THE training component of the Youth Empowerment, Inclusion and Reconciliation Project (YEIRP) has successfully completed its first five modules and will soon commence another.

YEIRP Project Coordinator, Mr. Murphy DeSouza, in a telephone interview with this publication, said that the project is moving apace with positive energy.
This project comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It entails the selection and training of 30 youth leaders across six regions in Guyana – Regions 2 (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica), 5 (Mahaica/Berbice), 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice).
DeSouza explained that the modules of this project are:

* Project management
* Transformative leadership and related skills
* Conflict transformation and fostering peace
* Strategies and community development
* Understanding the governance structure of Guyana
* Advocacy and participation in policy making
* Understanding human rights

According to the YEIRP project coordinator, the youths have completed the project management module and will embark on the “Understanding Human Rights” module.

ROLE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE
He noted that the youths are being trained to play a role in the development of their communities and the country. The training began on February 8 this year.
The YEIRP is aimed at addressing the challenges of inadequate youth participation in local governance by providing training to develop the capacity of the youths to become protagonists for good social and governance practices and to participate in local governance.
Former Project Coordinator, Vickram Bharat had asserted at the commencement of the exercise, that training would continue until May and then the participants would be placed in selected local government entities.  At this stage they would be tasked with carrying out a community project, “that is supposed to enhance the lives of people living within the community, especially the youths.”

COMMUNITY PROJECTS
The project which will last until March 31, 2014 involves the monitoring of community projects that will be carried out by the 30 participants in their respective regions.
DeSouza said, however, that most of these youths are working individuals and the programme originally started out with 30 but after a while some of them ceased attending the sessions and so the most recent sessions have seen approximately 25 persons in attendance.
He explained that the sessions are very interactive and verbal with the youths applying themselves enthusiastically in order to make the programme a success.