s stakeholders such as traditional leaders, provincial officers, the festival’s council and acknowledged the leadership of the Turaga Roko Tui Lomaiviti.
The festival also received sporting equipment from the ministry for future activities it planned to undertake.
Speaking to youths at the festival, Saukuru reminded them of the growing prevalence of drugs in communities and described it as “the devil among us,” according to the ministry’s press release.
“Fighting against drugs in our islands is a collective responsibility. It is not only the job of the Fiji Police Force or the government; our community must also work together,” Saukuru emphasised.
He also reminded the youth on the dangers of “Bluetoothing”, the act of using infected needles to inject illicit drugs and its link to the rising HIV cases in Fiji.
