Since 2016, PADF has operated within a consortium of USAID’s Community, Family, and Youth Resilience (CFYR) Program which supports vulnerable youth ages 10-29. The program is a component of USAID’s umbrella Youth Empowerment Services (YES) project, which reduces youth involvement in crime and violence as part of a larger goal of creating a safer, more prosperous Caribbean. The program strengthens youth, family and community support systems; improves the skills of youth to resist involvement in violence; expands access to education and employment opportunities; and provides specialized services to youth at the highest risk of engaging in violence. The goal is to empower youth to become productive citizens and make positive contributions to society.
PADF’s contributions to the program include risk assessment tools, evidence-based interventions, rigorous evaluation and sharing of successful results and models through workshops and other dissemination strategies. PADF emphasizes meaningful civic engagement and positive youth development. One of these initiatives is training community leaders on the formation of community enhancement committees to tackle problems identified with regards to safety and community cohesion. Another one of these initiatives is the Basic Life and Employability Skills (BLES) program. BLES trains youth in a multi-modal approach to exhibit the skills, awareness and self-belief employers look for in preferred job candidates.
