Ministry rolls out training for Mabaruma HEYS facilitators

Aug 02, 2017 News

Seventy-four facilitators from 39 villages are currently being trained in the Mabaruma Sub-district, Region One for the second phase of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Flagship youth initiative, the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) Programme.
A one-week facilitators’ training workshop concluded at the Mabaruma Secondary School yesterday.
Delivering the charge to facilitators on Saturday, Minister within the Ministry and who has direct responsibility for youth development, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, said, “The attention span of the young people is not so long so you as facilitators must have the patience.
‘You must come up with ways to hold their attention, to make them understand and learn what you are imparting. This is why this training is so important; you are being trained to deliver the HEYS programme in a youth friendly way,” Minister Garrido-Lowe affirmed.
‘I would not want you to view this as a job, and I am getting $65,000 per month … and then wash your hands after that. I would like you to put more; put your heart into it, put your soul into it, remember you are molding somebody there and you must be able to see a step forward and upward.”

Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe greets a participant

Emphasis was also placed on youth being exposed to additional training in preparation for an opportunity to be able to write the Caribbean Examination Council Exam following the conclusion of the one-year programme. This was encouraged during the cycle of HEYS and participants paid for their CXC Math and English.
In re-committing the Regional Democratic Council to lend support to this programme, Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley in his address to facilitators said, “The RDC remains committed to supporting any activity that will help foster development, bring the level of education to where it needs to be, and to give opportunities to our young people to become the kind of Guyanese they ought to be.”.
Facilitators were also challenged to break down barriers making them into bridges so that the intended deliverables can be realized.
“Young people are our future and we have to create that kind of atmosphere and build the type of foundation that will assist them when they transit into leadership capacities. In taking on leadership responsibilities they will be able to do so in an efficient and effective manner”, the Regional Chair added.
Each village will have twenty youth participating. Six hundred and forty five young people form 39 villages in Region One will be actively participating in phase two of the programme which is scheduled to roll out at the conclusion of the facilitators training..
The 2017-2018 cohorts will see 2,000 young people from all ten administrative regions actively involved in capacity building, concentrated language experience, entrepreneurship, agriculture, small engine repairs, eco-tourism, catering, garment construction, carpentry/joinery, craft and information technology among other areas of focus.
The first phase saw more than 1,800 youth successfully completing the programme and venturing into establishing successful business enterprises. Some entered the Guyana Defence Force, and some the health sector as health workers among other areas.
Government has invested more than $900M in the first phase of the programme.