Every young person in Jamaica has the right to be heard and the right to participate. Yet, most young Jamaicans feel like they don’t have a voice and they are disengaged from critical decisions that affect their lives. U-Report seeks to change that. And it is now available in Jamaica. U-Report – an initiative underway in over 40 countries – is a free social messaging platform that allows young people from any community to speak out on issues that matter to them, access information and become positive agents of change.
Signing up to become a U-Reporter is fast and easy – through Facebook, Twitter and SMS. Once signed up, U-Reporters get regular polls on a wide range of issues, and those real-time results are shared with decision-makers and the public. By seeking to give thousands of young Jamaicans a voice, U-Report aims to transform youth participation and help ensure meaningful youth engagement.
By using social media to strengthen nation-building, U-Report takes what is often a distraction for young people and turns it into an opportunity to contribute to national debate and the development of their country.
Youth participation is often tokenistic. U-Report represents what it should look like –the platform is youth-led and youth-driven, steered by a young National Coordinator and a group of young people from youth-focused organizations.
Join U-Report today – because your voice matters!
