On Tuesday, January 17, USAID successfully closed out its Youth and Citizens Participation (YCP) program in Guyana, which supported social cohesion as well as increased civic participation, particularly among women and youth. As a result of USAID’s voter education efforts, which included the use of social media as well as a Vote like a Boss (VLAB) campaign, many first-time voters actively participated in Guyana’s March 16, 2016 Local Elections, the country’s first in 22 years. Over the course of the VLAB campaign informational texts were sent to approximately 300,000 individuals; 18 edutainment sessions were conducted; voter inquiries were answered via Twitter and several local communities reached via an extensive bus tour. More than 300 individuals engaged with  VLAB's social media platforms in the lead up to the elections.

The social cohesion process, saw political parties, elected leaders and constituents, benefitting from training and cohesion building exercises expected to be the foundation for rebuilding and easing historical racial tensions between afro and indo- Guyanese the county's two largest ethnic groups. A key activity entailed the painting of community murals in five districts, which saw residents of all races collectively depicting their vision of a unified Guyana.

President of the National Youth Council in commenting on the USAID project stated: “YCP has given us the experience we need – we have a method, we understand the dynamics, we know how to mitigate the challenges and what language to use – to further the social cohesion agenda in Guyana.”