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Enhancing Youth Development in the Caribbean

19 August 2004

Mrs Mugasha
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha
Two new skills development programmes are being introduced in the Caribbean to help young people expand their knowledge and capabilities. Young people in St Lucia will benefit from the Commonwealth Youth Enterprise Development Programme, while those in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will have the opportunity to enrol in the Diploma in Youth in Development Work. 

These projects were launched by Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha during her visit to the three Caribbean states from 7 to 14 August 2004, where she signed Memoranda of Understanding with their governments. 

In St Lucia, Mrs Mugasha commended the Government for embracing the Youth Enterprise Development Programme, which will benefit 50 young people, and expressed the hope that the initiative will contribute towards reducing unemployment there. 

The Deputy Secretary-General said: "Young entrepreneurs in St Lucia will now have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their own livelihoods and ultimately to national development. As the fulcrum of society, young people constitute the major human resource for development. Their businesses should support technological innovations and they should show the commitment to develop and run businesses that are sustainable and economically viable." 

In Trinidad and Tobago, she applauded the joint efforts of the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Caribbean Centre and the University of the West Indies to offer the Diploma in Youth in Development Work to undergraduates. She also urged some 140 young people attending the Commonwealth Youth Exchange programme in Trinidad and Tobago to pursue excellence and contribute to the development of the region.  

During her visit to Guyana, Mrs Mugasha signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the Diploma in Youth in Development Work to implement the programme in the University of Guyana. Guyana's Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Gail Teixeira, commended the Commonwealth for its youth work and the CYP Caribbean Centre for its efforts to train youth workers. 

On her tour of duty, the Deputy Secretary-General also called on the Governor-General and Prime Minister of St Lucia; the President and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; and the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, to update all of them on Commonwealth events and the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

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