Guyana National Service

Guyana National Service was a public service organization, including a paramilitary element, formed in Guyana in 1971, and disbanded in 2000, amidst some controversy.^[1] The service was created following recommendations by United Nations consultant Robert F. Landor, to address youth unemployment. "Prime Minister Burnham authorized the formation of the Guyana National Service in 1974 as a 1,500-person paramilitary force. He envisioned it as a way to mobilize the youth of Guyana. GNS recruits ranged from ages eight to twenty-five."^[2] Guyanese youths who joined, mostly aged 15-20, were sent to three months of military training, followed by agricultural training. The organization reduced the numbers of The Scout Association of Guyana, which it competed with for the recruitment of youth. Over the course of its existence over 20,000 people were part of the Guyana National Service.^[1] Among these was noted Guyanese researcher Karen de Souza, who began working as a volunteer in the Guyana National Service in 1975, learning electrical skills and gaving reading courses to illiterates.

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