USAID’s Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Program, in partnership with the Ministry of Social and Community Development, Housing and Gender Affairs, marked a major stride in family welfare enhancement with the launch of the Family Systems Strengthening (FSS) Parenting Program. Following the signing of a grant agreement in October, this holistic initiative is set to transform the parenting landscape in Grand Anse and Mt. Horn by engaging parents and caregivers, providing support, education, guidance, and access to resources to empower communities and equip them with the tools to create and maintain positive family dynamics, including mental well-being.
Phelps Feely, Y-RIE’s Chief of Party, shared that “Through 14 weeks of comprehensive support provided in group sessions and at-home coaching, parents and trained coaches and counsellors will co-create effective strategies for supporting youth who are facing today’s most critical challenges, as well as learn how to take care of themselves so they can be the parents and individuals they want to be.”
The launch included representatives from various Ministries, USAID, and the US Embassy in Grenada, among other guests—most notably Naomi Jeremiah, Permanent Secretary with responsibility for Social Development and Gender Affairs, Delma Thomas, Minister for Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament for Mt. Horne, Frances Herrera, Principal Officer at the US Embassy, and Stephanie Mikulasek, USAID/ESC Programme and Strategy Office Director. Dale Neptune, a community parenting activist, gave the keynote address.
The FSS Parenting Program paves the way for focused, preventative actions that mitigate the underlying social challenges, create safer communities in Grenada, and offer support where it is most urgently needed. The program embodies the strategic vision of the Ministry of Social and Community Development’s Parenting Education Unit, which works to elevate the overall well-being of families through parental education and awareness-raising of family-related issues. It is also integral to Y-RIE’s efforts to strengthen community and family systems, recognizing the essential role of families in cultivating youth resilience.
Up to forty parents of youths aged 10-17—referred by schools, social services, and community organizations—and parents aged 18-29 with a history of involvement in the justice system will benefit from the program’s interactive two-fold curriculum between April and September 2024. Recruitment for parents is ongoing, with the curriculum aiming to cultivate the protective factors of parental resilience, social connections, and social-emotional skills in the youth of enrolled parents. Youths will receive psychosocial support to strengthen parent-child relationships. The parental curriculum will include child development, trauma and trauma-informed parenting, effective communication to encourage open and effective dialogue within the family, and positive discipline to support healthy social interactions. Specialized counsellors will also be onboard to provide clinical supervision and individual counselling as part of the program’s mandate to provide a supportive environment for families.
In a significant step towards this partnership, Y-RIE facilitated a workshop in June 2023 focusing on positive youth development and trauma-informed care designed for youth practitioners. The workshop served as a foundation for enhancing the skills and knowledge of those working directly with young people. Collectively, these investments underscore the commitment of USAID and the Government of Grenada to work together to address critical issues related to youth development and family support.
USAID Y-RIE was formally launched in Grenada in March 2023. Y-RIE is working with government and non-government partners to strengthen social services that serve youth and their families, improve learning outcomes for youth, improve youth preparedness for the world-of-work, and strengthen the resilience of families and communities.
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