Some images of our campers and the work that went on during Camp GROW 2013!
GARD Center represented at Denbigh Agricultural Trade Show
On August 2nd 2013 Jermaine Paul was selected by the Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) to represent them at the prestigious annual Denbigh Agricultural Trade show in Jamaica. The Denbigh Show is the oldest, largest and most dynamic Agricultural Industrial and Food Show in the English Speaking Caribbean which has become a benchmark for showcasing agriculture at its finest. Denbigh 2013 provided an opportunity for patrons and participants to be exposed to modern trends in agriculture and its related industries. This event celebrated its 61st anniversary, from 4 – 6 August, under the theme, “Grow What We Eat…Eat What We Grow.”
Denbigh showed different facets in relation to agriculture, to include a number of Financing Institutions providing general information to famers and the general public that was in attendance, Hardware stores displaying their tools and equipment. There were also Tech Companies, some showing their latest development in regards to multifunctioning software to assist farmers.
Mr. Paul travelled with produce of 10 lbs of butternut squash, 5 lbs of green bell peppers, 10 lbs of Zucchini and 10 lbs of cucumbers and was able to sell all of his produce. A surprising thought was that of the 200 plus persons who visited the booth, only a handful knew what the butternut squash was. Of that handful only one (1) actually lived in Jamaica. Below is the a picture of the young lady from Jamaica who guessed correctly only because she was up the night before doing some research and came across it.
Also during the Jamaica trip, Mr. Paul had the opportunity to meet with young Agriprenuers like himself, Mr. Martin Clarke from Barbados; Mr. Gooden, Ms. Stacey-Ann Brown and Mr. St. Claire all of Jamaica and are beneficiaries of the Jamaica Youth Business Trust.
Mr. Paul made several new business contacts not only from Jamaica but with persons who live in the region and attended the show. A lot of information was exchanged and business prospects look promising. This trip was made possible by sponsorship from the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Youth Entrepreneurship. A very special thank you is extended to this organization for continuing to support and promote the youth of our region.
External Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant Required
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.
Changing Young Lives in Antigua Chronicle
The Antigua Chronicle is currently running a series of four articles, highlighting some of our trainees and the companies who work with us to provide internship and job placement.
Be sure to check back weekly for the latest story!
Registrations now open for Gardening Technician
Check out our new TV advert about this exciting new course to be run at GARDC in June.
This course is available for unemployed or underemployed youths (you’d need to be at least 17 by October, and at most 25 at the time of application) with four CXCs or fewer. More information at www.gardc.org/courses/gardening-technician.
Email us at youth@gardc.org or call on 463-4121 or 562-0084 to register.
LCP Industries honoured at GARD graduation
GARD entrepreneurs scoop regional Best Economic Entrepreneur prize
Entrepreneurs Winston Laville, Dominic Chastinet and Jermaine Paul (of LCP Industries), who were assisted by GARD Center within the East Caribbean Youth Microenterprise Program last year, have been selected as one of six winners of this year’s Caribbean Innovation Challenge.
In preparation for the final stage of evaluations during the CIC Finals in Barbados, the finalists participated in one-on-one business training and received tailored feedback from international experts. The winners’ selection was conducted by a panel of 15 international experts and includes two teams in each award category: Social, Economic and Environmental.
Winston, Dominic and Jermaine will now have the opportunity to compete on the Hemispheric level in the TIC Americas and Eco-Challenge Caribbean 2013. Wish them luck!
GARD teams up with Project Hope for new Computer Repair course
GARD Center has joined forces with Project Hope creating the building blocks for both institutions to develop stronger ties in delivering much needed educational, vocational and social programmes for underserved youth in Antigua and Barbuda.
The partnership between the two institutions was formed to deliver an ICT course in Computer Repair to vulnerable unemployed and underemployed young people between the ages of 17 and 25, with an emphasis on males. Trainees are studying operating systems, software applications, networking, hardware, trouble shooting, repair and maintenance, as well as remedial maths and English, and life skills.
GARD Center Registration Fair – April 2013
The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) held a Registration Fair for its upcoming training courses under the European Union sponsored ‘The Empowerment of Vulnerable Young Women in Antigua and Barbuda in Their Income Generation’ (YWEP). The Fair was held at the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda on 17 & 18 April 2013, between the hours of 10:00 am – 2:00 pm daily. During this period our target group of young women (between the ages of 16 – 35 years) showed up in large numbers.
The Registration Fair was deemed a success, in that over the two day period the Center received over two hundred applications for courses advertised in Agriculture; Basic Cookery; Entrepreneurship; Exceptional Hospitality Executive Provisioner; Food and Beverage Services; ICT; Weaving and Textiles; and Yacht Maintenance.
Agriculture trainee Whitfield Joshua attends Agrifest in Barbados
GARD Center’s representative, Whitfield Joshua, attended Agrifest 2013 in Barbados. Joshua’s trip was financed by CIBC First Caribbean Bank and received his invitation through the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Youth Entrepreneurship. Joshua is currently undergoing agriculture training under the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) sponsored by USAID and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) who are also administrators.
