Twenty community climate change reporters undergo mentorship

A total of 20 youth serving as climate reporters under the GoAdapt project have held a collaborative meeting with some selected media houses in Tamale.

They were drawn from four districts in the Northern Region namely Savelugu, Nanton, Tolon and Kumbungu, and would undergo coaching from experienced media practitioners on news gathering, writing skills, reporting techniques, radio presentation, and social media reporting, among others.

The initiative formed part of the GoAdapt Project, which is being implemented by a consortium of NGOs including Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP) as the lead implementer, YEFL-Ghana (Youth-focused organisation), and Ghana Venskab, a Danish organisation, with funding support from CISU.

The project seeks to support inclusive climate adaptation planning using the bottom-up approach and help create more awareness and build the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities to become more resilient to climate change.

Mr Nurudeen Ibrahim, Coordinator of GoAdapt Project, addressing participants during the event to officially introduce the reporters to their mentors, said the media engagement was to ensure that climate reporters were empowered to execute their duties professionally.

He said: “Strong collaboration between the climate reporters and the media will strengthen their capacity to report effectively on issues of climate change and their impact in their various communities.”

He further said the climate reporters would be directly attached to some media organisations, so that they would be coached to be more skilled and competent in their reporting.

Mr Yaro Ismail Kataali, Manager, Might FM/TV, urged the reporters to prioritise continuous learning and research on issues of climate change and other community development challenges especially some of the best farming practices to help sustain the environment.

He advised them to build cordial working relations with communities to enable them to gather information needed for the smooth implementation of the project.

Mr Mohammed Hudu, a Climate Reporter for Tolon, commended YEFL-Ghana and the entire GoAdapt team for the initiative and pledged to leverage on the partnership to enhance his reporting skills.

Source: GNA