Building on the success of the 2025 Art As Activism initiative, UNFPA Trinidad and Tobago, with funding from Global Affairs Canada, will expand its 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign into a nationwide, school-focused initiative. This expanded programme will leverage artistic expression as a tool to cultivate youth leadership and address harmful social norms, specifically anti-bullying and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (GBV).
The 2025 initiative yielded strong impact through a series of art and GBV awareness-raising workshops, culminating in the creation of a public mural displayed at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Building on this momentum and positive public reception, the 2026 campaign will scale this approach by prioritizing art-based interventions as a catalyst for sustained behavioural change, deeper youth engagement, and increased public awareness.
The urgency of this work is underscored by both national and global data. In 2025, 550 cases of bullying were reported in Trinidad and Tobago, with reports of one student committing suicide despite efforts to attain support. Broader global evidence reflects a similarly concerning picture. A multi-country study across 83 countries found that 30.5% of adolescents reported experiencing bullying. While 21.8% of girls report being bullied compared to 17.7% of boys, the forms of bullying differed. Boys are more likely to experience physical bullying (6% versus 3.7%), while girls are more frequently targeted by rumour-spreading and social exclusion (16.6% versus 9.7%). Furthermore, a 2021–2022 study found that all students surveyed reported either experiencing, witnessing, or being aware of bullying, highlighting its pervasive nature within school environments.
Cyberbullying presents an even more evolving risk. Global evidence indicates that approximately 1 in 6 adolescents have experienced cyberbullying, with rates increasing in recent years alongside greater digital engagement.5 Girls are disproportionately affected by online forms of abuse, including social exclusion and harmful messaging. These trends underscore the need for targeted, creative, and youth-centred prevention strategies.
In response, the 2026 16 Days of Activism initiative seeks to create safe, participatory spaces where young people are able to engage with issues of gender-based violence, inequality, and respect. By positioning youth as both creators and messengers, the campaign encourages help-seeking behaviours, strengthens peer-to-peer dialogue, and amplifies prevention messaging through highly visible, community-based artwork.
UNFPA, will partner with the Ministry of Education to bring this campaign to life. The project will engage 10 secondary schools across Trinidad and Tobago to create murals that will focus on anti-bullying messaging campaigns. The selected schools have been identified to ensure balanced geographic representation and national reach:
- North: Diego Martin North Secondary; Mucurapo North Secondary School
- Central: Chaguanas North Secondary School; Carapichaima East Secondary School
- East: San Juan North Secondary School; Arima Central Secondary School
- South: San Fernando East Secondary School; Fyzabad Secondary School
- Tobago: Signal Hill Secondary School; Roxborough Secondary School
The Consultant will play a central role in designing and implementing this expanded initiative by:
- Building strategic partnerships with key government stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Social Development and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
- Coordinate with the 10 pre-selected schools
- Facilitating youth-centered GBV awareness-raising sensitization sessions
- Coordinating the development of school-based murals with guidance from local artists
- Documenting the process for national visibility and advocacy
Scope of work/Main tasks and responsibilities, et al
The consultant will deliver the following:
Strategic Engagement & Partnerships
- Establish and maintain coordination with:
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Social Development and National Family Services
- Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs
- Tobago House of Assembly (THA)
- Engage private sector partners to secure in-kind contributions (e.g. art supplies, materials)
- Build on existing national initiatives (e.g. Wall of Change) to ensure alignment
- The following schools will be the area of focus:
- Diego Martin North Secondary; Mucurapo North Secondary School
- Chaguanas North Secondary School; Carapichaima East Secondary School
- San Juan North Secondary School; Arima Central Secondary School
- San Fernando East Secondary School; Fyzabad Secondary School
- Signal Hill Secondary School; Roxborough Secondary School
Campaign Design & Coordination
- Design a two-phase content strategy:
- Pre-Campaign (June–October): awareness, recruitment, and engagement
- Campaign Period (Nov 25–Dec 10): storytelling, advocacy, and visibility
Coordination & Capacity Building
- Coordinate participation of schools across Trinidad and Tobago
- Work closely with school art teachers to guide concept development
- Facilitate GBV sensitization and youth engagement sessions, utilizing UNFPA-approved methodologies
- Ensure all content is age-appropriate, inclusive, and survivor-centered
Creative Oversight & Implementation
- Liaise with local artists to support schools in translating concepts into murals
- Oversee mural production in selected schools
- Ensure consistency in messaging, quality, and alignment with campaign objectives
Documentation & Visibility
- Capture the entire process from design to execution, across participating schools (photo, video, testimonials)
- Produce high-quality visual content for:
- Social media dissemination
- National advocacy
- Campaign storytelling
Campaign Execution
- Support rollout of daily digital content during the 16 Days of Activism
Monitoring, Reporting & Evaluation
- Track engagement and participation across schools
- Collect feedback from students, teachers, and partners
Methodology
Phase 1: Foundation & Engagement (June)
- Stakeholder engagement and partnership building
- Launch secondary school call for mural concepts
Phase 2: Engagement & Design (June – September)
- Secondary school sensitization sessions (adjusted for secondary school calendar; no activities in July–August)
- Submission and selection of mural concepts
Phase 3: Implementation & Production (September – November)
- Mural development and completion
- Documentation and content production
Phase 4: Campaign Rollout (November 25 – December 10)
- Final reporting and impact documentation
Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements
The ideal Consultant will need to meet the following requirements:
EDUCATION:
- Master’s degree in Communications, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences, or an equivalent
EXPERIENCE:
- At least 7 years of experience in art project management or collaborating with cultural practitioners and social media influencers is highly desirable.
- Proven experience in curating and designing art and cultural events.
- Demonstrated experience working on projects related to gender-based violence, gender equality, and human rights.
- Previous experience working with the UN is considered an asset.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including social media copywriting.
- Experience in content creation, marketing and strategy.
LANGUAGE: - Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Knowledge of another UN language of the duty station is considered an asset
COMPETENCIES: - Excellent analytical and writing skills and results oriented.
- Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
- Proficiency in MS Word and MS Excel, would be an asset
- Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities
- Ability to work in teams
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Note: - There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process.
- UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
- UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.
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