79 enrolled in 2025 MPowerTT programme

THE Ministry of Sport and Community Development launched the sixth cohort of the MPowerTT programme for young men on January 31.

Created in 2019, MPowerTT addresses youth unemployment and social challenges by offering vocational training, life skills development and career guidance.

The programme’s components include M-Zones (male-friendly zones), life skills development training, life coaching and career guidance and apprenticeship and mentorship. Participants are also given stipends.

This year, 79 young men – 50 from Trinidad and 29 from Tobago – have enrolled in MPowerTT. Participants are also trained in entrepreneurship, digital skills and literacy training and are paired with mentors for apprenticeship opportunities in their fields of interest.

At the launch Minister of Sport and Community Development, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, expressed pride about the programme’s growth and impact over the years.

“It was a pilot project and experiment (in 2019) that I took to the Cabinet and got a little pressure at first for this thing that I made up at home.

“But I want to thank Dr Rowley and the rest of the Cabinet for giving me that little chance to try something,” she said.

Cudjoe-Lewis noted the programme’s early challenges, including disruptions caused by the pandemic, but beamed about its tangible results.

“We celebrate not only another cycle, we celebrate our government’s commitment to staying the course.”

She highlighted that MPowerTT is part of a broader strategy to create sustainable opportunities for youth development through the PM’s Community Recovery Programme created during the pandemic.

“It's all about investing in the potential of young people and equipping them with guidance and opportunities they need to overcome their circumstances, to break barriers and build a brighter future,” Cudjoe-Lewis said.

Selvyn Lewis, a mentor and administrator, also addressed the attendees and stressed the importance of personal branding and community responsibility.

He reflected on a personal loss, the death of a friend the day before, as he explained how it strengthened his resolve to continue supporting youth empowerment.

Lewis encouraged the participants to consider the image they project through their actions. “What am I representing?” he asked. “What it will leave is a mark, or even a stain, but a good stain, that will last you your lifetime,” he added.

Lewis also discussed the programme’s ability to tackle difficult issues, saying, “If I walk into a space and someone says, you know, a couple of the guys, apparently they smoke marijuana, I smile, because it tells me it’s the right program.”

Two graduates from MPowerTT’s first cohort, Nathaniel Barbour and Isaiah Mandley, were present to share their success stories. Barbour, who founded Barbour Enterprises, a property management company, and Mandley, an aspiring artist who composed the programme’s official theme song, each credited MPowerTT for helping them build their careers, offering tributes to the programme organisers and volunteers.