The lack of environmental stewardship among the youth in Trinidad and Tobago is a major problem, contributing to the following socio-environmental effects:
minimal youth leadership involved in alleviation of environmental issues; and long-term continuation of gaps in proactive environmental stewardship and environmental degradation.

For this project, SHIFT! Caribbean is specifically targeting youth residents in five children?s homes in east, west, central and south Trinidad. Based on face to face interviews with administrators of these homes, SHIFT! Caribbean identified that these particular young persons have been unable to access their full potential of becoming effective environmental stewards as the above problems have been further compounded by:
1.hopelessness and helplessness among the youth who are unaware of their potential to positively impact their environment;
2.disenfranchised youth focused on survival;
3.inability of the youth to self-identify as transformational leaders;
4.abuse and abandonment;
5.lack of exposure to programmes that highlight their potential as leaders and provide tools to become those leaders; and
6.lack of exposure to transformational leadership programmes

The SHIFT! Caribbean youth programme can contribute towards the alleviation of the identified socio-economic effects in the context of at least two of GEF?s country programme strategies: strategy 2 (innovative climate-smart agro-ecology) and strategy 3 (energy access co-benefits).


Goal
To contribute to the development of an inclusive, empowered society existing in a healthy environment.


Objectives
To build the capacity of at least 40 youth leaders between the ages of 12 to 18, in at least 4 children?s homes in east, west, central and south Trinidad, within the timeframe of 14 months, in environmental leadership, using coaching and mentoring of small environmental projects.

Two-phase building block approach - To build the leadership capacity of at least 40 youth leaders between the ages of 12 and 18, in at least 4 children?s homes in east, west, central and south Trinidad, within the timeframe of 14 months, using two three-day workshops including inter-phase mentoring and coaching.

Implementation Phase ? to conduct at least 9 monthly coaching and mentoring sessions at each Home and to provide on-going support for the execution of 4 environmental projects.