Trinidad and Tobago will today host a national consultation on youth gangs and gang violence.
The meeting, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), brings together approximately 60 stakeholders drawn primarily from the communities in which the pilot will be implemented.
T&T is the fourth country earmarked for the intervention – the others being Belize, Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis.
The project aims to strengthen the capacity of youth and community members to design and implement programmes to address gang formation and gang violence among and against youths.
It also seeks to increase livelihood opportunities and employability for economically and socially marginalized youth.
The Caricom Secretariat has already conducted a sub-regional consultation in Guyana and national consultations in Belize and St Kitts and Nevis.
The project is an offshoot of the Caricom Social Development and Crime Prevention Action Plan, which was developed by the Caricom Secretariat and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime.
The objectives include identifying a mechanism for the implementation of Phase II of the project, identifying a team to undertake a mapping of the selected communities, and identifying immediate training needs in the areas of gang formation and violence prevention.
(Source http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/guyana_news/519237.html#axzz1eoMAXLtd)
