The President’s Youth Award Programme of Guyana (PYARG) has commenced a process of restructuring under the new international award licencing scheme.

Trinidad & Tobago Training Director Mr. Amafika Luke and Assistant Director Mr. Timmy Temal concluded a one week visit to Guyana last week to commence the first phase of the restructuring.
The duo who came to Guyana on the invitation of newly appointed Executive Officer Mr. Allister Collins who was in Grenada in August as a part of the Guyana Contingent to the Caribbean Award Sub Regional Council (CSAC) where the new regulations of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was released and the T&T duo was asked to provide assistance to the Guyana award programme.
On arrival Mr. Luke and Temal expressed gratitude to the Executive Officer, Mr. Collins, for their visit and ore so to impart knowledge on the international new operations to their Guyanese leaders.
During the first day they were also granted the opportunity to meet the Champion of the Duke of Edinburgh Award of Belize Ms. Cynthia Ellis- Topsey who also was visiting in Guyana seeking partnership for the Belize.
The commencement of the visit, which focused on the format of operations of the award in Guyana was done at the award secretariat on Middle street, Georgetown, where the Executive Officer and staff briefed the training directors on the procedures of operation in Guyana.
This followed visits to Kuru Kuru College, New Opportunity Corps and Port Mourant, where the award unit in New Amsterdam conducted a blood drive.
The Trinidadians were given a detailed outline of the PYARG (M.S) camp site which is in the process of approval for construction under the new administration and the ideas for hosting local and international silver expedition and training exercises.
Guyana was granted their operational licences after successfully completing the validation process in September this year and upon the Executive Officer attendance at the International Award Conference in Canada.
A new training schedule will be introduced in 2016 across the country and all unit leaders will be retrained.
The final session was done with the Field Assistants where more information on the local award programme was gathered for a more structured programme will be implemented.
A formal visit was made at the Civil Defence Commission where Operations & Training Officer Major Sean Welcome met the team and outlined the agency’s operation and the need for partnership with the local award programme to develop support in the future.
The local award programme will soon be collaborating a number of training and workshops to enhance the mandate of the Civil Defence Commission mandate.