In a country that continues to recover from 36 years of civil conflict, Partners of the Americas worked with Guatemalan youth to provide leadership skills, to promote the value of ethnic diversity, and to improve their ability to obtain gainful employment.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) and implemented by Partners of the Americas, the CADI - Joven Program (Cuerpos de Acción para el Desarrollo Integrado de Guatemala) was a response to the problems and promise Guatemalan youth face. Over a 28-month period, the program was implemented in the heart of the Guatemalan highlands. CADI - Joven aimed to increase competitiveness of disadvantaged rural youth, improve their leadership skills, promote their participation in community life, and advance the value and richness of Guatemala's ethnic diversity for rural youth from five linguistic groups. Building on ten years of similar experience in other parts of Mesoamerica, Partners trained 500 youth leaders to enable them to access better work opportunities and serve as leaders in their communities.

Vital to the success of this project was the involvement of the Guatemala-Alabama Chapter of Partners of the Americas (http://www.freewebs.com/ala-guatpartners/). Established in 1965, this partnership has facilitated numerous projects and developed strong linkages with local institutions throughout Guatemala, while engaging countless Alabama volunteer-professionals.

Partners' methodology is adapted from its successful experience with youth camps, previously developed in the Mexican and Honduran Conservation Corps. These camps served as a platform to deliver experiential training, taking advantage of know-how from groups and individuals across the country. Participants in the program who distinguished themselves among their peers participated in broader advocacy programs to provide a fresh, multi-cultural voice to an emerging youth movement in Guatemala. Corps members from Honduras have assisted in training initial camps and the first Guatemalan youth participated in a Honduras Conservation work camp in November 2002.

Former Chief of Party, John Chater, described the value of the program: "In essence, youth will enter as motivated learners and emerge as leaders who can contribute to more self-reliant communities with greater problem solving capacity." Chater's experience in the region and his longtime work with Honduran youth put Guatemalan youth in good hands as they look toward greater employment and leadership opportunities in the future. To learn more about CADI - Joven, see contact information at the right of the page.