With youth development and citizen security being top priorities for the United States and
Caribbean governments alike, efforts are underway to ensure that at-risk youth in St. Kitts
and Nevis receive maximum benefits from the United States Agency for International
Development’s (USAID) Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project.
USAID’s Mission Director, Christopher Cushing and [TBD St. Kitts Government
representative] today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to govern the YES
project’s implementation in St. Kitts and Nevis. The MOU deepens an ongoing
partnership and exemplifies the commitment of both Governments to the successful
implementation of the project. It is intended to foster strong coordination to jointly meet
common objectives, and highlight the importance of timely information sharing, effective
cooperation, and sustainability planning.
In addressing the signing ceremony, which followed a USAID presentation to the Cabinet
on the YES project, Mr. Cushing said, “This MOU being signed today will reinforce the
collaboration that currently exists between USAID and the Government of St. Kitts and
Nevis. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners on the ground, to create
stronger systems and services that build greater resiliency among the youth. ”
The YES initiative aims to reduce youth involvement in crime and violence in the Eastern
and Southern Caribbean. The project is implemented under three components: the
Strengthening Evidence-based Decision Making (CariSECURE) Project which promotes
evidence-based decision making for youth crime and violence; the Community, Family
and Youth Resilience (CFYR) Project which strengthens these three components of
society to withstand, mitigate and recover from involvement in crime and violence; and
the Juvenile Justice Reform Project which enhances juvenile justice systems to rehabilitate
youth in conflict with the law.
