Ministry to host Creativity for Employment, Business Opportunity Workshop,

The Ministry of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth, along with the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors for St Vincent and the Grenadines, have concluded initiation with several financial institutions in St Vincent and the Grenadines in the development of a Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO) Community Workshop.

The CEBO Community Workshop is scheduled to run from July 21 to 26th, 2014.{{more}}

On June 26, Frederick Stephenson, Minister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth, reinforced that the CEBO Programme sponsored by USAID, Spanish Aid and CARICOM, targets vulnerable and marginalised youth through the provision of valuable entrepreneurship skills training. Minister Stephenson also expressed pleasure that CARICOM is continually engaging governments and stakeholders on the project.

Minister Stephenson observed that the results of the CEBO Programme would become more manifest over time as the youth in St Vincent and the Grenadines become more skilled in developing their entrepreneurial identity, which would result in the creation of more cottage industries.

Deputy programme manager at the CARICOM Secretariat Yldiz Pollack-Beighle highlighted the importance of implementing the CEBO project in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and urged the partners to help to build the local capacity of the CEBO Community Workshop.

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors for St Vincent and the Grenadines Tamira Browne and Kishore Shallow noted that the hope is that stakeholders would support the local pilot workshop, and that it would be the first of a series of CEBO Community Workshops. The ultimate goal is to foster greater youth inclusion, enhanced youth participation, and the overall development of more sustainable livelihoods.

Philcol Jeffers from the Youth Affairs Department urged stakeholders to partner in this youth development initiative, and also recommended the programme to youth in St Vincent and the Grenadines between 17-30 years.