GEF, UNDP and Ministry of Agriculture Summer engagement Programme a success

IN A BOLD STEP toward cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders, the Ridge to Reef Project – funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented through a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour, successfully hosted a Nationwide SummerYouth Engagement Programme from mid-July to late August, 2025. A release from the UNDP said the initiative reached close to 150 young people across St. Vincent (SVG),and the Grenadines, offering hands-on experiences that linked environmental sustainability to youth development. Communication and Knowledge Management Officer of the Ridge to Reef Project, Kimeisha Baily said, “theYouth Engagement Initiative ensured that all facilitators were equipped to deliver the most impactful and engaging summer programmes, creating experiences that will resonate with participants for years to come.Through these activities, students not only developed an interest in conservation, biodiversity, and the Sustainable Development Goals, but also connected with these themes in fun and meaningful ways”.

She added that “a significant part of this success can be credited to strong stakeholder collaboration, which truly exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. Through the SummerYouth Engagement Programme, the Ridge to Reef Project continues to enhance biodiversity, strengthen ecosystem services, and promote sustainable agricultural land management practices”.

With an investment of more than $EC $100,000, the Ridge to Reef Summer Youth Engagement Programme sponsored seven summer camps coordinated by national agencies including the Forestry Services Department, the Rural Transformation Unit, and the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority. Support also came from private sector partners such as the Canouan Group – comprising Canouan Estate Resort and Villas, Mandarin Oriental Canouan, and

SOHO Beach House Canouan – as well as the Union Island Environmental Alliance. Summer programmes were hosted across the country, from Owia to Spring Village on the mainland, to Bequia, Canouan, and Union Island, each tailored to the unique environmental and cultural setting of its community, the UNDP release also states.

The programme put ecosystem-based policies into action by: building youth capacity in sustainable land use through sessions on composting and climate-smart agriculture as students received hands on experience in creating their own compost; promoting biodiversity awareness and environmental stewardship; supporting climate resilience through ecosystem-based learning around different forests in hurricane-affected and coastal communities; and creating safe, inclusive spaces for creativity, learning, and leadership development.

Participants explored topics and practices through a diverse set of interactive sessions, including Feedback from both participants and parents highlighted the programme’s success,and many young people expressed a wish for the programmes to continue beyond their scheduled days, while parents shared gratitude for the initiative’s impact on their children.