Challenge
The Eastern and Southern Caribbean (ESC) region is experiencing evolving conflict dynamics, with notable changes in the past 2 years, ranging from community and domestic violence to violence associated with international trafficking. USAID would like to find solutions to address the main contributing factors of crime and violence, and engage with affected and involved populations to create a safer and more resilient Caribbean region.
Solution
The goal of the Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment (Y-RIE) project is to engage and empower youth and other key populations to build resilient communities in the ESC. The activity is engaging youth as partners and integrating interventions at the national and sub-national levels to improve youth, family, and community resilience to crime and violence. To build more resilient communities, the program is also improving social services and protections, as well as supporting youth, families, and communities to prevent and recover from crime incidents.
Making Cents is integrating trauma-informed care and positive youth development strategies and toolkits into the delivery of services to high-risk youth populations through the establishment of a Frontline Youth Workers program embedded in multiple ministries as well as communities of practices and other learning opportunities for youth-serving individuals. Making Cents is also supporting local partners, ministries, and the project team to integrate these strategies into all Y-RIE programming.
Making Cents is also supplying technical expertise in the areas of workforce development and entrepreneurship for at-risk youth to enable increased youth access to productive activities, such as employment, entrepreneurship, internships, and other youth economic ventures.