Honiara, Solomon Islands – Today, the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) and the Pacific Community (SPC) launched a three-year pilot project in the Solomon Islands which gives an exciting opportunity for 40 young people to re-engage in education and training to gain important skills for a better future.
The Pacific Youth Engagement, Empowerment, and Economic Pathways (PYEEEP) project – funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Aid Programme (MFAT) – aims to empower young Pacific Islanders who are not engaged in education, employment, or training (NEET) to improve their social and economic wellbeing. This pilot project is currently being implemented in Tonga and the Solomon Islands with the intention of expanding it to other Pacific Island countries.
The project is designed to strengthen national systems and the national bodies supporting youth-based policies and activities to supplement conventional approaches within the formal education system. It will provide alternative pathways supporting youth to engage in decent work and meaningfully contribute to society. It intends to support Pacific Island governments to establish inclusive services that empower, engage and employ young people, particularly those who have fallen out of education. The strategic goal of the project is that Pacific Island countries improve sustainable development outcomes for youth excluded from mainstream development.