Local Non-Governmental Organisa-tion (NGO) Monique’s Caring Hands Support Centre has launched ‘Soca De Vote,’ a project aimed at informing and empowering citizens with the knowledge that will enable them to participate effectively in the upcoming elections.
Dr Dawn Stewart, CEO of the organisation, which is part of the Caribbean People International Collective (CPIC), told Stabroek News that the project would see a multi-platform voter education campaign.
Styled upon the ‘Rock the Vote’ campaign in the US, Stewart noted that the organisation is seeking to enlist local musicians to produce songs about voting for the current season.
So far, she said workshops have been held over the last two weeks to sensitise over 200 potential voters about the importance of registration during the ongoing Claims and Objections exercise, and the need to ensure that ID cards are uplifted and ones due for decommissioning replaced, she said.
The organisation also plans to utilise new platforms, such as blogging and texting, to reach potential voters, she added. A taxi-driver information campaign is also planned, while the group is currently seeking to organise three “issue” forums for candidates, Stewart noted.
Meanwhile, in a press release the Centre stressed that efforts at voter education must come from all stakeholders such as grassroots-based organisations, civil society, the media, political parties, the private sector, religious groups and academia. “While voter information is certainly the responsibility of the election authority, voter education can easily be viewed as the responsibility of both the election authority and civil society,” it noted. The group also said that voter education needs to be supplemented by ongoing civic education and ideally should be included in the education curriculum in order to achieve the democratic participation and culture that is expected from periodic elections.
The Centre’s immediate target is to prepare citizens for the 2011 national and regional elections while, its long-range target is to continue civic education. It acknowledged that it has encountered a number of challenges at its Centre’s service area and is committed to making changes to meet emerging needs.
According to the release, the Centre has been playing a vital role in the lives of women, men and youth in Mahaicony, West Demerara and Georgetown since 2005. It believes that the project is necessary as it claims that nearly 40% of clients are largely functionally illiterate and live below the poverty line. However, it noted that an estimated 50% of its communities have access to television or radios, making those avenues appropriate for voter education.
The Centre said voter education is necessary to ensure that constituents understand their rights, the political process and their voting options.
It also noted that Guyanese receive “very little, if any” civic training and as a result the adult population often lack the necessary foundation for becoming active and informed citizens.
Monique’s Caring Hands Support Centre offers support programmes designed to meet the needs of families affected by HIV and AIDS.
