A total of 63 young people who completed the Barbados Youth Service (BYS) one-year training programme will receive certificates tomorrow, Saturday, October 9, during a graduation ceremony at Grand Barbados Beach Resort.

Acting Minister of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth, Ronald Jones, will deliver the feature address and present the Minister’s Award and other prizes to successful trainees. Director of the BYS, Terese James, will deliver the Youth Service’s review report for the year 2009/2010.

The BYS programme started in 1991 and seeks to develop young people in a holistic manner in three stages. The first phase is residential that is, for three months where 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. saustin@barbados.gov.bb

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