Four innovative persons were today awarded with cash to develop their concepts in the “Innovative Public Education Cash Grant Competition 2022.”
The programme is an initiative of the Office of the Prime Minister, Department of Public Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Covid-19 task force.
It required participants to submit innovative message concepts for public education in the fight against Covid-19.
Director of Public Affairs, Michael Gordon said the entries were of all very high quality. He said the messages remain relevant as Guyana and the rest of the world are still in a pandemic.
He said the concept is part of revolutionising mass communication as an overarching sector, with significant financial input as a department.
The winners were presented with a plaque and individual cash prizes of $200,000 for first place winners and $100,000 for second place in both categories, while the cash grant prize of $500,000 will be used jointly by both first and second place winners to develop their concepts into usable media products.
Mikoowanyah Yosef-Yisrael is very grateful for the opportunity to make his concept a reality. He is the first-place winner of category A.
“I’m a sign language teacher, a sign language interpreter, so naturally my work had a leaning towards that end whereby, I was showing the Covid guidelines of social distancing and also promoting a bit of deaf awareness, as we use sign language to be a part of each other and to communicate during this pandemic,” he told DPI.
Aiesha Scotland, who got second place for category A, is also pleased that her effort paid off.
“My entry is more or less targeting parents and teachers and it’s just to reintroduce them to games that can see that they can play safe in schools. We know school has reopened and Covid is still around and children will play, so I just want to encourage students to play safe,” she said.
Courtney Douglas the first-place winner of category B will use animation to spread his message. “It’s always an honour to win anything and I must say I’m grateful for the opportunity to create and to help to spread awareness for everyone to get vaccinated,” Douglas said.
Second place winner Bibi Selena Nandalall is also pleased that she can now work on her concept.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping people and you know giving back, so my message is, it’s not about what you do but who you help so I really would like to see a change with my idea that I came up with,” Nandlall said.
Meanwhile, resident representative of the United Nations in Guyana, Yesim Oruc noted that all UN agencies in Guyana are continuously working to ensure all is done to get out of the pandemic. “I hope that the final products would encourage those in the community who still have not taken the jab, to go and take the jab. We will continue to be vulnerable to this until and unless all of us are safe and all of us are vaccinated,” she stated.
