Caribbean Media MDG Workshop
The Commonwealth Foundation and Panos Caribbean combined forces in September 2007 to host Caribbean journalists at a four-day media workshop in Mandeville, Jamaica. The media workshop was designed to improve radio and print coverage of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
In keeping with its mandate of capacity building for media workers in the region Panos Caribbean selected journalists with less than 4 years experience to participate. Seventeen participants were drawn from the Caribbean Commonwealth countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. Two participants from Haiti and Suriname were also included in the training.
The training focussed on HIV/AIDS, climate change, environmental sustainability, early childhood development and debt relief. Executive Director of Panos Caribbean, Jan Voordouw expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the workshop, adding that the Millennium Development Goals presents a unique opportunity for Panos' programmes.
“Panos Caribbean typically hosts different workshops on individual themes like Children's rights, HIV/AIDS and Environment. We were glad for the opportunity to host a workshop that features the inter-linkages of all these themes.”
He added that the reporting on the MDGs usually presents challenges in communicating statistics to the wider society. However, he felt the workshop facilitators who were drawn from medicine, academia, gender advocacy, government, sustainable tourism and environmental development, did a good job of linking the MDG issues to everyday life.
Peter Espeut, Director of Caribbean Coastal Area Management, who facilitated the workshop on MDG 7 – Environmental Sustainability strongly urged the workshop participants to understand what “sustainable 
development” means.
“Sustainability is being fair to the future,” he explained. “Sustainable development means progress today, without reducing and preferably enhancing the capacity of future generations to progress. It is about leaving to the next generation similar or better resources than that which was inherited.” He said politicians do not know the meaning of environmental sustainability so journalists must constantly remind policy makers and civil society, as well as educate people about MDG 7.
In addressing MDG 2, Dr. Maureen Samms-Vaughn, early childhood development expert pointed out that early childhood development programmes are good investments for nation building and improving Caribbean society, because they prevent social problems such as high crime, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy.
MDG 6 covered HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. This segment featured testimonials by people living with HIV. This proved interesting to the workshop participants, particularly Rawle Nelson of St. Kitts. He wished especially to hear more from people who engage in high risk lifestyles.
“Owing to my interest in covering HIV/AIDS issues, (I regret) not hearing more from the commercial sex workers, MSM among other communities.”
His remark summarised the general feelings of the participants, as they all expressed the wish that they had more opportunities to see Jamaica. The participants did however visit, El Instituto de Mandevilla, a school that features special early childhood education programmes. They also visited the mountain community of Mocho where Panos Caribbean has a project around climate change issues.
Citing the Commonwealth Foundation as a “very practical organization,” Panos' Executive Director expressed gratitude for their sponsorship of the MDG media workshop. He highlighted the organisation's partnership with Panos worldwide mentioning that they also sponsored the Oral Testimonies Project in Mocho. He said that he foresees that Panos Caribbean and the Commonwealth Foundation continue to collaborate on workshops for civil society.
