The Executive Secretariat for Integral Development of the Organization of American States (SEDI/OAS), and the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) hosted the first national workshops in Guyana and Jamaica for the program "Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Caribbean", thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The workshops took place in Georgetown, Guyana, from April 23-25 2008, and in Kingston, Jamaica, from May 5-7, 2008. The two workshops together had the participation of over 60 people, including participants, panelists and trainers.

Attending the workshops were several SMEs business owners and representatives, university students, invited panelists and guests, and the local and international trainers. The lead trainer, Ms. Alison Colwell from Canada, and the co-lead trainer, Ms. Melanie Richards from Trinidad and Tobago, were accompanied by the two national trainers from each country during the national workshops. The lead national trainers for the program are, Ms. Carlotta Walcott and Mr. Eugene Gilbert in Guyana, and
Ms. Brigette McDonald Levy and Ms. Margaret Mais in Jamaica.

The main objectives of the workshops were to bring awareness of what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is and showcase the benefits of how the policies and practices of CSR can be applied in SMEs in Guyana, Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. Several local and regional case studies were presented, thereby providing specific examples of how businesses have been successful with implementing CSR in their core business strategy and in assisting their local communities.

Several key public and private sector leaders were invited to speak as key panelists and they showcased examples on how CSR is being developed throughout their work already. In particular, the Minister of Labor of Guyana, Mr. Manzoor Nadir, spoke about the importance of CSR and why it is necessary for their country to embrace a proactive strategy in implementing these issues. In Jamaica, Ms. Sandra Glasgow, the CEO of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), participated in the multi-stakeholder's panel and showed her support for the program while leading an active discussion among the participants. During both workshops there were ample opportunities for networking and potential collaboration between those participants and businesses attending.

In reference to CSR and his participation during the workshop, the CEO of Roraima Group of Companies, Captain Gerry Gouveia stated, "I finally found a name for what I was doing all along and can now package it better."

The participants were satisfied with the results of the workshop, highlighting that the high quality of the content provided and disseminated were sufficient enough for them to learn more about CSR. There is a strong network of different stakeholders being created in both countries and across the Caribbean region as a result of this program.