00:00For us, it's not just a project about agricultural production.
00:05It's a project about transformation of young people's lives.
00:10And it's to give them an opportunity to transform their lives.
00:14So the project is a very holistic project.
00:17It's about empowering young people, you know, so that they can make decisions about their lives.
00:22So it will offer all sorts of opportunities.
00:24It will, of course, offer opportunities in climate smart agricultural production.
00:29But also marketing, also design.
00:35The Youth Empowerment Climate Project targets young people aged 16 to 24
00:40who face unemployment and can benefit from vocational training.
00:44Often referred to as the NEET group,
00:46these are individuals facing the highest barriers to participation in society.
00:51Project manager, Chika Moes, who grew up in Mova,
00:54says this program offers a lifeline for young people in urban areas.
00:59Poverty across the island is different in different places.
01:03So in rural areas like probably Pinal, up in Tuku and so on,
01:08poverty for food will not really be a big problem there.
01:13So whereas in policy, when people don't have land to plant,
01:16you know, there's going to be a problem of getting food.
01:19And if they try to go in the supermarket, the cost of food and so on,
01:22it's even prohibitive for some people.
01:25So people in the urban areas don't have the facility to plant
01:29as we would like to or as they would like us to do.
01:33So that's why we're trying to focus the program in the areas
01:36where it gives people an opportunity to get out of this
01:40and, as we say, put your hands on the earth
01:44and do something different from what we see happening.
01:47A key focus of the initiative is climate smart agriculture,
01:51which promotes sustainable practices to protect the environment
01:54and improve health outcomes.
01:56Kamo says youth involvement is needed.
01:58If the elders keep doing everything and not helping the youth get involved,
02:02then when we go, what's going to happen with them?
02:05The project has received a three-year sponsorship commitment
02:08from First Citizens Bank, which sees it as an opportunity
02:11to invest in youth development, education and environmental sustainability.
02:16The CEMDES proposal is aligned to multiple pillars
02:20of our social responsibility program,
02:24youth development, environment, education.
02:28So we felt that there's a strong alignment
02:31between what they're doing and what First Citizens represents.
02:34In collaboration with the University of the West Indies,
02:37the center will provide resources and training for young people
02:41to develop skills in production, processing and marketing.
02:44Kambon says amid the state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago,
02:48the program offers a beacon of hope for those living under difficult circumstances.
02:53It will be challenging for young people to be able to overcome that
02:56and still focus on their development, but we hope that they will.
03:01Kambon believes the African Heritage Agricultural Center
03:04is more than an agricultural project.
03:07It's a step towards addressing youth unemployment, food security
03:10and climate resilience.
03:12By engaging young people and promoting sustainable practices,
03:15it's planting the seeds for lasting change.
03:17Jose Duranan, TV6 News.
