Youth Employment Summit Guyana Network (YESGY)

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Youth Employment Summit Guyana Network (YESGY)
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DEBBIE JOSEPH YESGY Coordinator

• Guyana Information Youth Project
• 2004-10-04

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Description of Project

• GIYP aims to provide young people between the
  ages of 17 30 with skills to become employable
• Have a business idea and/or have a strong desire
  to own their own business
• Project Goal To provide an Information and
  Communications Technology Center for young people
  to access information on building sustainable
  small businesses whilst at the same time
  providing a Learning Resource Center so that data
  processing skills among others can be provided to
  target audience.
• (Project Design Principles
• To empower young people to become technologically
  literate
• To acquire the skills and knowledge needed to
  perform efficiently in a computerized
  environment.
• Project Duration The project duration is 6 months
  for business training and mentorship
• Project Inputs there were several resources
  used which included the following Human
  Resources ( Project Director and Coordinator,
  Mentors, Tutors) Equipment (Computers,
  telephone, Photocopier etc) Financial resources
  from Donor institution, UNESCO and Networking
  with Micro-Financing Institutions.

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Project Cycle

• Conceptualization-
• The project was implemented at Volunteer
  Youth Corps due to the need to provide a center
  for the collection of information on how to
  conceptualize, document and initiate a small
  business.
• Incentives
• Facilitated through a process of gaining micro
  credit for business start-up.
• Enhancement of their employability status.
• To empowerment and data processing skills.
• Attachment to a success business institutions
  based on their business interest for a period of
  6 months.
• Implementation
• Implementation took place at Volunteer Youth
  Corps Secretariat.
• Through, ( a) Set up stage of equipment
  (b)Screening process,( c) selection process, (d)
  identification of the Participants, tutors and
  mentors, (e) Review of curriculum (f) matching of
  participants with mentors).
• The process was made possible through funding by
  UNESCO, hiring of Project Coordinator and a set
  of dedicated Volunteer Youth Corps members.

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Results

• Numbers of persons reached by the activities?
• (17-30years totaling 30 participants inclusive
  of male and female, some of whom came from other
  regions in Guyana (region 4 3)
• Response from Community
• High percentage of unemployed youth wanting to be
  part of the program
• In terms of small businesses there were five
  persons who have since opened their own
  businesses and are still to date operational.
• Other participants have strengthened their
  already established businesses
• The opportunity to be exposed to micro finance
  institutions.
• YES Framework for Action
• Three of the six Es were achieved namely
  Entrepreneurship, Employability and Empowerment
  through business skills education and creation
  of employment.
• Plans for the future
• GIYP will be working very closely with the YESGY
  campaign to meet the needs of youth regarding
  ICT, the implementation of other programs that
  will enable the development of and build the
  capacity of youth.
• Will be strategically linked to HIV where the
  livelihood of Older orphans and vulnerable youth
  between 17-25years will benefit from business
  skills and facilitation in accessing
  micro-financing.
• Needs Assessment will be conducted to ascertain
  what are the community service needs and what are
  the opportunity for livelihood creation through
  community service
• Gender and ethnicity balance will continued to be
  taken into consideration.

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Challenges and lessons learnt

• Problems Faced
• Economic- Transportation and access to the
  outlying areas, also lack of subsidiary funds or
  subventions to assist the disadvantaged youth are
  major concerns.
• High unemployment situation due to employment
  freeze in the public sector, couple with
  inadequate jobs in the private sector to
  accommodate the qualified labor force.
• Politics - does not play a major role in
  interfering with youth desire to learn ..infact
  it is believed that it fuels the desire to learn
  .
• Culturally - because of Guyanas diverse culture
  there are a few setbacks in this area for
  instance race, religion and speech impediment
• Socially Low self esteem and lack of self
  confidence, fear of stigmatization,peer pressure,
  are major contributors to young persons
  empowering themselves.
• What new ( knowledge has been generated based on
  experiences?
• That networking is important
• That youth needs to be guided and mentored
  towards the achievement of their goal.
• That follow- up action must accompany training
• That sound strategic business relations and
  connections need to be fostered.
• There is need for recurrent training for the
  Project personnel