Consultancy to develop and implement a media campaign to create awareness of Mental Health Resources among stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago and to encourage help seeking behaviors among youngpeople

To develop and implement a media campaign to create awareness of Mental Health Resources among stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago and to encourage help seeking behaviors among young people in select eastern Caribbean countries

Institutional/Corporate Contract

Terms of Reference (TOR) 

Summary: 

Background: 

 In alignment with the mandate of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), advancing adolescent mental health and psychosocial well-being and child protection remains a national and regional priority Research studies conducted by UNICEF in Trinidad and Tobago have revealed that children and young people continue to face a range of stressors., including academic pressure, exposure to violence, family instability, economic uncertainty, and migration-related vulnerabilities. These factors have heightened the need for accessible, youth-friendly, confidential, and stigma-free mental health information and support services. 

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad & Tobago and other key stakeholders, has developed and launched mental health and child protection resources for children, adolescents, and caregivers to address key concerns. These resources include: 

• The Young Caribbean Minds Chatline (and U Matter)
• The Young Caribbean Minds Website (www.youngcaribbeanminds.com)
• The Young Caribbean Minds Workbook Volumes
• The Young Caribbean Minds National Directory (Directory of Mental Health

 and Child Protection Services)

• The Mindful Me Journal for Exam Stress Management (recently launched nationally for use in schools and community settings) 

However, despite the availability of these resources, awareness, uptake, and sustained engagement remain uneven, particularly among underserved and vulnerable populations, e.g. youth in rural and low-income communities. 

Stigma surrounding mental health, limited mental health literacy, and insufficient visibility of available services continue to act as barriers to help-seeking behaviors. At the same time, most adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago demonstrate high levels of digital connectivity and social media engagement, presenting a strategic opportunity to leverage digital channels, peer influence, and culturally resonant messaging to normalize conversations around mental health and promote positive coping strategies. 

In addition, UNICEF has developed scripts to encourage help seeking behaviour among young people and these parents. These were primarily developed for a Barbadian audience but UNICEF desires to expand them to our countries using relevant accents. 

In this context, there is a need for a comprehensive awareness campaign to: 

• Create awareness among stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago of UNICEF-supported

 mental health resources in Trinidad and Tobago

• Encourage help-seeking behaviors among adolescents and young people 

Target group 1 

Primary Target Groups in Trinidad and Tobago

• Children and adolescents (10–18 years)
• Parents and caregivers
• Teachers and school administrators
• Mental health and social service providers
• General public 

Target group 2 

Trinidad and in select OECS countries encouraging help seeking behaviours

•      Children and adolescents (10–18 years)
•      Parents and caregivers 

Tasks 

Under the guidance of the SBC Specialist with support from the Child Protection Officer, the selected contractor will: 

1. Develop a comprehensive national campaign for traditional as well as social media that includes a unifying tag line creating awareness of the mental health resources in Trinidad and Tobago and promoting help seeking behavior among young people in that country through the use of the material 

More specifically the contractor will develop

• 2 social media videos 10-20 secs targeting young people in Trinidad and Tobago about the resources found on Young Caribbean Minds
• 1 radio ad (30 seconds ) on the resources found on Young Caribbean Minds that can be used in audio format suitable for radio and podcast dissemination. 

• Six [6] animated static ads as follows:

• 1 social media ad targeting teachers, guidance counsellors and social workers in Trinidad and Tobago about the resources
• 1 flier targeting teachers, guidance counsellors and social workers in Trinidad and Tobago about the resources with a QR code to access the resources
• 1 social media targeting parents and caregivers to be placed on Facebook and Instagram and sharing via whatts app
• Conduct pre-testing of all messaging with target audiences and adjust accordingly.
• Finalize all products
• Disseminate via channels used by target groups including through SMS messages such as with telecommunication providers. Contractor is responsible for selecting channels and payments for media placement [this should be included in quote provided]
• Provide UNICEF with report about reach and engagement in Trinidad and Tobago

All materials must be engaging, inclusive, gender-sensitive, accessible to people with disabilities and suitable for varying literacy levels, take into account racial diversity 

2. Task 2 

Using radio scripts provided below 

• Adjust them as needed and develop 3 social media ads to be aired in St. Lucia, SVG, Grenada, Trinidad and Dominica with the relevant pan Caribbean accents 

• Disseminate ads over 4-week period via Instagram and other social media handles used by target group 

• Provide UNICEF with report about reach and engagement in each country 

Script 1 

I think something is wrong with Ayo. Every time I hear her, she’s always angry; 

She doesn’t seem interested in anything and sometimes when I talk to her, I can tell she’s been crying. She even talks about… ending it. 

VOICE OVER ANNOUNCER 

Never overlook signs that your friend might not be coping. Talk to an adult that you trust who could reach out and who can guide your friend to professional help! 

Visit www.youngcaribbeanminds.com to access mental health services directories, workbooks, games, courses, videos and other resources designed to support children and youth. 

Mental Health: Let’s Talk About It! 

Script 2 

KYLE: 

I’m supposed to be the best student in my class. Mum expects me to do well in my SBA’s and exams, she wants me to go to university. I want to go to university… but I am so stressed out! 

(VO) ANNOUNCER: 

Feeling stressed? Feeling that you are not coping? Here are a few tips. Check in with your friends, listen to music, exercise!

Talk to an adult that you trust. If needs be, ask them to help you to find professional support. 

Visit www.youngcaribbeanminds.com to access mental health services directories, workbooks, games, courses, videos and other resources designed to support children and youth. 

Mental Health: Let’s Talk About it! 

Script 3 

Mrs. Harewood: 

I don’t know what’s wrong with Damien these days, his grades are slipping. He shouts at me for any little thing, in his room all day; hardly interacts with his friends anymore; and he’s up all night ... hardly sleeping. 

ANNOUNCER 

Is your child behaving out of character? Sometimes it means they’re not coping. 

Try to find out what’s really going on and If needs be don’t be afraid to seek professional help! 

Visit www.youngcaribbeanminds.com to access mental health services directories, workbooks, games, courses, videos and other resources designed to support children and youth. 

Mental Health: Let’s Talk About It! 

Evaluation Criteria:

The technical evaluation will be considered in accordance with the following information: 

Technical Proposal: 70 points 

1) Overall Response (10 points): 

b) Understanding of scope, objectives and completeness of response;

2) Company and key personnel (30 points): 

a) Team lead and members - Relevant experience 

b) Experience with similar projects, 

3) Proposed Approach (30 points): 

a Quality of proposed implementation plan, i.e. how the bidder will undertake each task, and time schedules; 

c) Risk assessment - recognition of the risks/peripheral problems and methods to prevent and manage risks/peripheral problems. 

Note: Only companies achieving a minimum technical score of 49 points out of 70 (70%) will have their financial proposals open. 

Financial Proposal (30 points)

Financial proposals will be opened only for bidders who achieve the minimum technical score. 

Reporting:

Supervision for this assignment will be provided by the UNICEF SBC Specialist and the Child Protection Officer. 

Timeline: 

15 April – 15 August. The Ads promoting help-seeking behaviours should be aired in May- June which is the period when most students ae engaged in exams 

Expected background and Experience: 

1. Minimum 5 years of demonstrable professional experience in developing

communication campaigns including digital marketing.

1. Understanding of Caribbean culture is an asset 

Recourse: 

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. Performance indicators against which the satisfactory conclusion of this contract will be assessed include timeliness/quality of submission and responsiveness to UNICEF and counterpart feedback. 

Property Rights: 

UNICEF shall retain full intellectual property rights for all materials developed under this contract, including creative concepts, graphics, videos, scripts, communication materials, and digital assets. The contractor shall provide UNICEF with all editable source files and final production files upon completion of the assignment. 

Payment Terms/Schedule: 

How to apply: 

Interested institutional/corporate contractors are invited to submit the following to the above email address with subject line “National Awareness, Marketing and Digital Engagement Campaign” no later than Wednesday 08th, April 2026 at 11:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time): 

Application package should contain the following two (2) separate documents. 

• Technical proposal

• Outlining the proposed approach and implementation methodology
• Company profile including relevant experience
• CVs of key personnel assigned to the assignment
• At least 2 examples of previously implemented campaigns 

• Financial proposal indicating a breakdown of costs for each assignment