DECEMBER News /

The YES Colombia Network Joins Forces with the Jamaican Embassy to promote Tourism in the Department of Sucre, Colombia

The YES Columbia network is working closely with the Department of Sucre, Columbia to train its youth in tourism-related proficiencies so as to build capacity to attract and serve tourists.  This has been a collaborative project with active support from the Jamaica Embassy and other stakeholders.

Sucre in Colombia has a high youth unemployment rate, and low educational level and, as such, does not offer many possibilities for income generation to young people from the area.  It does, however, have large expanses of beautiful virgin beaches with a vast potential for a thriving tourism industry.  Noting this contradiction between resource potential and actual capacity, the Asociación  de Jóvenes de Sucre (ASOJUVENTUD Sucre), a youth association and  host agency for the Sucre regional branch of the RED YES COLOMBIA (YES Network), decided to take action.

With financing from the Sucre Office of the Secretary of Education, Governor’s Offices of Tolú, Coveña, Tolú Viejo, San Onofre y Sincelejo, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and in cooperation with the Embassy of Jamaica in Colombia, ASOJUVENTUD Sucre initiated phase 1 of the “English Language Training Program for Young people in the Department of Sucre to Increase Employment Possibilities.”  The project has five anticipated stages, of which the first is already completed.  During Phase 1, ASOJUVENTUD Sucre organized 240 young people in the department of Sucre and carried out English language trainings with such additional areas of focus as leadership, mobilization, and civil society participation and organization.  The Embassy of Jamaica provided the language specialists for the 6 months of English classes.

The project ultimately has three principle objectives:  (1) to strengthen departmental programs to train the economically active population in Sucre; (2) to impart this labor force with the language skills to receive international tourism; and (3) to create opportunities for them to generate a sustainable income in the tourism industry.     Specific issues to be addressed for this sector are client services, tour guide etiquette, culinary options, management of beaches and public spaces, and responsible environmental management.   

So far, the participants have achieved an approximate 30 percent mastery of the English language.  The YES Network staff also has noted improvements to the quality of life of the participants, their increased participation as a more prepared work force, and most importantly for the area, their motivation and drive to become role models for other youth in the region.  It is hoped that this latter result will serve to lower delinquency, gang activity, drug and alcohol use, and prostitution, as more and more young people are able to find viable ways to improve their living conditions.

The YES Colombia Network and ASOJUVENTUD Sucre are eager to get started with Phase 2 of the project.  Their main focus will be on perfecting the participants’ language skills, but to do so they are seeking language personnel from an English-speaking country.    They are currently  seeking international support to continue their efforts and further the positive impact that they have had to date. 

For more information, please contact Maria Eugenia Osorio at red_yes_colombia@yahoo.com.