21 more graduate from USAID funded transformative programme
THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Guyana Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) Project, last Friday, hosted a ceremony for a group of 30 graduating youth mappers. The two-year course focused on strengthening the participants’ access to reformative justice and equipping at-risk youths in Regions 4 (Demerara/Mahaica), 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne), 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) with market-driven knowhow to transition to the workforce.
The training was funded by USAID and is part of the broader Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) being executed through the Education Development Centre (EDC), a US-based global education and training institution.
SKYE targets school dropouts, youths who completed formal education or training but do not have the necessary requirements to find employment and others involved in the juvenile justice system, working with 800 of them between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
The graduation was held at Regency Suites Hotel, in Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
It followed a two-week period, May 21 to June 1, when a group of non-governmental organisation (NGO) trainers and community supervisors from Regions 4,6,9 and 10 gained knowledge in using a mapping approach and methodology, with specific emphasis on active training techniques for youth.
With project staff support, the trainers provided direct training to 21 youths from the same regions. After having been trained, all youths, trainers and supervisors travelled to the regions involved to map/identify youth support services which will be used by SKYE career coaches, government social workers and reintegration programmes, NGOs and other bodies to link at-risk youth to employment and other developmental opportunities.

EMPLOYMENT
Chief of Party of the USAID SKYE Project, Mr. Kevin Corbin, in welcoming remarks at the function, said the last two weeks were used to develop a team of youth trainers and mappers to utilise a locally adapted set of materials to improve capability to identify and report youth support services relevant to linking at-risk youths to employment in each of the target areas.
He remarked that it certainly would have been easier to use existing database but, as they discovered, the information changes often in the designated areas.
“NGOs disappear, organisations have different operating hours, unexpected businesses provide services that we don’t expect and we want to make sure that, when we are linking youths to services out in Aishalton, Rose Hall, Linden, in the communities that we are targeting, that they are being received by relevant, active organisations that are open and ready to welcome them,” Corbin said.
He said the group was selected by their local partners, including Catholic Relief Services, Volunteer Youth Corps and Youth Challenge Guyana, coming from the target regions.
Corbin explained: “We believe that, as youths, you and the youths who we target have contributions to make to the communities that you serve and we need to provide support linkages to those opportunities.”
USAID Programme Management Specialist, Chloe Noble acknowledged that the graduation was recognition of another milestone for the USAID SKYE project.
“Because it works towards the project’s thrust of expanding opportunities for at-risk youth, reintegrating youth offenders into society and strengthening the facilitating environment for youth development,” she pointed out.

CHALLENGES
Noble said the work done over the past two weeks, will complement efforts of other organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, that “are each working to address challenges being faced by our youth population.”
She maintained that forming strong partnerships to devise and deliver solutions is very important if they intend for their solutions to be “long lasting as well as transformative.”
On that note, Noble took the opportunity to thank all the government and non-government partners for joining to “reduce youth risks and build a more resilient youth population.”
“To all the participants, the youth mappers, the trainers, the supervisors, I hope that you will continue to capitalise on the capabilities you have gained over the past two weeks, through the training and the practical work and that you make full use of the tools that are developed from this exercise,” she said.
“My congratulations on successfully reaching this point and best wishes to you all and thanks for your active participation as well in the activities,” Noble expressed.
One of the youth mappers, Ryan Ignacio, from Region 9, said he enjoyed the experience which has certainly helped him to develop self-confidence and self-esteem and working in a team.
Giving an overview of youth mapping was James Logan of iMap Ventures, who observed that the activity also included shared experiences by the SKYE staff.
Each region had five minutes to present a skit or role play on an experience from that region.