CATEGORY:REHABILITATION
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By Trevor Thwaites (Inside Grenada correspondent)



ST.GEORGE, Grenada - The National Youth Development Centre that was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan will soon be rehabilitated. Support for the reconstruction of the facility has been received from the Australian Government. Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Ministry, Mrs. Elizabeth Greenidge, has confirmed that the Australian Government has committed US1M for the renovation of the facility in the tourism belt.

Greenidge said that US$800,000 have been earmarked for the rebuilding of the centre, while another US$200, 000 have been allotted for the running of programmes in the centre. She said that another EC$700 have been obtained from the insurance for the building that was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in September of 2004. Youth Coordinator Cecil Greenidge has welcomed the news.

“I do not want to put a time line on it; but we are working expeditiously to move the process forward, now that we have commitments from the Australian Government”, a delighted Greenidge told reporters. He said that they are eager to have the Youth Department up and running. “A wing of the centre has been rehabilitated and is operational with a section of the staff already working there. “We want to process to be speeded to so that approval will be given and construction will begin shortly”, Greenidge said.

He disclosed that several programmes to empower the young population and provide them with hope for the future would be conducted at the centre including the Grenada Youth Enterprise Initiative (GYEI), programmes for the rehabilitation of young people and skills initiatives. The Youth Development Centre is also expected to be the home for a major skills programme to be undertaken by the government.

Youth Minister,Senator Emmalin Pierre, said that the Department is now moving to implement a national skills programme with support from the World Bank. “We are at the moment finalizing the arrangements for the venture that will be conducted on a large scale. Specific areas of training are being identified in the programme that will provide opportunities for hundreds of youngsters across the country,” she said.