Launched in 2008 with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) equips vulnerable youth with the technical, vocational, and life skills needed to develop sustainable livelihoods. This program targets school leavers, ages 17 to 25, with particular attention given to young males, who are currently unemployed, under-employed, lack the skills to participate in an increasingly service-oriented economy, or are unable to successfully launch and sustain small business enterprises. Participants receive job training and placement services and are supported in serving as positive agents of change in their communities.

In 2011, IYF received additional funding from USAID to scale up the program through 2013 in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and St. Lucia. This second phase of the program is focused on expanding the menu of services offered to include entrepreneurship and career guidance, reaching an additional 1,100 youth, and strengthening alliances with public and private stakeholders.