Early in the New Year the GARD Center plans to have its Nature Center fully operational.
Various tours of the Nature Center can be organized to take you on a trip through beautiful gardens of flowers, flowering shrubs, trees and traditional herbs.  Exhibits will be found in the discovery room to provide interesting information in a fun way.
There will be an historic walk through time on our heritage trail for those trail enthusiasts.  The hike is one to three miles through the Gilbert dry limestone woodlands, highlighting the characteristic woodland ecology, plants and wildlife.  Other attractions will be a children’s garden and play area, local handicraft, soaps, condiments and other products for sale produced by the graduates of the GARD Center programmes.

Mr. Koen Rossel-Cambier, EU representative, visited the GARD Center on Wednesday, 13 November 2013.  He brought with him a local representative from the office of the NAO – Mrs. Juray Roberts.
They were introduced to the members of staff and tutors and both were given a tour of the facilities.  They also viewed first-hand a Weaving and Textile class which was in session.
–    Fruitful discussions included:
o   Project progress with emphasis on the results and their indicators as in the logical framework.
o   Project visibility and the visibility plan.
o   Preparation of the upcoming new disbursement request, with the accountant.

The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) celebrates its 24th anniversary as a non-profit NGO in November 2013.
The Center wishes to sincerely thank all of its Friends and Well-wishers, Colleagues, Volunteers and Dedicated Staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the years to ensure that the Center is the premium training institution for youth and women in Antigua and Barbuda, that it is today.
During its 24 years of existence, the GARD Center has trained over 3000 persons in many diverse fields of interest, including  enterprise training, skills training in soap crafting, solar drying, tanning, backyard gardening, handicraft, tractor driving, yacht maintenance, plumbing, computer literacy, farming, farm tourism, agro-forestry, beekeeping, weaving of textiles, and many more.  The Center has also maintained outreach programs to meet the needs of special groups such as persons living with HIV/AIDS, unemployed women, youth at risk, persons living with disabilities, NGOs and community based groups (CBOs).   These programs have traditionally been for both young males and females.
Celebrate with us all throughout November and make a special donation to the UMC Giving Tuesday, 3 December 2013.
Click here to find out more. Donate

Request for Proposals

Consultant with the International Youth Foundation to carry out a follow-up study of graduates of the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program in Phase II, which was implemented by the Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center in Antigua & Barbuda to train and place youth at risk in jobs.

Background

The Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) was launched in 2008 by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the job prospects of under-served youth in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia. The regional program offers market-driven training in areas such as life skills, information technology, remedial education, and vocational and entrepreneurship skills, along with internship opportunities and job placement services. The program also supports youth serving as positive agents of change in their communities through its service learning component. During Phase I, CYEP benefited 1,100 young people across the region through job training, job placement, and other services. During Phase II the program is focused on expanding the menu of services offered to include entrepreneurship and career guidance, reaching an additional 1,100 youth, and strengthening alliances with public and private stakeholders.
The program uses an information system developed by IYF to collect baseline data from all of the registered youth and exit data when youth leave the program or finish the training cycle.

Purpose of the Consultancy

A consultant or firm is sought to carry out a follow-up study of 59 youth graduating from the CYEP training offered by the GARD Center in November 2012-March 2013 to measure the changes in employment and educational status. The candidate must have demonstrated capacity and experience in: 1) designing and carrying out follow-up evaluations and studies and 2) knowledge of youth employability issues. Expected products include the complete dataset of follow-up data collected by the consultant and a report of the follow-up study written according to IYF guidelines. The consultancy is estimated to begin mid August and end no later than October.

Proposal Information

For proposal requirements and further information, please contact Rachel Bernstein, Program Coordinator, at Email: r.bernstein@iyfnet.org.