…USAID, Guyana sign pact for youth empowerment programme

A US$64M Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will soon be rolled out in Guyana – an initiative designed to reduce youth involvement in crime and violence.
On Thursday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will govern and formalise the YES Project, was signed by Guyana’s Minister of Finance,Winston Jordan and USAID Mission Director of the Eastern Caribbean and the Southern Caribbean, Christopher Cushing,at the Finance Ministry.
The YES initiative was launched under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative with the intention of reducing youth involvement in crime and violence in 10 Caribbean countries. Guyana has been chosen to be one of the three “focus group” countries together with St. Lucia and St. Kitts/Nevis.

Ahead of signing the agreement, Minister Jordan explained that here in Guyana, the necessary interventions will be provided to correct the incidence of crime in Corriverton, East La Penitence, Sophia, Lodge and East Ruimveldt.
“These communities were selected based on the findings of studies which show that they have the highest representations of high-risk behaviours such as incarceration, high levels of youth involvement in crime and violence, teenage pregnancy, youth unemployment, high numbers of drop-outs and significant use of drugs, among others,” the Finance Minister explained.

It was noted that this new intervention will build on the achievements made by the Skills for Knowledge and Youth Employment (SKYE) Programme which assisted significantly in creating alternative opportunities for Guyanese youths who were at risk of becoming involved in a life of crime and violence.

SKYE also contributed to the country’s Juvenile Justice System through a support programme which provided alternative sentencing for youths who had committed minor offences.
Like SKYE, this new initiative, YES, will complement the programmes being implemented by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government aimed at empowering youths across the country. These programmes include: the Sustainable Livelihood Development or SLED initiative, the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) Programme, the Hinterland Employment Youth Service Programme and the Youth Innovation Programme.
“All of these programmes seek to harness the potential and creative energy of our young people so that they can become positive and productive members of our society,” Minister Jordan explained.

While applauding the “author” of the YES initiative, the Finance Minister emphasized that it will assist the Government in producing “safer and more cohesive society that will contribute to a resilient and sustainable’green state’in which the good life is enjoyed by all Guyanese.”
Cushing, in his remarks, said YES Project will strengthen protective factors that build youth resilience to crime and violence, while reducing those that influence them in becoming perpetrators or victims of crime and violence. In the end, he said the project will result in more resilient youth, families and communities.
It was noted that the project uses a community-centered and public health model for crime and violence prevention to identify, analyze, and support project interventions.
“The project will collect data to understand where and why crime and violence is happening and will also support juvenile justice reform. YES will also foster broader and deeper community engagement and positive youth development, and will increase local and national services to respond to a variety of social development needs,” he explained.
Supporting services will include individual and family counselling, behavior therapy, expanded education, and job placement.

“The YES Project is driven by an evidence-based approach. As evidence is used to develop the appropriate strategies for Guyana, USAID will invest in evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies and will ensure that successful practices are shared and replicated and that evidence is generated to support additional and sustained investment by our government and other partners,” the USAID official noted.
He posited that the success of the project will depend on the partnerships created with diverse stakeholders working towards common goals. It was noted that youths must be seen as positive change agents who have the ability to work with ministries and other government agencies, business leaders, law enforcement, the justice sector, training institutions, the media, community-based organizations and others.
“These partnerships will create opportunities to empower and engage youth and will support the Government of Guyana’s commitments and objectives as set out under the National Youth Policy that includes: strengthening social support systems for youth; improving conditions for their safety, health and well-being; and advancing juvenile justice reform,” Cushing explained.
Under the US$7.7M SKYE Programme,thousands of Guyanese youths benefitted from new opportunities. Some opted to further their education, others are now gainfully employed as a result of newly-acquired skills while others are budding entrepreneurs.