His Excellency the Governor, John S. Duncan, OBE, and Mrs. Duncan visited the children of the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) in East End on Friday, April10, 2015.

As part of the series of visits, Governor Duncan has visited schools on the sister islands and attended the opening of the new Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies. A number of other visits to schools and youth activities are planned over the coming weeks.

The Governor was given a tour of the facility and said he was very impressed with the work of Executive Director, Mr. Stacey Mather and his Executive Assistant, Ms. Esther Jackson. Governor Duncan commended YEP for its outstanding work and added that he was pleased to see members of the community and civil society investing in young people.

Governor Duncan said, “I’ve been inspired by what I saw today. Young people are our future. Formal education is only part of life’s learning. It is equally important to master practical skills and to develop children’s creative and social skills. I am particularly pleased to see the broad range of support from all parts of our community. I hope we will see more of these programmes throughout the islands.”

Executive Director Mr. Stacey Mather said over 50 children participated in the Easter programme, in activities including culinary arts, team building, gaming, perspective drawing, painting and computer applications. 

YEP was opened on May 10, 2007. It serves young people living on the eastern end of the island of Tortola and creates programmes that are fun and engaging to help them learn through discovery. The Project receives assistance from members of the community, Rotary and students of the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.  The staff comprises a team of four full-time and two part-time members.