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Caribbean Sheroes Academy: Leaving No One Behind Edition

06 October 2023

Are you between 18 and 30 and eager to learn more about the concepts and tools in the field of gender equality, development, and project planning? ——> APPLY NOW

Are you a young person interested in joining other young people from the Caribbean to embark on a journey which will introduce you to basic concepts in the field of gender equality and tools for advocacy and project planning?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Institute for Gender and Development Studies - Regional Coordinating Office (IGDS-RCO) at the University of the West Indies, awards scholarships for young persons to participate in the virtual Caribbean Sheroes Academy: Leaving No One Behind 2023 Edition.

What you will get out of it:

Learn and apply concepts in the field of Gender, Advocacy and Development with a focus on Leaving No One Behind.
Develop your network and meet outstanding scholars, activists and experts that promote women’s rights and gender justice in the Caribbean.
Exchange with young persons from 20 countries and territories in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and join forces to develop your own project ideas to promote Gender Equality in your organization, community or country.
Obtain tools to design your own projects and drive meaningful social change.
Receive tailored mentoring sessions and attend exclusive expert talks.
A Certificate of Participation.

Young people meeting the following requirement are invited to apply:

Are between the ages of 18-30.
Are a national/citizen of the following countries in the Caribbean region: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,

Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos.
Have an interest and commitment to advocate for gender equality, social justice and inclusive development in the Caribbean.
Able to participate in five online evening training sessions, as well as devote sufficient time (approximately 10 hours per week over two weeks) to carry out assignments prior, during, and post-training.
Have reliable access to a stable internet connection.
Can participate in English.

How to apply:

Application deadline: Friday 13th October 2023 via the following Google Form link.

Background:

Violence against women is extensive and affects a significant percentage of women and girls in the Caribbean. For example, nearly 40% of women across the Caribbean experience violence at the hands of their partners (UN Women, 2019). Furthermore, the National Study on the Economic Costs of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) highlighted that the cost of VAWG in Jamaica in 2018 more than USD $ 1 billion (UN Women, 2023). Reducing violence against women requires a multidimensional approach that also implies examining expressions of violence amongst both women and men, as well as the region’s history.

Underlying traditional social norms that perpetuate power structures lead to different forms of inequalities throughout political, economic, and social systems. Indeed, the Latin America and Caribbean region has not closed the empowerment deficit nor eliminated gender gaps (UNDP & UNWomen, 2023). Therefore, to address these power structures, in 2021 UNESCO together with the Institute for Gender and Development Studies Regional Coordinating Office (IGDS-RCO) of the University of the West Indies, launched the Caribbean Sheroes Initiative, an initiative that aims to produce knowledge and enhance the skills of young people to promote gender equality.

Within the framework of the Caribbean Sheroes Initiative, UNESCO in partnership with IGDS-RCO conducted in 2021 and 2022 the Caribbean Sheroes Academy for Gender Equality, Advocacy and Development as well as a Sheroes Regional Trainings, based on a Training Manual also developed as part of the Caribbean Sheroes Initiative. Furthermore, a Toolkit for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) was elaborated which provides technical resources for CSOs to promote gender equality in the Caribbean sub-region. In 2022, the Caribbean Sheroes Initiative was conducted in line with UNESCO’s global flagship Transforming MENtalities Initiative, which seeks to engage men and boys as accountable allies for gender equality and tackle harmful norms of masculinity.

The Caribbean Sheroes Initiative has been able to enhance the capacities of over 150 youth in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.

In 2023 UNESCO in the Caribbean and IGDS-RCO will continue to build on the work conducted during 2021 and 2022 to address harmful gender norms and stereotypes through knowledge production, advocacy, awareness-raising and capacity development. The thematic focus of the 2023 edition will be on Leaving No One Behind, to address different forms of exclusion and discrimination.