700 teens register for Youth Camp, to benefit from key life skills

Some 700 young people countrywide have applied to gain key self-development skills within the Human Services and Social Security Ministry’s first-of-its-kind Women Innovative and Investment Network (WIIN) Youth Camp.
Open to youths aged 16 to 19, this programme aims to reflect the Administration’s commitment to addressing the evolving needs of the modern world by empowering the younger generation with the requisite skills needed to address Guyana’s rapid transformation.
Through Coursera, a United States (US)-based online course provider, participants will take classes on Graphic Design, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, and Social Media Marketing.
The Ministry seeks to transcend geographical boundaries through this collaboration with Coursera by giving youths across Guyana the opportunity to easily access world-class education, for free.
Participating youths, however, are required to have internet access, a device and an email address.
Classes commence on Monday and will take a maximum of 30 days to complete.
This Youth Camp is a one-off extension of the WIIN programme which, since its inception in 2021, serves to provide women across the country with the training and tools to allow them to attain financial independence and security.
Over 6000 women have thus far engaged in WIIN training courses such as Home Management, Project Management, Social Media Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Child Care, Care for the Elderly, Garment Construction, and Graphic Design.
The Ministry hopes to train a further 6000 this year.
Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud had told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the WIIN programme is a cornerstone of impactful and meaningful change, touching the lives of thousands of women.
“It gives them an opportunity not only for self-development but to have in hand a certificate that is of worth, that can help them if they are deciding to get into the world of work or to use it in their journey in academia,” Persaud had said to DPI.
Currently, some 650 women from La Parfaite Harmonie, Pouderoyen, Vreed-en-Hoop, Crane, and Leonora, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) are receiving training through this programme.
They are joined by another 550 women in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), and another 200 women hailing from Lethem, Annai, and Karasabai in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).