By Yusuf Stafford Chairperson, Communications and Outreach Committee, U-Report OECS

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 — The U Report Steering Committees from the OECS, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago met in Barbados for a Training Workshop from August 17th to 19th 2022, to build the capacity of U Report Ambassadors within the Eastern Caribbean area. The Workshop, that was held at the Lloyd Erksine Sandiford Center in Barbados, was supported by the OECS Commission and UNICEF. Several U Report Ambassadors from across the Eastern Caribbean also participated virtually. 

The aim of the workshop was to assist the Steering Committees and U Report Ambassadors in acquiring knowledge and training that would contribute to increased visibility, mobilization and impact of the U Report Platform. 

The areas of training included partnerships, communications and outreach, poll development, research and data analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. Thereafter, members of the U Report Steering Committee applied the concepts learned to further develop strategies to mobilize youth and proliferate social impact in the Eastern Caribbean. 

Dr. Carlene Radix, OECS Head of Human and Social Division, applauded the U Report team for their execution of the event. She stated that, 

“The U Report Ambassadors organised an excellent event with the support of the OECS Commission and UNICEF, and I look forward to exciting things ahead for the U-Report platform.”

As part of the agenda, the U Report Steering Committees hosted a virtual Stakeholders Engagement Meeting on Friday August 19th. Present at the meeting were stakeholders from across the Eastern Caribbean, to learn how the U Report platform can be used to engage youth across their varying sectoral areas of interest and to discuss possible areas of collaboration. Consequently, stakeholders affirmed their commitment to partner with U Report OECS to achieve mutually beneficial objectives and youth-inclusive policies within the OECS. 

Ms. Sheriece Noel, Interim Chairperson of the U Report OECS Steering Committee, remarked on the successful outcomes of the workshop. According to Ms. Noel, 

“Unreservedly, the first Joint Meeting of the U-report Steering Committee was a resounding success. The three-day affair was meticulously planned out; and each day presented itself as an excellent capacity-building exercise to ultimately host a lucrative StakeholderEngagement Meeting on the final day. Having been convened during the pandemic, the hybrid affair provided an excellent opportunity to delve into the inner workings of the U-report platform and fine tune our aims and objectives as a group, without the disadvantages of online planning and communication.” 
 

Head of Communications at the OECS Commission Loverly Anthony facilitated the Communications and Outreach component of the training. She emphasized the need to engage the schools and communities to expand the reach of U-Report.  According to Ms Anthony, 

” U-Report provides multifunctional usage for youth in the community and at school. It is both a data source and a data collection tool, that can support students in completing their research projects.”

About U-Report 

The U-Report is a digital platform designed by UNICEF to engage young people in program priorities, emergency response and advocacy actions. It supports adolescent, youth, and community participation; and works as a tool to share information, raise awareness, and collect quantifiable data on specific areas that impact youth and the most vulnerable. The information is then utilized by various stakeholders to inform their respective policies and programs as they seek to create relevant youth-focused initiatives. 

For more information visit: www.oecs.ureport.in 

Become a U-Reporter: https://tinyurl.com/JoinU-ReportOECS