The MultiCare Youth Foundation (MYF) is using a Train the Trainer model to maximise the numbers of at-risk youth it reaches with the life-changing soft skills curriculum, Passport to Success® (PTS). This system is currently being employed as part of the Foundation’s YUTE for Tomorrow Project, funded by USAID through FHI360 and uses the International Youth Foundation’s (IYF’s) globally acclaimed PTS programme for its activity-centred, highly participatory approach to engaging vulnerable youngsters.
The MYF is currently intensifying its training of PTS Master Trainers, Master Coaches, Trainers and Coaches. Master Trainers are qualified to train Trainers and Coaches, with the support of Master Coaches, while Trainers teach the PTS life skills to the young people, with the support of the Coaches.
Speaking at the June 21 launch of a three-day Workshop to train 13 certified PTS Trainers and two qualified Coaches as PTS Master Trainers, MYF Executive Director Alicia Glasgow Gentles explained the multiplier effect being pursued:
“If MYF trains four PTS Master Trainers, for example, and each Master Trainer goes on to train 25 Trainers, we would have 100 Trainers in the field, in schools, communities and correctional centres. And if each of these Trainers trains 100 young people, which is quite possible, we could end up impacting 10,000 youth in one go. Under this project we are currently targeting vulnerable youth in Whitfield Town and Trench Town in Kingston. However, with this workshop, and the follow up training of PTS Trainers, we will be able to target youth in St. James, St. Catherine and Clarendon, in addition to Kingston. So this adds to the sustainability of the Programme.”
The training of PTS Master Trainers and Master Coaches was carried out by two trainers from the IYF headquarters in Baltimore. They are Lynda Aaron, Technical Advisor, Curriculum & Content, US, and Katie Raymond, Director of Life Skills Programs, US. Topics included Community Building, Working with Adult Learners, an overview of the Training of Trainers (TOT) Training Manual and Workshop Materials, Outlining a TOT Session, Communication, Facilitation, Implementation Planning, Practicum Sessions and practical Tips.
To successfully complete this training, the prospective PTS Master Trainers will need to carry out four full days of training Trainers before being fully qualified. Three of them began their practical work at the Train the Trainer workshop the following week (June 27-30). Venue for both events was the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston.
The life skills being taught to at-risk young people by PTS Trainers are geared to reduce their risk levels and increase their participation in economic and social growth activities. They include topics such as employability, dress and deportment, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, managing strong emotions, respect for self and others, respect for authority, time and money management and goal setting.
The YUTE for Tomorrow Project began in September 2019 and is scheduled to be completed later this year. However, training at-risk young Jamaicans in vital life skills using the PTS Curriculum will continue under all MYF programmes and projects, as the Foundation has instituted life skills as one of its four pillars to empower its protégées, along with mentoring, vocational skills and internships/job placement. The MultiCare Youth Foundation is the first and only licenced reseller of the PTS curriculum in the Caribbean and is the charitable arm of the ICD Group.
CONGRATS! Educators, social workers and others who have been working with at-risk youth as Passport to Success® (PTS) Trainers and Coaches, express their joy at gaining further certification as Master Trainers and a Master Coach. They are seen on June 30, 2022, the final day of a three-day workshop at the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston. The workshop was hosted by The MultiCare Youth Foundation and facilitated by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) creator of the globally acclaimed PTS Curriculum. With them are Senior IYF Trainers Katie Raymond (left) and Lynda Aaron (2nd right). Newly trained Master Trainers are (from left): Shara McLaughlin, Charlane Williams, Audley Vernon, Faith Byfield, MYF Executive Director Alicia Glasgow Gentles, Oraine Ebanks, MYF Project Manager Taneshia Stoney, Alison Espeut, and PTS Master Coach Tameka Thorpe.
Michelle Thompson, Career Development Officer with the HEART NSTA Trust, makes a point at the June 27-30, 2022 Passport to Success® (PTS) Train the Trainer workshop. Ms. Thompson was among 13 educators, social workers and youth workers trained to take critical life skills to at-risk youth in schools, communities and remand centres. This workshop, and one the previous week to train PTS Master Trainers and Coaches, were hosted The MultiCare Youth Foundation and facilitated by The International Youth Foundation, at the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston. The IYF’s PTS curriculum has gained wide international acclaim for its dynamic and interactive techniques, designed to engage young people by making learning fun.
