SUNDAY 8TH MAY, 2016 – UWI TODAY
11
COMMUNICATION STUDIES RESEARCH EXPOSITION
The scene at the Daaga Auditorium
on the evening of
April 7 starkly resembled a teeming networking event.
It was abuzz with eager exchange. Students commanded
their spaces as they ushered lecturers, guests and students
alike into their themed booths. The magnitude of their
efforts was apparent as the Research Expositionmarked the
culmination of the Communication Studies Programme’s
year-long thesis project.
The third-year Communication Studies students at
The UWI were charged with the task of identifying and
proposing impactful solutions to various communication
issues within ten local and international non-governmental
organizations. The students were given carte blanche to
investigate and solve these communicative puzzles by
implementing critical thinking skills and the necessary
theoretical frameworks – with their findings and progress
showcased at the Research Exposition.
Heavilydependentontheircommandofcommunication
theory and creative discernment, the practicum showed
duality in its process. Once assigned to an organization, the
students immediately became researchers but simultaneously
served as branding consultants, working directly in the field.
The Exposition showcased students’ work in
organizations such as the UnitedNations High Commission
for Refugees, Habitat for Humanity, D Body Architect, Kids
in Need of Direction (KIND) and The University of the
West Indies Alumni Association.The breadth of the areas of
interest was far-reaching but with a common denominator
of social outreach. Undergraduate Communication Studies
coordinator and lecturer, Dr. Keston Pierre, recounted the
genesis of the Exposition from a centralized idea of social
marketing. Wanting to foster positive behaviour change in
local communities, he found that the best way to fulfill this
purpose was through partnerships with non-governmental
agencies and small businesses versus traditional media fora.
He hoped too for increased media coverage of the event to
build awareness and sustainability of the project.
This year marked the second instalment of this
collaboration with non-profit organizations, and Dr. Pierre
observed that students were keen and their investment in
gaining real world experience was pronounced.This interest
was remarkably evident in the booth that showcased their
work with “The Right Start Early Intervention” programme
for young children living with autism. Their booth set-up
was a mock pre-school classroom, complete with sensory
friendly activity sets, mats and a mini-golf station against
the backdrop of branded banners detailing their research
process. The group members gave impassioned accounts of
their findings with child-friendly painted faces as though
they were teachers and specialists working at the early
intervention centre.
The students assisted in executing the organization’s
annual “Light it Up Blue” campaign during the month of
April, where various Prestige Holdings buildings across the
country are illuminated blue, the colour of autismawareness.
Natasha Scott, a resident speech therapist at the programme,
lauded the students’ work as being intensely diagnostic of
the levels of social awareness of the initiative. Scott added
that through the use of popular culture and social media,
the students were able penetrate new demographics beyond
the remit of those directly affected by autism and effectively
increase awareness, particularly among young people.
Humanities and Education Dean, Dr. Heather Cateau,
STUDENTS BUMP UP SOCIAL AWARENESS
B Y G E N È V E H Y N D M A N
Genève Hyndman is a Communication Studies Major student at The UWI St. Augustine Campus.
said the Exposition is on a positive growth path. “It gets
better every year and what is most striking this year is the
theme of social consciousness – something that is needed
in Trinidad and Tobago today.”
Building upon this motif of social consciousness
was the work of the “Comm-sultants” with their work
for the organization “Moms For Literacy.” They focused
primarily on gaining media coverage for the organization
and increasing the enrolment of the initiative’s reading
programme. The teamworked with cultural news network,
Gayelle, to produce a television advertisement to be run
for a six-month period and aired during prime time. The
advertisement focuses on sensitizing the public about the
importance of mothers reading with their children and
highlights the importance of literacy as a viable tool against
crime and poverty.
There was also significant emphasis on green
development through works with non-profits like “Sustain
T&T” where students drafted proposals for environmental
NGOs to gain necessary funding from banks. Similarly,
students developed a branding strategy for the green non-
profit, “Grow-It” to connect with children in rural areas and
develop their interests in agriculture via an “Agri-Kit” that
contains soil and seeds for their own planting.
Undoubtedly, the Research Exposition showcased the
ideal of students taking stock of their unique positions as
communicators within salient arenas of our society. Their
practical and creative skills were brought to the fore in a
dynamic way, as they were able to effect sustainable changes
within the partnered organizations and their beneficiaries.
Overall, the event demonstrated the formidable potential of
young persons as conduits of social change and awareness.
Members of “The Social Exhange Bank” representing NGO Sustain T&T as they advocated for sustainable living in Trinidad and Tobago. From
left: Areanna Ali, Reiana Bharat, Stephanie Ramadhar, Tishanna Mitchell and Ariana Herbert.
PHOTO: RYAN DURGASINGH
Thesis group “School Me Blue” representing The Right Start for Autism Early Intervention Program. From left: Shaunna Sankar, Kristal Singh,
Vonetta Cumberbatch and Chojnice Taylor.
PHOTO: RYAN DURGASINGH
