OECS and PRASC Launch Regional Statistical Advocacy and Communication Group

As part of an ongoing thrust to improve access to statistical information within the region, the OECS Commission has partnered with the Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean (PRASC) to launch the OECS Statistical Communication and Advocacy Group which seeks to provide training in media relations and advocacy towards improved communications.

The Group, launched during the week of 3 to 7 December 2018 at the headquarters of Statistics Canada in Ottawa, comprises one person from each OECS National Statistical Office (NSO) and will serve as a technical working team to implement statistical communication and advocacy activities based on best practices and recommendations in the OECS Statistical Communication and Advocacy Strategy.

The Group elected Ms. Shervone Alexander, Statistician in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Statistical Office; and Ms. Siobhan Tuitt, Statistician in the Montserrat Statistics Department as Chairperson and a Co-chair respectively to serve during 2019, while the OECS Commission’s Statistical Services Unit will function as the Secretariat for the Group. 

The first Statistical Communications and Advocacy Workshop was also held in Ottawa, to coincide with the launch.

The workshop took the format of presentations made by staff of Statistics Canada in their respective areas of specialty including communications planning, media relations, the use of social media, best practices for online data dissemination as well as data visualisation. In-class sessions also consisted of hands-on exercises for the participants.

Main outcomes of the training were:

1. To increase capacity to support statistical communication and advocacy at the national and regional levels; and
2. To develop templates for communication and advocacy planning, products and monitoring.    

The workshop was funded by PRASC, a government-funded component of Statistics Canada’s work programme that provides statistical support to the Caribbean Community in several areas, including statistical advocacy and communication.

The workshop was attended by five OECS NSOs; two officers from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), who served as co-trainers for the sessions; and two officers from the OECS Commission’s Statistical Services Unit.

The Commission expresses its gratitude to the PRASC team and Statistics Canada for its continued support to the region in the area of statistical advocacy and communication.

This story aligns with OECS Strategic Objective No.3: Promoting Social Equity and Social Inclusion.