 A partnership to empower young leaders has been formalized as the Minister of Youth Development and Sports has partnered with the United States International Development's USA Youth Resilience Inclusion and Empowerment Wiry program to launch the youth work program for effective youth work practice which is aimed at enhancing the skills of youth workers. This collaboration symbolizes the synergy between two entities committed to shaping the future of our communities through the lens of youth development. Our endorsement to professionalize youth work is more than just an idea or concept. It embodies a commitment to investing in the potential and aspirations of our young people. By having our youth certified through competency-based curriculum, driven by Wiry and the Tiviat Council, we are fostering an environment where innovation, inclusivity, and mentorship pave a solid foundation for the leaders of tomorrow. Chief of party, USAID, Wiry, Phelps Feely stress on the significance of this partnership. The youth work program for effective youth work practice is a strategic endeavor to strengthen the ministry's role in confronting the wide-ranging challenges St. Lucian youth face through a comprehensive, practical, and community-focused upskilling effort. It includes the rollout of a competency-based curriculum for level two Caribbean vocational qualification standards for youth development work in partnership with the Tiviat Council, support for professional development, strategic planning, and effective community engagement with the ministry's youth division, and will ultimately, as Mr. Lemont said, will boost youth resilience against social challenges in communities throughout the island, where the ministry's phenomenal youth workers and youth officers lead interventions, programs, activities, and organizing efforts on a day-to-day basis. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Mary Wilfred, noted that the ministry has had the development of the skills of its youth workers high on its agenda. The ministry recognizes the urgency for this technical assistance to strengthen the effectiveness of our division, our division of youth work, for our planning, our programming, for community organizing, for organizational coordination around the island. Therefore, this partnership is coming in at an opportune time so that we can deliver this youth work curriculum called effective youth work practice. This is the crux of this grant agreement, and this is the reason why we are here today. Dwyneth Eversley, Regional Learning Director, USAID YRI highlighted the importance of recognizing the professionalism of youth work. So professional youth work organizations exist in many countries. In essence, it is an effective way of halting the misunderstanding and rigid attitudes that attend to how young people are viewed and treated, especially the young people we intend to reach and we need to reach. P.S. Wilfred talked about the activities that need to happen supported by this ministry for a paradigm change in working with young people and in creating peaceful, secure societies. And that's part of the agenda that you are framing through this professionalization of youth work practice, especially for youth at risk or those not in the mainstream. The USAID YRI program was formally launched here in February 2023 and is working with government and other partners to strengthen social services that serve youth and their families, improve learning outcomes for youth, improve youth preparedness for the world of work, and strengthen the resilience of families and communities. From the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, I'm Ryan O'Brien.