The Caricom Secretariat rolled out its Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO) programme in St. Vincent and the Grenadines earlier this week to target youth unemployment, and crime and violence among youths.
In a statement, the Caricom Secretariat said it started the workshop on July 21 with 25 youths participating to develop a business plan. The programme targeted at-risk youths between the ages 15 and 29 as a way of countering youth unemployment, mitigating drug abuse, crime and violence and fostering economic resilience.
The participants were divided into teams and were tasked with developing a business plan, for which they were given small loans from the Bank of CEBO. Four businesses were established.
The CEBO is a regional programme that is currently being implemented in eight Caricom member countries. It was first conducted in The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis during 2012 to 2013. The Secretariat had received funding from the USAID, the Government of Japan, and the UNDP Youth Innovation Project along with other organisations to carry out the mandate of the project. The programme was subsequently extended to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.
“We anticipate that following this workshop, the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other local partners will be inspired and committed to continue to mount CEBO workshops across this country and provide follow-up support to CEBO graduates,” the Secretariat quoted Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development of the Secretariat, Dr. Douglas Slater as saying.
At the opening ceremony, Youth Minister Fredrick Stephenson encouraged the participants to develop their ideas by focusing on the regional and international level. “This training can propel you into becoming one of the most successful youth who start their own businesses and become a regional leader in the service or goods which you provide,” the Secretariat quoted him as saying.
At the end of the workshop the 25 participants were presented with awards and they were referred to local agencies for further assistance in building their businesses.
