By Prior Beharry
AN App is to be launched to allow young people better understand climate issues in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
It is part of a project pioneered by the IAMovement in partnership with the United National Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
A release from UNDEF on Monday stated that the project titled “Advancing Climate Democracy in Guyana, Suriname and T&T” has increased social connectedness of national stakeholders in the climate arena.
It stated that the implementation partners are the Cropper Foundation, The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana Environment Initiate and the Green Heritage Fund.
The release stated that this project aimed to increase stakeholder engagement across the three countries.
It stated, “The project countries were selected with recognition of the fact that all three nations are important players in the fossil fuel energy space and that opportunities, therefore, exist for knowledge sharing on lessons learned across the countries as it pertains to smart and sustainable energy resource management, citizen engagement in these processes, as well as geographic proximities.”
The release stated that the project’s overall objective was to “drive greater prioritisation, engagement and influence of citizenry on climate issues, solutions and related policy in Guyana, Suriname and T&T.”
The App will be launched later this year to accommodate additional features, together with gamification approaches to foster engagement from younger demographics, it stated.
The release stated that the project will also see 100 climate talk events (30 each in Guyana and Suriname and 40 in Trinidad) at various primary and secondary schools, as well as public spaces spreading widely across the project countries including to remote areas within the next year with the aim of engaging over 3,000 individuals.
Important activities under this project, within the three countries, include:
- Developing a climate database that would collate information on key climate issues and solutions- including mitigation and adaptation data;
- Develop and share educational tools and knowledge products with national stakeholders and the wider citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago. These would include video content, gamification approaches to engage citizens and implement a library (through the V1 of the WeClimate App);
- Implement two specialized Youth and Community Leader ‘climate champion’ training day-events in Trinidad and Tobago;
- Develop civic policy working groups to address relevant policy in each country;
- Establish parliamentarian partnership groups to join the civic working group and form a civic-parliamentary partnership; and
- Host a national consultation event spearheaded by the Civic Working group in Trinidad and Tobago.
