A total of 56 trainees, including 37 males, who completed the Barbados Youth Service (BYS) one-year training programme, will receive certificates tomorrow, Saturday, November 15, during a graduation ceremony at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Minister of Family, Youth, Sports and Environment, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, will deliver the feature address, while Director of the BYS, Therese James, will present a report. Acting Director of Youth, Hally Haynes, will give remarks at the 5:00 p.m. ceremony.
The BYS programme started in 1991 and seeks to develop young people in a holistic manner in three stages. The first phase is residential; for three months, the trainees are exposed to such disciplines as academics, sports, arts and craft, cultural arts and personal development courses.
During the second phase, they complete 44 hours of community service and undertake a life skills programme in water safety and first aid with the Barbados Coast Guard. They also focus on career development, which prepares them for the third segment of the programme. In this section, once they meet the criteria which include good behavior and punctuality, they go on job attachments in the public sector and then the private sector.