Govt signs pact to evaluate Youth Empowerment Programme

As part of a larger goal of creating a safer and more prosperous Caribbean community, efforts are underway to ensure that at-risk Guyanese youth receive maximum benefits from the new United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project.

USAID’s General Development Director Ted Lawrence and Attorney General Basil Williams after signing the pact on Thursday
USAID’s General Development Director Ted Lawrence and Attorney General Basil Williams after signing the pact on Thursday

To this end, USAID’s General Development Office Director, Ted Lawrence and Attorney General Basil Williams on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will govern an impact evaluation of USAID’s YES programme.

The evaluation aims to ensure that programme interventions are evidence-based and both USAID and the Government of Guyana learn from the approaches utilised and the reforms enacted.

The YES programme will support reduction of youth involvement in crime and violence in targeted communities in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, with particular focus on Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia.

The initiative will utilise a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track and support the attainment of programme objectives. To support the evaluation process, data will be regularly collected from a number of sources, including Ministries or agencies that handle child justice data – the Probation and Social Services departments, the Police, the Magistrates’ Court, and youth detention facilities.

A non-disclosure agreement was also signed to protect the rights of youths within the juvenile justice system, while still allowing for a thorough evaluation of reforms. This data will support and inform efforts to reduce recidivism and increase reintegration of youths who come into contact with the justice system.