Georgetown, Guyana – (July 20, 2017) The Ministry of Social Cohesion is hosting an Inter-Village Exchange Camp for 160 young people from 23 villages in South Central Rupununi in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine), which is aimed fostering an appreciation of differences in order to build more unified communities. The participants, aged between 16 and 25 years of age, will be chaperoned by 32 guardians at the St. Ignatius Secondary School.

The main objective of the camp is to educate the young people about the role of social cohesion in nation building and to inform them about the role that they can play as individuals and within groups in community development.

In keeping with this, the Ministry has planned several sessions to engage the participants in exercises aimed at boosting their self-confidence so that they can take the lead in promoting trust, unity, equity, equality and an appreciation of diversity among their peers, with the overall aim of creating an enabling environment that will foster community development. The Ministry has also planned a full roster of interactive activities such as outdoor games and physical exercises, along with a campfire and a special cultural evening all aimed at empowering them to make individual and group inputs in their respective communities.

The youths will be provided with additional information on topics including the importance of education, career opportunities in various fields, business opportunities at the community level, youth and the law, as well as social issues such as trafficking in persons and domestic violence by representatives from Government agencies, education institutions and businesses. These include representatives from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), the Lethem Chamber of Commerce, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited and Machinery Corporation of Guyana Limited (MACORP).

Several sponsors have thrown their support behind the initiative, including: RUBIS Guyana Incorporated, MACORP, Gaico Construction and General Services Incorporated, Mohammed’s Enterprise, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited and Mekdeci Machinery and Construction Incorporated.

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