USAID-SICA Inaugurate Regional Youth Alliance Offices
April 11, 2008

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From left to right, Advancement Project Los Angeles Co-Director Constance L. Rice; USAID-SICA Regional Youth Alliance Directors Salvador Stadthagen and Harold Sibaja; Vice Minister of Public Safety and Justice, Astor Escalante; Central American Integration System (SICA) General Secretary, Ambassador Aníbal Quiñónez; USAID Acting Mission Director, Larry Brady; and Public Advocate, Marcos Gregorio Sánchez, during the inauguration of the USAID-SICA Regional Youth Alliance offices in San Salvador.

The United States Agency for International Development Agency(USAID) together with the Central American Integrated System (SICA) inaugurated its new Regional Youth Alliance offices in a ceremony on April 9. This initiative, which will be carried out in Central America and Mexico, represents a comprehensive approach to the needs of youth at risk of being recruited by gangs. USAID will provide $2.8 million to execute this program.

One of the goals of the program is to establish alliances with the private business sector to be able to offer jobs to young people who have decided to leave gangs. The project will also support centers for at-risk youth and a program to funnel small donations to fund local prevention initiatives in the participating countries. The program will do an assessment of the current juvenile criminal law and of existing regional rehabilitation programs in order to identify and promote the best practices.

“The project will propose ways to solve the problem hoping to have other actors in the region join this effort, since the solution requires the participation of all sectors of society”, said acting USAID Director Larry Brady during the inauguration event. .