Indigenous youths to benefit from ENGAGE Youth Project

Amerindian youths countrywide are set to benefit significantly from the Empowering the Next Generation Agency and Gender Equality (ENGAGE) youth project.
The transformative initiative was launched on Tuesday at the Whirlwind Village, located at the Sophia Exhibition Centre in Greater Georgetown, through a partnership between the Government of Guyana, the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and Global Affairs Canada.

According to a Department of Public Communications (DPI) news report, this project would impact 6,484 individuals, including women and youths from communities in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine.
The ENGAGE youth initiative has a budget of $1.3 billion, and would be implemented over the next five years. It has been designed to provide indigenous youths with essential skills and opportunities, including gender equality training, community awareness programmes, life skills and empowerment workshops, vocational skills training, networking and capacity strengthening for key stakeholders.
During the launch, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai emphasised the initiative’s potential to foster growth and economic development in hinterland communities, and highlighted Government’s commitment to improving the lives of indigenous youths through education and support programmes.
“From the day this Government stepped into office, the platform, the foundation, the opportunities, the window and the door (were) all flung open,” Minister Sukhai pointed out. “When the village develops, the country develops. When human capital is invested in and is successful, our country develops,” she added.
Project Director Vanessa Thompson, highlighting the four key objectives of the ENGAGE youth project, has said these are: to enhance the capacity of indigenous youths, particularly young women, to make informed decisions regarding their socio-cultural and economic development; to strengthen community support for youth participation in socio-cultural and economic development; to build the capacity of key stakeholders to implement gender and youth-sensitive livelihood programmes; and to increase the capacity of stakeholders to support climate-resilient economic initiatives for indigenous youths, especially young women, the DPI has reported.
“This project has given me more than just skills; it has gifted me with a renewed sense of purpose. As a mother, I understand the importance of nurturing and guidance. As a community leader, I see the real impact of this project; it’s already making a difference through its gender equality and social inclusion training and life skills programme,” Patricia Smith, a mother and resident of Batavia in Region Seven, said as she testified of the benefits of the ENGAGE project.
The launching event was attended by several Government officials, including Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton and Local Government and Regional Development Minister Siona Parag.