Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 09, 2021 (SKNIS): Pierre Liburd, Director in the Department of Youth Empowerment, said that the capacity-building for youth initiatives is a driver of sustainable socio-economic development and well-being of youth organizations and young people.
Mr. Liburd appeared on the June 09 edition of ‘Working for You’ where he spoke about the capacity-building project that was launched in April 2021, by St. Kitts and Nevis Youth Ambassador Corps to increase the contributions of young people to the sustainable development of the twin-island Federation.
“It is designed to identify the emerging youth organizations across St. Kitts and Nevis and engaging them in a month-long initiative designed to identify their strengths, weaknesses, gaps, towards helping them to address and to build up their internal structures, governance and accountability mechanisms and policies and help them to develop an appreciation for their community assets,” said Mr. Liburd. “It is also designed to help them look at challenges in their societies, communities, and devise creative ways to address those challenges through sustainable projects, all of which they would identify and develop on their own and ultimately receive financial support or backing towards implementing it.”
Mr. Liburd noted that at the end of the initiative the groups should be resilient.
“The groups should emerge as stronger, more cohesive organizations, more sustainable organizations with the relevant infrastructure, tools, and systems in place to last and stand as an organization not just for a week or two or five months but for years on end and to have a real and deeply meaningful impact in the society as an organization,” said the director. “That is the intention of this programme.”
He commended the Youth Ambassadors for spearheading the initiative. It is strongly supported by the Youth Departments in St. Kitts and on Nevis, the wider government, as well as other stakeholders, he said.
