The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS), and the University of the West Indies Center for Criminal Justice and Security (UWI CCJS) to provide specialized project management training for government officers.
Twenty-one social service providers from the various government ministries celebrated the successful completion of the eight-week virtual training course in project management, on August 29. The training, facilitated with support from USAID’s Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Program, was designed to strengthen the capacity of public sector professionals to manage and implement development projects effectively.
The specialized curriculum focused on addressing the challenges which social service providers face in their roles, and provided practical solutions, particularly those aimed at empowering Grenada’s youth. As part of their continued professional development, graduates will engage in a practicum component that involves community outreach in Y-RIE’s focus communities. This practical experience will emphasize promoting positive masculinity and providing psychological first aid to mitigate risk factors affecting youth and preventing youth and community violence.
At the closing ceremony, held at Prickly Bay Marina, Lyndonna Hillaire-Marshall, Acting Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary responsible for Public Administration in the Prime Minister’s Office, highlighted the importance of the graduates applying their newfound skills to the betterment of Grenadian youth. The PS urged graduates to apply their newfound skills to the projects they develop and the work they do, always mindful of the essence of their efforts, the rewards—often intrinsic—and their impact on the lives of the youth and communities they serve. MOYS Permanent Secretary, Odessa Amada-Sylvester expressed her pleasure at the Ministry’s partnership with the USAID Y-RIE Program for this important training course. She urged staff who benefited to use their skills in developing projects and programs that help the Ministry with its mandate to help the youth of Grenada live positive lives.
Johnny Calliste, USAID Y-RIE Program Manager, shared that capacity-building of youth-serving stakeholders is a key aspect of Y-RIE’s strategic objective to “strengthen government-provided social services.”
Professor Corin Bailey, Director of UWI CCJS, emphasized the pivotal role these newly trained professionals will play in shaping Grenada’s future in his virtual congratulatory message.
MOYS Project Officer, Natasha Simon-Charles, speaking on behalf of the training participants expressed gratitude on behalf of her fellow participants. She reflected on the transformative effect of the training emphasizing that they will use their new skills to design effective activities to help the at-risk youth in Grenada.
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.
