Launch of the “Youth with Purpose” Initiative 

By U.S. EMBASSY GUATEMALA

For Immediate Release
Media Note
May 29, 2024

Joint initiative between the Governments of Guatemala and the United States of America 

This initiative aims to support young people in vulnerable situations, providing them with training opportunities, access to employment and community service activities, to improve their living conditions and address the root causes of migration. 

Vice President of the United States of America Kamala Harris announced in 2022 the creation of the “Central American Service Corps”  (CASC) initiative under the U.S. Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration in Central America.  Glasswing International developed the successful pilot model of this initiative, “Youth with Purpose,” in Guatemala with the participation of more than 100 organizations and 1,300 individuals representing youth, the private sector, academia, civil society and government. 

Guatemala’s First Lady of the Nation, Dr. Lucrecia Peinado, and USAID co-designed the “Youth with Purpose” initiative, facilitating the participation of government entities with leadership responsibilities for social development, youth, education, work and health, among others. 

Over the next five years, “Youth with Purpose” intends to benefit 25,000 young Guatemalans with meaningful opportunities through academic and technical training, the development of soft skills, participation in social impact projects, and access to employment to become actors of their own change. 

For the Guatemalan government, this initiative is part of a broader group of strategies aimed at countering the root causes of poverty and social exclusion that, among other factors, drive irregular migration. 

Of the US$50 million in funding previously announced for the Youth with Purpose program, of which USAID/Guatemala has obligated US$11 million, with the goal of raising an additional US$50 million from the private sector, foundations, and other organizations.