Programmes & Projects

Programmes: 1. Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Information Technology (ELIT)

GYIN Gambia Chapter Annual Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Information Technology (ELIT) National Youth Summer camp has given young people the platform to demonstrate their competences and desires to live a life of their own labour. The first Edition of ELIT was in 2016, and the camp successfully contributed to the drive by many of its participants to either expands their scope of business ventures or inspired youth into more community participation.

The ELIT National Youth Summer Camp also includes five days entrepreneurship training, young people are exposed to introduction to entrepreneurship and the overview of business in The Gambia, concept of planning as a foundation for business sustainability and economic growth, marketing and publicity as entrepreneurs, business records etc.

ELIT Entrepreneurship Training Expectations are:

• Gain knowledge in establishing and running a business
• Develop entrepreneurship competencies
• Develop skills on how to be an entrepreneur
• Learn the elements of a business plan (and how to develop business plans)
• Coaching and Mentoring services

ELIT Objectives are:

• Build the confident and self-esteem of young entrepreneurs’ and inspire them to become successful entrepreneurs
• Understand how to generate, identify and select business ideas
• Acquire relevant knowledge and skills to start and successfully manage an enterprise
• Understand the preparation of a specific, comprehensive business plan tailored to each individual’s entrepreneurial needs
• Understand the linkages between the entrepreneurs and all the resources and services needed to successfully launch and sustain an enterprise
• Understand savings as a life skill for individual livelihood and business improvement
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2.Rural Youth Award (RYA)

GYIN Gambia Chapter in 2017 staged the First Ever Rural Youth Award (RYA2017) in The Gambia. The initiative was meant to recognize the efforts of enterprising youth in rural Gambia. The idea for the Rural Youth Award (RYA) 2017 is stemmed from recommendations from the National Youth Summer Camp which was supported by Nema, IFAD and the Gambia government. Youth who participated at the ELIT 2016 called for the recognition of their ideas and inventions, hence the celebration of youth in Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness and Agro-Technology.

The programme gives rural youth the following opportunities:

• Exposure to ways of improving the packaging and labelling of their products
• Training on record keeping, business registration, marketing, branding, and visibility
• Recognition of their successful ventures in agribusiness, agro-tech and tourism and exposure to other successful youth entrepreneurs
• A platform for rural youth who promote innovative agricultural enterprises and agribusinesses
• Success story campaigns in print, electronic and online media to increase visibility for rural young entrepreneurs

The Rural Youth Awards serves as a platform to recognise and celebrate the success of rural youths, motivate and assist them in the value chain and supporting them to become self-reliant. The support includes coaching, mentoring, and business development advisory services.

The Rural Youth Awards Aims & Objectives Are:

• To encourage rural youth entrepreneurs to venture into agribusiness (production, processing and marketing);
• To recognise and showcase the efforts of successful rural youth; and
• Support the award recipients and nominees with mentors (coaching and mentoring)

The Expected Outcomes Are:

• To establish rural business enterprises;
• To connect rural young innovators with mentors; and
• To increase agricultural production and productivity as well as access to markets

3.The Youth Mentorship Programme (YMP)

The Youth Mentorship Programme Coaching and Mentoring:  This programme is associated with positive personal and professional growth; career outcomes and development of young people especially those in the rural regions. Mentors possess effective communication skills, techniques and insights of mentoring. Participants (mentees) have close contact with their mentors to develop professional relationship with the society. One-to-one mentoring initiative was triggered by the following key factors:

• Concerned about the lack of mentorship programmes in the country to shape the future of young entrepreneurs, and leaders
• Recognition of the need for the effective mentorship programmes for young people and its potentials to upscale the services, production, and influence of young people through their business ventures

4.Rural Entrepreneurial Venture Creation and Experimental Learning (REVCEL): This is a tailored entrepreneurship training designed for rural youth using the Rural Entrepreneurial Venture Creation for Excellence Learning (REVCEL). The REVCEL Training Module was developed by the Columbia Business School in New York, USA in partnership with GYIN International. The trainings are also delivered in the Gambian local languages.

The REVCEL trainings build the capacity of young people to develop and deliver entrepreneurial innovation- based experimental training, advisory, and partnership services to support youth employees, and entrepreneurs in rural areas. The REVCEL trainings also include capacity building of local financial institutions to provide micro-credit through risk assessment and mitigation, and to develop and deliver youth-inclusive financial instruments in rural areas such as Mini Grant Schemes. 5.Agricultural Value Chain Interaction Platforms (AVIP) Project

West Africa Rural Foundation and GYIN Gambia Chapter are jointly implementing a two year agricultural value chain enhancement initiative with funding by the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema). The goal is to contribute to the achievement of key Nema outcomes by establishing operational and functional women and youth-based agricultural value chain innovation platforms (AVIP) with secured access to profitable local, regional and national markets.

Through this project, 100 young (men and women) benefiting from Nema intervention will realize increased rice and vegetable productivity and participate effectively and profitably in national and regional markets. Producer organizations, including youth enterprises will have increased access to financial and non-financial services through improved interactions with other actors of selected value chain interaction platforms. The resulting effect will be increased employment and revenues for youths and women benefiting from the intervention. 6.International Youth Day- “Tesitoo”- Self Help Initiative: It is a platform used to inspire youth to venture into farming activities to support the operational cost of their organizations in case funds becomes a major problem for them.  The celebrations are based on exploring mechanisms to actively engage youth in farming through Innovations in agriculture, technology and other sectors. It is highly interactive which enable rural youth to develop their potential through practical experiences in farming. This programme inspires young peoples to see agriculture as business.

Timeline & Absorption Capacity

Programmes	Absorption Capacity	Timeline
Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Information Technology (ELIT)	60 youths	10 days ( 29th July- 7th  August)
Rural Youth Award (RYA)	10 Award Winners	2 days (27th– 28th April)
Youth Mentorship Programme (YMP)	Every 6 months (50 Mentees) (10 Mentors) (10 Supervisors)	1 year (January- December)
Rural Entrepreneurial Venture Creation and Experimental Learning (REVCEL)	300 youths25 youths for each cohort Training lasts for (3 weeks)	1 year (January- December)
Agricultural Value Chain Interaction Platforms (AVIP) Project	120 youths 30 youths for each cohortTraining lasts for (5 days)	1 year (January- December)
International Youth Day- “Tesitoo”- Self Help Initiative	400 women & youths	1 day ( 29th August)