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Basseterre Saint Kitts and Nevis, June 19, 2023, (Press Secretary, PMO): During a ceremony held on Friday evening (June 16), Saint Kitts and Nevis became the most recent Member State to launch the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission’s Opportunities to Advance and Support Youth for Success (OASYS) project.

The OASYS project aims to reduce crime and violence rates among young people across the Eastern Caribbean, with a focus on strengthening youth justice systems. It supports strengthening existing programmes and investing in new ones to provide skills development, psychosocial support, and family interventions for youth in conflict with the law through collaborations with government and non-government partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

Prime Minister of saint Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew making his presentation at the Launch of the OASYS Project

Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew delivered the feature address at the ceremony and expressed “enthusiasm and optimism” of the “transformative journey dedicated to empowering our youth”.

“The Opportunities to Advance and Support Youth for Success (OASYS) project represents a shining beacon of hope for our young people. It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to nurturing their potential, fostering their dreams, and creating a future filled with boundless possibilities”, the Minister stated.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the project’s objective is to provide young people with the tools they need to overcome obstacles they face regularly, grasp opportunities, and prosper in a constantly changing world.

He further outlined the challenges the Federation and the Caribbean region as a whole, encounter with the issue of crime and violence and the approach being taken to combat the scourge.

“These incidents of crime and violence disproportionately affects young people, particularly young males between the age 10-29 years, and remain a major social problem. Earlier this year, my fellow CARICOM leaders gathered in Trinidad and Tobago to review a proposal by a son of the soil Dr. Izben Williams that calls for a public health approach to the issue of crime and violence. For far too long, we have been investing time, money, and resources into treating the presenting problem, and not the root causes. I give my personal assurance to the people of this proud Federation that your Government will be addressing the root causes for interpersonal crime and violence and thereafter investing in their resolution”, Dr. Drew emphasized.

Prime Minister Drew also expressed gratitude “to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for their continued tangible support for one of the region’s major challenges – crime and violence with a focus on young people”.