On Saturday 3 May, IMANI trainees who have shown interest in small business development will complete a one week workshop under the Caricom Secretariat project, which is aimed at using creativity to create employment.
The workshop is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Religious Affairs and the Caricom Secretariat. It is being hosted through the regional programme, Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO), which started with a ‘Training of Trainers Workshop’ in Trinidad earlier this month.
Grenada is the first Caribbean country to fully implement the community-based project with support funding from the Government of Spain. The CEBO training is geared towards engaging and inspiring small business among youth 15 to 29 years old. It emphasises creativity and teamwork and is delivered through hands-on, interactive youth-friendly strategies.
At the opening ceremony on Monday, the participants were told that they will receive small funding to establish mock businesses. During the five days, they are expected to produce and sell to make profits.
Coordinator of Youth, Kevin Andall, highlighted the importance of taking risks. He said it is the only way one can differentiate between an idea that will work and one that will not. He encouraged young people to use their creative ideas to take them to the next level. Andall stressed the need for more young people to get involved in positive, well-grounded, marketable, profitable businesses.
Other islands involved in the CEBO pilot projects are Jamaica, Belize, St Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, and The Bahamas.
