An Empowering PartnershipOn October 23, 2012 the first three young ladies were suited through the YUTE/ Dress for Success partnership.

This meeting was just the beginning as since then almost 50 ladies from the YUTE Programme have been suited.

Participants have ranged from Pre Skills Participants in various communities to participants completing the YUTE / NYS programme across Kingston and St. Andrew.

Participants feel a sense of excitement as they walk towards the location as they usually do not know what to expect. After entering they realize that

though a small space, with the facilitation of Ms. Patricia Ivey ( a Dress for

Success volunteer who does most of the suitings), they leave feeling like women ready for the world of work. Dress for Success is a non-profit

voluntary organization whose aim is to uplift women and empower women, and it has indeed done so for a group of almost 50 women from the YUTE Programme.

YUTE, as a part of the “Learn and Earn” aspects of its Works Stream, places participants on job experience ranging from 5 weeks up to 2 months. Participants on their first visit to

Dress for Success are able to obtain a suit specifically for the purpose of attending interviews.

Afterwards, upon being successful in the interview they are able to visit once more and obtain up to four other suits. This aims to give the ladies a start with hopes that as they continue to work they will be able to purchase additional items.

Dress for Success not only caters to suiting young ladies but also provides accessories such as handbags, shoes, and even jewelry to add to any ensemble.

Dress for Success relies on the support of volunteers, who assist with their donations and time.

We know it has certainly helped our participants be confidently attired for their workplace debut.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

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Over the past few years, we have seen a rapid change in the way people go about doing “good”. The foundation of what has familiarly been known as charity has been somewhat uprooted.

This surge of change has been both a result of the rapidly growing theories behind social entrepreneurship and the increasing global demand for better good- doing.

reweave, a non- profit startup based in Boston, has stepped in to help make this demand more clearly understood, and even more so, to help fulfill it. reweave is igniting a movement to empower and unite communities.

We provide resources for social enterprises to grow, strengthen, and connect to maximize social and environmental impact.

reweave recently visited Jamaica on a quest to help local social

enterprises “be better” and find out more about what our beautiful island is doing to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

Having visited Mustard Seed Communities, The Eastern Peace Centre, Micro Credit Limited and of course, YUTE, reweave quickly realized Jamaica’s potential.

Not only were we blown away by the work being done, but it’s fair to say that we were encouraged to create lasting relationships with these local, socially minded and impact driven organisations.

reweave hopes to collaborate with these institutions to strengthen and develop the foundations that have been laid for immense local and potentially, global impact.

In fact, reweave is currently working with one of YUTE’s young entrepreneurship groups

on developing a more socially and community driven local business.

reweave’s history is one of

perseverance; young start ups are always at risk to fail, particularly those that are impact versus profit driven.

Naturally, we believe reweave has had to push harder than its profit oriented counterparts, but made the decision a long time back to never waver on its path to helping the world do more to be better.

The road ahead appears long and filled with challenges, but it also appears exciting and filled with possibility. Be better, join the movement.

Be sure to check out what’s weaving online at www.reweave.org

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Whitfield Town Pre-Skills Centre in ReviewThroughout the four months of intensive Pre-Skills Training, participants were exposed to a wide range of

additional workshops, training & job opportunities. Participants were given the opportunity to register with Bars To Go Training Institution (BTGTI) to be certified in a eight weeks HEART accredited course name Learn for Life offered by BTGTI and Red Stripe. YUTE participants were given preferential treatments given the existing relationship the YUTE Programme Management Office (PMO) and BTGTI maintained.

Approximately 12 YUTE participants are currently being trained in the field of Bartending & Mixology or Food & Beverage. Arrangements are also in place to facilitate ongoing training of youth interested in becoming early childhood practitioners.

As participants engaged in a thorough four months training from Monday to Friday and occasionally on Saturdays, participants are also engaged in at least two educational workshops each month. These workshops included :

• Customer Service and Housing Keeping by Institute of Workforce, Education and Development (IWED)

• Basic Life Support by Students from Eastern School of Practical Nursing (ESPN)

•Money Management and Investment by JMMB

• Energy Conservation and Electricity by JPS Co. and

• Financial Literacy (Management) by Microfinance Finance Alliance.

JOB PLACEMENTSParticipants are now being given

their two months job opportunity as promised. The placements are being facilitated by some of our sponsors, partners and supporters of the YUTE programme.

During this work experience, Y.U.T.E generally provides a stipend of $5,000/ week and employers have the option to match the stipend provided.

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Since its inception, Y.U.T.E. has provided over 2200 opportunities for some sixteen hundred young persons living in volatile and vulnerable communities. Many youth have taken full advantage of the opportunities offered by the programme to prepare for and enter the workforce.

They have invested their time, energy and commitment to the developmental process, and are now realizing the positive outcomes of their choices.

These participants have powerful stories to share with their peers and the wider society, highlighting not just their progress to date, but also articulating their views on what more can be done to address the challenges of youth unemployment and social exclusion.

The Programme Management Office of Y.U.T.E., Development Options Ltd. have conceived “Y.U.T.E. Ambassadors” as a vehicle for participants who have successfully completed various elements of the programme to engage with the media, programme sponsors, peers and the wider community to share their experiences.

Initially intended to be for a six month period – the remainder of the Y.U.T.E. Programme - the participants will be involved in making presentations at

various community engagement events, visiting corporate sponsors to say their thank you, dialoguing with youth and conducting interviews with the press.

In August, 36 Y.U.T.E. participants from across the various programme streams were identified to serve as ambassadors for the programme. They hail from across the communities served by Y.U.T.E., from August Town to Olympic Gardens to Parade Gardens and Rockfort.

Several ambassadors have completed training, and are currently employed or in internships. Others are on the cusp of attaining vocational certification. Yet others are in the process of starting their own enterprises.

Yet, despite the differences in age, community and programme activities, the ambassadors share a common trait: demonstrated commitment to creating sustainable lives for themselves, their families and their communities using the opportunities made available to them.

“Who am I? How am I? What is my purpose?”

The first workshop for the Ambassadors

kicked off on August 8. Communication skills took centrestage as participants explored their personal journeys.

They spoke of their motivations for completing the Y.U.T.E. programme, the challenges of their communities and the constant struggle for acceptance. They shared their dreams of the future, and the steps they were taking each day to achieve those dreams.

Participants shared their struggle to redefine what it means to be an ‘inner-city’ youth, and voiced the alienation they felt from peers who were still attached to ‘di corna.’

They also voiced a desire to share their perspectives and experiences with the wider society, whom they felt had a limited understanding of urban youth issues.

In addition to the vibrant discussions and interactive sessions, participants were also introduced to voice and speech techniques. Mock interviews, article writing and question and answer sessions were welcomed by the ambassadors as they sought to build their communication skills.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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ANN-MARIE BAKERGo-getter, passionate, outspoken, certified chef, mother, ambitious, helpful, Friendly, yute trainee, creative, dedicated

Ann marie started yute as a pre-skills trainee, and has now completed her level 2 training in commercial food preparation. The sky is the limit

for this jones town resident, who is actively pursuing opportunities to hone her skills in the country’s best food service establishments.

ABDULLA JOHNSONReliable, positive, fair, yute entrepreneur, loving, shy, out spoken ,quiet, confident, ambitious , joking, shy, quiet, ambitious, reliable, helpful, well dressed, jovial. Abdulla is committed to being the best he can be, and is about to realise his goal of being an entrepreneur. Yute has facilitated training in book keeping, customer service, and marketing to support him on his journey.

CADEISHA CAMPBELLPleasant, humble, administrative professional, observant, goal oriented, persistent, a dreamer, optimist, smart, loving, college bound , kind , outgoing, attentive.

Cadeisha knew she needed additional training and exposure to start her professional journey. With training facilitated through yute, she gained valuable knowledge and practical experience in her field of choice.

CHAVANDO THOMPSONkind, friendly, trained tiler, happy, good youth, non violent, always look out for

my friend

Chavando’s experience as a U Turn participant equipped him with the life

management skills he needed to realise his personal and professional goals.

Following completion of the pre-skills training, he went on to be trained as a tiler, and is looking forward to working in this specialist area of construction

CARY-LEE WILLIAMSJovial, smart, determined, confident, sales and marketing student, outspoken, kind, friendly, positive, goal oriented, flexible, smart, reliable, flexible

Cary-lee envisions herself as a market researcher, and plans to use her training while a yute participant to further that ambition.

The upcoming School Tour was heralded as a good idea, which would allow them to talk to their peers about the realities of life after school.

YUTE Ambassadors will be engaged in a variety of community engagement and media events from August 2013 to January 2014. Do be sure to follow our Facebook page for upcoming events and activities.

Y.U.T.E AMBASSADOR LAUNCHCONTINUED

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The goal of many mentoring programmes is to impart life skills to the youth.

One important component of life skills is the ability to set positive goals and deal effectively with conflict.

There is a limit to how effectively life skills can be taught without giving young people an opportunity to actively engage in practicing skills.

The Across Ages program, an evidence-based model project (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), utilizes the Social Competence Promotion Program for Young Adolescents (Weissberg, Caplan, Bennett, & Stroud, 1990.

New Haven CT. Yale University Press.), which empowers young people to take responsibility as problem solvers.

The problem-solving process consists of six steps:

1. Stop, calm down, and think before you act.2. State the problem and how you feel.3. Set a positive goal.4. Think of lots of solutions.5. Think ahead to the consequences.6. Go ahead and try the best plan.

Mentors can also use the problem-solving model to address issues that may arise with mentees. For example:

Your mentee consistently fails to turn up for appointments on time. The temptation is very strong to get angry, especially as this is the same individual asking for your support to get a job.

It is important to state that your time is to be respected. However, be mindful that it is best done in a manner which makes it clear that it is the behaviour you find objectionable and not the mentee as a person.

Link the mentee’s behaviour to the goal of securing employment. What will happen if they are late for the interview? Are they likely to be considered favourably? How will coworkers and supervisors view persistent lateness? Will they be open to working with you? By placing your mentee in a space where they can clearly understand the consequences of their act, you can support them in developing better time management skills.

Source: Andrea Taylor and Jeanette Bressler, “Mentoring across Generations:

Powerful Partners for Positive Youth Development” Kluwer/Plenum Press. New

York. 2000.

MentorsWe’d like to hear from you about

your mentoring experience! If you have been mentoring for six months or longer, do complete our mentors’ survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/yutementorexitsurvey.

The information you share will help us to assess the Y.U.T.E. mentorship experience, and make recommendations for enhancing youth mentorship initiatives.

You may be contacted by email or telephone to secure your feedback.

Thank you!

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Training for A Career in Housekeeping.

On July 23rd 2012, a cadre of young persons from various inner city communities across Kingston & St. Andrew were selected by the YUTE Programme to complete a course in House Keeping Levels 1 and 2 at the Institution for Workforce Education and Development (IWED).

For some of the young ladies this was their first time in a class room setting after leaving high school many years before. Attending classes and having a family poses numerous challenges for the young ladies and they had to find a balance between family life and school life. On many days you would hear complaints such as “Miss me cant really bodda with it” or “I don’t have any money”; nevertheless, even with the daily complaints the ladies endured to the end.

During their one year of study the ladies were introduced to various courses covering topics such as the Control and Ordering of Stock, Planning and Managing Meetings, Telephone Communication, Handling Guest complaints to even Laundry Services, Stain Removal, Inspection, Pressing and even Personal Self Development.

Participants were also equipped with the necessary knowledge in the areas of dealing with emergencies, collecting and delivering guest laundry, supervisory housekeeping, cleaning guest rooms and toilets and developing and updating their hospitality knowledge.

The ladies also went on a two day internship at the Four Seasons Hotel where they were able to get a hands on approach of how the housekeeping industry is run.

They met with the housekeeping supervisor, toured the property and also cleaned a room. Though personality clashes were a major issue the ladies had to deal with over the months of their studies, nonetheless, after getting to know each other the bonds became strong among the group; they are now a family of housekeepers ready to take on the industry by storm.

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On Wednesday, August 14 2013Youth Upliftment Through Employment, Y.U.T.E. invited members of the media to cover a handover of ICWI’s contribution to the Y.U.T.E. programme. Held at the PSOJ Boardroom, 39 Hope Road, Kingston 10.

Since its inception in 2010, Y.U.T.E. has engaged over 1600 young persons aged 16 to 29 in remedial literacy and numeracy programmes, vocational training, mentorship and other support services in preparation for employment. As a private sector led initiative, the programme benefits enormously from the support of a range of companies, non governmental organisations and international donor agencies. YUTE Chairman Joseph Matalon and ICWI Chairman and CEO Dennis Lalor will be in attendance. Time: 10am- 10:30 am

ABOUT Y.U.T.E.The Y.U.T.E. programme was formulated by the PSOJ as a positive response

to the factors that contributed to the tragic events that occured in late May 2010. Y.U.T.E. is designed to empower unattached youth in select troubled communities by improving their employability through mentorship and skills upgrading, and providing opportunities for gainful and lawful employment via work experience, real jobs and the start up of entrepreneurial ventures. It zeroes in on some of the root causes of violence and unemployment among young people through an aggressive 2 year holistic approach. The Y.U.T.E. programme has three main streams: YUTE Works (for youth who are job-ready or just require skills training/upgrading to become job-ready), YUTE Entrepreneurship (for youth interested in creating their own businesses) and YUTE U-Turn (for youths who have been involved in some form of anti-social or illicit activity and want to make a turn-around).

The Y.U.T.E. programme works in over 30 communities in Kingston and St Andrew.

Corporate Support

The business community has greatly supported this effort, with strong financial investments from Y.U.T.E. Founder Patron companies, which include the ICD Group, the JMMB Group, National Commercial Bank Jamaica Ltd. and the Scotiabank Group. Y.U.T.E. is also supported by the PSOJ, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Jamaica Manufacturers Association, Micro, Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME) Alliance, Jamaica Exporters Association, the Planning Institute of Jamaica and many other non-government and governmental agencies and ministries.

Y.U.T.E. ExecutiveThe Y.U.T.E. executive includes Joseph Matalon, Chair; Sandra Glasgow, CEO of PSOJ, Keith Duncan, Chair of Programme Development & Execution; Richard Chen, Chair of Fundraising; Imani Duncan, Chair of Communications & Creative Engagement.

ICWI cements its commitment to Youth Development through Y.U.T.E.

Thank YouShaneil Stewart

Y.U.T.E. bids Godspeed to one

of our Community Engagement Officers, the affable Shaneil Stewart. For over a year, Ms. Stewart has provided support to Y.U.T.E. participants engaged in training activities, patiently and creatively serving her constituents from Parade Gardens,

Denham Town, Waterhouse, Drewsland and Olympic Gardens.As she leaves to explore new horizons, we wish Shaneil the very best, and thank her for dedication to serving our yutes.

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YUTE Ambassadors Communication Workshop

Photo Highlights

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