Development programme for youth starts today

TWENTY-FIVE youngsters from secondary schools and other learning institutions will start this year’s YOUth Transitioning Project today at the Families in Action (FiA) base on Alcazar Street, St Clair.

Among the participants are students from Bishops Anstey High School, University of the Southern Caribbean, Belmont Secondary, South East Port of Spain, St François Girls College, Holy Faith Convent Couva, El Dorado Secondary, St Francis Boys College, Preysal Secondary School;

St Augustine Secondary, South East Secondary Port of Spain, Forde College, El Dorado East Secondary, Pleasantville Secondary School, University of the Southern Caribbean, Pleasantville Secondary School, Providence Girls’ Catholic School, St Francois Girls’ College, Holy Name Convent, Holy Faith Convent and the Credo Foundation.

Ken Ramdhan, project lead at FiA, outlined what the youths will experience during the two-week programme at a launch held in collaboration with the Scotiabank Foundation at the All Saints Anglican Church, Port of Spain yesterday.

The YOUth Transitioning Project is a support programme focused on developing young people aged 16 to 19 as they prepare to take on challenges of early adult life. These experiences are aimed at aiding students in building effective self-enhancement and leadership skills for achieving transition goals.

Ramdhan said: “Participants will be able to navigate the challenges of transitioning to their next stage of development and planning to enhance the quality of life for themselves, their schools and communities.” The programme will include a social-enterprise service learning project and aim to to facilitate the well-rounded development of young people who take part in the programme.

Training consists of ten modules, to be done in ten days. Among the topics are, positive transitioning, managing problems and conflicts, financial management/social media management, benefits of wellness, etiquette for young adults, emotional intelligence and effective communication, workplace readiness, developing civic engagement and coaching/mentoring – finding the right fit.

In her opening remarks, Dionne Guischard, CEO of FiA, said to participants: “Outside of the storybook world, becoming ‘real’ means to be self-aware and skilful enough to master this journey called life. It means understanding that the challenges we face along the journey are just temporary potholes and speed bumps in the road that may slow us down, but shouldn’t stop us. It means using these challenges as lessons, as a means of building our resilience.

“When we learn that lesson, we break less easily, and we find that we can master even bumpier roads as we continue the journey.”

To date some 400 youths have benefited from this project since it started in 2011.

Scotiabank Foundation’s director Peter Ghany said the project is a worthy initiative in helping young people become better off and discovering their full potential.

He also said Scotiabank was committed to investing in young people, and the programme aligns with education and empowerment, two pillars that are at the cornerstone of what the foundation had started.