British High Commission throws support behind YCG

Dec 30, 2012 News

---

 

 

With financial support from the British High Commission, Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG) is poised to introduce its newest initiative which will cater to youths who have not been able to benefit from existing national programmes.
At least this is according to Executive Director of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr Dmitri Nicholson, who revealed that the strategic move is designed to offer opportunities to youths with a view of helping them to develop greater skills and gain job opportunities.

According to Nicholson, YCG is looking to launch the new venture next month, even as efforts are made to introduce additional programmes, while at the same time improving those in existence.
During the past year, he reflected, although YCG was faced with a number of challenges there were many productive outcomes.
“The organisation was able to serve the interests of youths more as it started new projects and strengthen existing one,” he noted, as he disclosed that efforts were made to bring to fruition a new project with USAID/SKYE which allowed for more than 400 youths to be furnished with training for the workplace.
“Of the total trained, about one quarter have gained employability skills, knowledge and behaviours to be successful entry-level workers,” Nicholson divulged.
Through its sustained programme to recruit volunteer teachers, YCG was able to further support the Education Ministry’s delivery of education. Currently there are 40 volunteer teachers spread across the country reaching approximately 800 children at the primary school level.
According to Nicholson, the volunteers are recruited and prepared by YCG, the Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) and the Education Ministry for one-year stints. During this period, he pointed out, they are supported by YCG to ensure that their experiences are enriching and that they perform effectively.
Added to this, YCG, during the month of September, launched an inquiry-based science education programme in four primary schools, two each in Region Four and Region Six. “The support provided through this initiative will equip the schools with science kits to aid teachers so that the science scores in schools will improve,” said a confident Nicholson.  Further still, he said that teachers will have interactive sessions where they will share their strategies and other creative techniques with their colleagues in hopes of bettering the science results in schools.
This move, which is being supported by Exxon Mobil, represents an extension of a pilot project which was introduced by the Education Ministry.
The NGO was also, during the past year, able to continue supporting Amerindian communities through a project designed to enhance the skills of the community leaders and youths of Regions Eight and Nine. This venture was financed by the European Union, and according to Nicholson, focused on areas such as effective planning, finance management skills, community mobilisation and project management skills.
He related that one cohort of 30 persons has been exposed to this training initiative in Region Nine and another similar-sized batch will start in Region Eight next year.
Health was also high on YCG’s agenda during the past year with efforts being engaged to maintain interventions aimed at preventing HIV in some far-flung areas of the country, particularly Region Eight.
Nicholson revealed that YCG has been able to maintain a mobile HIV testing and prevention unit which is funded through USAID/GHARP II Project, an initiative which reached mainly miners, sex workers and other at-risk populations in the Region.
“YCG has reached more than 300 persons from these key populations over the course of the year with services that improve their health and develop self-esteem and encourage safer behaviour…YCG has also increase the delivery of condoms and other safe sex material to the Region to ensure that the population has limited access to prevention supplies so that their risk is significantly reduced,” Nicholson said.
Turning his attention to international volunteerism, the Executive Director noted that although there was a decline in the number of short term volunteers managed by YCG, two groups successfully undertook missions in Guyana.
Included was a task to support the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project to provide community awareness and mobilisation around mangrove protection. International Volunteers were also recruited and dispatched by YCG’s Canadian partner (Youth Challenge International) as part of a more than 15-year relationship.
Commenting on YCG’s Women’s entrepreneur and networking project which started in 2011, Nicholson said that it has now taken on a life of its own allowing for beneficiaries to choose their goals and move forward to start their own organisations.
Such moves will be sustained in the New Year, as according to Nicholson, YCG “remains committed to the development of youth development and Guyanese communities and will be looking more closely in 2013 towards developing long term partnerships with the private sector to expand our efforts.”

---

---