The Department of Youth and Culture (DYC) and the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation (AYBF) offer several programmes and opportunities for youth. Three of these are described briefly below. Ongoing recruitment is available for each programme. Contact the Department of Youth and Culture if you are interested in joining any of these programmes.
Anguilla GET SET Entrepreneurial Programme
The Anguilla GET SET Entrepreneurial Programme is offered through the Anguilla Youth Business Foundation (AYBF). AYBF is a business service organisation established under the Anguilla Foundation Act, to provide business development and support services to young people residing in Anguilla. The Anguilla GET SET Entrepreneurial Programme is the flagship programme offered.
The GET SET Entrepreneurial Programme targets young Anguillians 18-35 years old who are desirous of having their own business but do not have the necessary collateral, financial security or back up to access a loan from financial institutions. It targets young people who may lack the basic knowledge, skills, training and experience to venture into business. Some of the prospective young entrepreneurs also lack the awareness of the various institutions which are critical for the establishment of small business operations in Anguilla.
The GET SET programme also seeks to assist young people who are already involved in business who may lack basic business management and marketing capabilities to move the enterprise to the next stage. It provides an opportunity for support for young entrepreneurs at any level who may have trouble accessing adequate capital for expansion of the operation.
The Anguilla GET SET Entrepreneurial Programme adopts a holistic approach to youth business development to address the problems of the young aspiring and prospective entrepreneurs. This programme is offered at no cost to the participants. However, a commitment fee of XCD50.00 is paid by each recruit during registration for the two-week Entrepreneurship Development Programme and XCD20.00 by each Small Business Assistance Facility (SBAF) recruit.
Strategies include:
- Business Training
- Business Plan Development and Modelling
- Business Apprenticeships
- Business Mentorship
- Loan Guarantee Facility (LGF)
- Technical Assistance
Visit AYBF’s Facebook page here.
Job Link-Up Program
The Job Link-Up program targets young people between the ages of 15-25 years, who are unemployed or considered ‘at risk” of being unemployed due to socio-economic factors. Within the framework of this programme, “at risk” refers to those young persons who have trouble in finding a job due to a combination of the socio-economic, “hindering” or “risk” factors:
- Non-completion of high school
- Personal disability
- Current or past health or substance abuse related problems
- Single parenthood
- Low levels of numeracy or literacy
- Speaks English as a second language
- History of judicial problems, probation, child welfare or social assistance systems
- Homelessness or at risk of being homeless
- Inadequate social supports (family, friends or community support)
- Poor self and behavior management
Strategies include
- Behavioural and Career Counselling
- Continuing Education and Training
- Job Placements (six months, private sector)
- Mentorship
- Professional and Personal Development Coaching
National Youth Ambassador Corps
The National Youth Ambassador Corps (NYAC) Programme seeks to mainstream the perspectives of Anguilla’s young people at all levels of the decision-making process and enable young people to contribute to community and nation building. The NYAC creates a structured opportunity for young people to participate in the policy development and implementation process. It also focuses on building the capacity of youth leaders for effective leadership and advocacy and assists in the development of a national framework for the integration of young people and their perspectives into national programming.
Strategies include:
- Representation of the interests of young people in various fora
- Researching and documenting youth perspectives on development issues
- Educating young people about development issues
- Acting as a consultation mechanism for policy makers and development agencies
- Training young people to be leaders and advocates
Visit NYAC’s Facebook page here.
Contact:
Department of Youth and Culture
Canon Ball Complex, Airport Rd
P O Box 60
The Valley
Anguilla
Tel: 264-498-3792/497-0969
Email: [email protected]
