SSYDR - Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc.

What SSYDR - Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc. does

SSYDR - Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc. is a Guyana-registered nonprofit founded in 2016 by former specialists of the USAID-funded Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) Project, which was implemented by the Education Development Center (EDC) from 2011. Operating from Georgetown and East Bank Demerara with 8 employees, SSYDR delivers a portfolio of youth development programs targeting at-risk Guyanese youth, including secondary school students, economically disadvantaged youth, and youth in the criminal justice system. The organization also serves as a channel for corporate CSR and grant-based employment readiness programming.

SSYDR's core offerings are built on EDC-developed curricula licensed for continued use after the SKYE Project's close: a seven-module Work Ready Training (125 hours over 5 weeks), the Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) entrepreneurship curriculum (38.5 hours over 2 weeks), the Ready to Read and Pre Work Ready literacy programs (240 and 160 hours respectively), and a 21-hour assets-based Coaching methodology. These are supplemented by an Alternative Sentencing and Reintegration program delivered in coordination with Guyana's magisterial courts and probation services, an Employment Attack summer camp series, a Volunteerism Program, and a Work Wear 101 support service. The curriculum library, with documented outcomes of 2,764 youth reached, 2,240 trained, 1,090+ placed in jobs with 95% employer satisfaction, 158 business startups facilitated, and 118 alternative sentences served, is the organization's primary intellectual asset.

The revenue model is grant- and donation-based, with programs delivered free of charge to participants. Historically funded by USAID, SSYDR has more recently secured corporate sponsorship from ExxonMobil Guyana, including for the Employment Attack 102 2025 Summer Camp. Distribution is community-based: direct outreach through schools, magisterial courts, probation services, and community organizations, supplemented by a self-serve Google Forms application process and organic social media engagement on Facebook and Instagram. There is no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, and no parent company.

Name

SSYDR - Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc.

Legal name

Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc.

Website

https://ssydr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SSYDR is a Guyana-based nonprofit delivering workforce readiness, literacy, entrepreneurship, and alternative sentencing programs to at-risk youth, using EDC-developed curricula and funded by grants and corporate sponsors such as ExxonMobil Guyana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration (DDR) Programs (BPADAFAD), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Youth workforce training
• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Literacy and coaching
• Alternative sentencing programs
• Nonprofit youth development

Headquarters

HQ city

East Bank Demerara (EBD)

HQ country

Guyana

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: As a nonprofit organization, SSYDR operates primarily through grant funding from international development organizations and corporate sponsors. The organization was birthed from the USAID-funded SKYE Project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SSYDR is a Guyana-based nonprofit that delivers a portfolio of free, structured training and support programs for at-risk youth, including workforce readiness, literacy, entrepreneurship, coaching, community development, and alternative sentencing/reintegration services. Programs are delivered directly through community partnerships, schools, courts, and summer camps, using curricula and methodologies originally developed by Education Development Center (EDC) under the USAID-funded SKYE Project.

Product overview

SSYDR Inc. is a non-profit youth development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected training programs and support services. The core offerings include: Work Ready Training (7-module, 5-week curriculum for foundational employment skills), Entrepreneurship Training ('Be Your Own Boss'), Literacy Training ('Ready to Read' and 'Pre Work Ready' programs), Coaching Methodology, Community and Organizational Development, Alternative Sentencing and Reintegration services, Employment Attack job readiness programs, Volunteerism Program, and Work Wear 101 support. These programs work together within a Theory of Change framework to prepare and connect at-risk youth to opportunities, reducing violence, crime, and poverty in Guyana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Work Ready Training
• Entrepreneurship Training ('Be Your Own Boss')
• Literacy Training
• Coaching Methodology
• Community and Organizational Development
• Alternative Sentencing and Reintegration
• Employment Attack
• Volunteerism Program
• Work Wear 101

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% employer satisfaction rating from 1,090+ youth placed in jobs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Education Development Center (EDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011EDC developed the signature curricula used by SSYDR under the USAID SKYE Project. SSYDR emerged from EDC's implementation of the SKYE Project. EDC developed Work Ready Plus, Work Ready Now, Pre Work Ready, Ready to Read, Be Your Own Boss and Coaching curricula along with monitoring and evaluation tools.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Education Development Center (EDC): EDC developed the SKYE Project curricula (Work Ready, BYOB, Ready to Read, Pre Work Ready, Coaching) under USAID funding and SSYDR was birthed from EDC's implementation team. EDC is the curriculum originator and a strategic partner; it operates much more broadly across global education but shares the same underlying methodology.
• Save the Children Guyana: Save the Children operates youth-focused education, protection, and livelihoods programs in Guyana. While broader in scope, it serves overlapping at-risk-youth segments and uses similar donor-funded vocational training models.
• Plan International Caribbean: Plan International operates in Guyana and across the Caribbean with youth-focused development programs including education, vocational training, and protection. Larger and broader portfolio, but with overlapping youth-workforce and life-skills programming.
• Mercy Corps Caribbean: Mercy Corps runs youth employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihoods programming in the Caribbean and globally. Much larger organization but with directly comparable youth-workforce development methodology.
• International Youth Foundation (IYF): IYF operates global programs that prepare young people for employment and entrepreneurship, with deep donor and corporate partnerships. It is a much larger global player but works on similar workforce-readiness and life-skills curricula as SSYDR.

Direct peers

• YouthBuild International: YouthBuild International provides workforce preparation, alternative education pathways, and leadership development for low-income young people, often including court-involved youth. Its alternative-sentencing and job-readiness programming closely mirrors SSYDR's Work Ready, alternative sentencing, and reintegration offerings.

Regional players

• Caribbean Youth Development Foundation: Regional nonprofit focused on Caribbean youth development and economic empowerment. Operates in adjacent Caribbean geographies with similar workforce-development and entrepreneurship training objectives.
• ChildFund Guyana: ChildFund Guyana implements youth development, education, and protection programs for vulnerable children across the country. Operates in the same Guyana market with overlapping at-risk-youth beneficiary segments and similar donor-funded model.
• Guyana Youth Challenge Program: Local Guyana-based youth empowerment and development organization. Operates in the same country and serves overlapping at-risk youth populations through training and development programs.
• Restorative Justice Centre Guyana: A Guyana-based organization focused on restorative justice practices and youth diversion. Operates in the same geographic market with overlapping alternative-sentencing and youth-reintegration use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ssydrinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ssydrinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssydrinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssydrguyana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SSYDR - Specialists in Sustained Youth Development and Research Inc.