The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Youth Resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Summer School activity, the Uplift Summer Experience, concluded on Friday, August 23, at Patricia D. James Secondary School in La Clery, Castries. The summer school, created in partnership with Uplift Saint Lucia, supported 35 youth aged 10-17 from Castries communities such as Leslie Land, Marchand, Pavee, Bagatelle, and Faux-a-Chaud. It offered a safe space for skill building, academic support, and psychosocial development. 

The Uplift Summer Experience provided a holistic approach to youth development, combining physical activities, community support, and family engagement. Participants joined in sporting activities with John Sealy of the National Football Association and Yantez Cools of the National Rugby Association. Local companies, including Heineken Saint Lucia Ltd., Peter & Co. Ltd, M&C Group of Companies, Massy Stores (St. Lucia) Ltd., and RISE Saint Lucia also contributed resources to the program. Parents also got involved through Parent Chat events, which brought together caregivers, psychologists, and representatives from schools and social agencies, to encourage strong support at home. 

The closing ceremony celebrated the participants’ achievements and included the handover of water bottles and back-to-school supplies from Taiwan. Special guests included Ambassador Peter Chia-yen Chen, First Secretary Edison Hsu, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Rohan Lubon, and representatives from USAID, the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Ministry for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment and RISE Saint Lucia. 

In his remarks Ambassador Chen noted the enduring friendship between Saint Lucia and Taiwan. Director of Human Resource, Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Althea Emmanuel urged participants to keep pushing forward with the skills they developed in the summer program throughout the academic year. Uplift SaInt Lucia Program Coordinator Constance-Ann Paul-Akuffo highlighted the summer school’s focus on building resilience and helping kids develop productive, positive habits.

USAID Y-RIE Program Manager, Ajani Lebourne added, “The primary focus was on equipping youth for future success,” Through our partnership with Uplift Saint Lucia, “The Uplift Summer Experience fostered intellectual growth, conflict resolution, and lasting friendships, preparing participants for the school year ahead.” 

Uplift Saint Lucia offers specialized psychological programs and services in collaboration with its partners that support personal and professional development, including maintaining healthy and balanced psychological well-being. Their work promotes respect for the uniqueness and diversity of human behavior, fostering healthy exchange and respect for individual abilities, competencies, and talents to enrich emotional and psychological health and enlighten, educate, and alleviate negative impacts on development. 

The USAID Y-RIE program was formally launched in Saint Lucia in February 2023. The Summer School activity builds on several recent youth-focused initiatives between Y-RIE and its partners, such as the Ignite Project with the National Enrichment and Learning (NELU), an entrepreneurial competency and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skills-building program for youth in Anse la Raye and Gros Islet, and the After School Program with The Ubuntu Movement for youth in Vieux Fort.