Gail Hoad

Experience

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  The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited

  Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

  Staff Reporter

  Did general assignments and features from the news desk and covered the education, youth and children and social welfare beats.

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  Jamaica Family Planning Association

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2004

  Project Coordinator

  Developed and delivered school and community outreach programmes on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, trained and supervised two youth workers to deliver school and community outreach, developed curricula and resource materials for target schools, advocated for adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights to key stakeholders and established a youth resource center in the FAMPLAN clinic, with activities and interventions to make the facility “youth-friendly” and “client-friendly,” including facilitating provision of clinical services to adolescents. Show less

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  UNICEF Jamaica

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2005

  Communication, Mobilisation and Advocacy Officer

  Supported external and media relations, wrote speeches and presentations for the UNICEF Jamaica representative, developed communication material for various audiences, guided production of print and audio-visual material funded by UNICEF and set up first UNICEF Jamaica website using Red Dot content management systems. Provided communication support to all programmatic areas and programme officers -Early Childhood Education Child Protection, HIV/AIDs and Adolescent Rights and provided oversight to work with children and orphans made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS for four months. Supported the development and Implementation of the XChange Anti-Violence Campaign in Jamaica which successfully engaged children and young people from areas severely affected by crime and violence to develop and implement anti-violence interventions. Show less

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  UNDP

  Sept 2005 - Dec 2005

  Communication Consultant-Jamaica's Second National Human Development Report

  Prepared and implemented a communication campaign for Jamaica’s second National Human Development Report for UNDP Jamaica and the Planning Institute of Jamaica. Activities included organising stakeholder consultations on the draft report, overseeing editing, design and publication of the Report and a user friendly version, organising poster and essay competitions to increase awareness about the report and its contents and engage the public on key issues explored in the document, organising launch and dissemination of the report and facilitating media coverage of the content/issues covered in the report. Show less

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  International HIV/AIDS Alliance

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2007

  Programme Officer

  Worked with vulnerable groups in Trinidad and Barbados to support capacity building and project development and implementation, advocated for full inclusion of these groups in national HIV programmes, facilitated qualitative assessments of PLHIV perceptions of care and treatment in three Eastern Caribbean islands and clients’ communication of findings to health care providers and administrators, and organized a regional training workshop on HIV Care and Treatment Issues for Caribbean journalists

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  Ministry of Education, Youth & Information

  Jan 2007 - Jan 2008

  M&E consultant - HIV/AIDS Response Programme

  Developed a comprehensive program description for the program, drafted a Monitoring & Evaluation plan for the program and evaluated specific activities under the program including the annual Sexual and Reproductive Health Expo.

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  Christian Aid

  Jan 2008 - Jan 2010

  Regional Programme Officer, Caribbean Office

  Developed the office’s first climate change programme of action for the Caribbean, which included working with partner organisation CANARI for facilitating the development of a toolkit in English, Spanish and Haitian Kreyol for civil society organisations in the region and for organizing one regional and three national workshops on climate change and the civil society response.

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  The World Bank, Jamaica

  Jan 2010 - Jan 2012

  Communication Specialist

  Provided communication support to the Bank’s Kingston office and to the Caribbean Country Director’s work in the Eastern Caribbean, organized media and outreach activities for the office and for visiting missions, wrote speeches and presentations for the Special Representative, managed the World Bank Jamaica webpages and developed information, education and communication material.

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  The University of the West Indies, Mona

  Jan 2012 - now

  Lecturer-Caribbean School of Media & Communication (CARIMAC)

  Teaching various courses including Communication Analysis & Planning, Intervention Design, Disasters, Media and Communication, Media, Communication and Caribbean Society and Behaviour Change and Communication Theories at the postgraduate level in the MA Communication for Social and Behaviour Change at CARIMAC, UWI. Also teaching Social Marketing at the undergraduate level. Taught professional development course Writing for Public Relations. Developed the course Communication Planning & Media Relations for Disaster Risk Management for CARIMAC under the EKACDM initiative and delivered the course through the Open Campus, UWI. Show less

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  GOJ/EU/UNEP Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project

  Feb 2012 - Jun 2013

  Communication Consultant

  Developed a comprehensive communication and public education strategy and implementation plan for the project (including branding and visibilty, stakeholder engagement and outreach and awareness and knowledge building). Developed materials for public education and project visibility for a variety of audiences, integrated the activities of implementing partners into the communication work of the project, mobilised national and community level stakeholders for collaboration in implementing the communication and public education campaign, conceptualised and implemented climate change “edutainment” events for reaching the public in parish capitals and organised sectoral meetings to build climate change awareness with various groups Show less

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  Caribbean Development Bank-Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund Project

  Aug 2013 - Feb 2015

  Knowledge Management and Public Education Specialist

  Developed a communication and knowledge management strategy for the project; Developed promotional and educational material for the project (brochure, fact sheet, presentations, revised application templates.); Helped NGOs and CBOs develop project proposals for community level adaptation activities in the Caribbean; Supported community organisations to develop communication strategies to support adaptation work.

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  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Jamaica

  Feb 2015 - Jul 2016

  Communication Specialist

  Developed and implemented a communication strategy for the UNDP Country Office, drafted speeches and presentations for the UNDP Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representative, developed and disseminated information products (articles, fact sheets etc.), maintained website and organized events to increase UNDP’s visibility and build awareness about its work.

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  Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience Caribbean Regional Track/ Climate Investment Funds

  Jul 2016 - Aug 2018

  Communication Specialist Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience Caribbean/Climate Investment Funds

  Developed and implemented the communication and knowledge management strategy for the regional PPCR programme. Achievements include engaging key implementing partners around communication and knowledge management, setting up of the programme website, managing the programme's Twitter account, developing guidelines re visibility and branding for implementing partners, conducting media relations and visibility activities.

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  World Bank Trust Fund -Social Protection for Disaster Preparedness & Response Jamaica

  Aug 2016 - Dec 2017

  Communication Consultant

  Supported the Strengthening of Jamaica’s Social Protection System for Disaster Preparedness and Response project. Conducted qualitative research for, and developed, an information and education strategy and related communication materials on communicating to support effective disaster responsive social protection in Jamaica; developed a training curriculum for delivering the strategy and conducted a training of trainers for use of the curriculum and the strategy.

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  United Nations Volunteers

  Jul 2018 - Jan 2019

  National Specialist Climate Risk Adaptation & Insurance in the Caribbean (CRAIC) Project-Outreach

  Provided community level outreach and sensitisation about climate change and disaster risk management and the Livelihoods Protection Policy as a disaster responsive social protection option. Developed culturally relevant presentations for various target groups and engaged key stakeholders in disaster risk management, local government and agriculture.

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  FHI 360

  May 2019 - Aug 2019

  Contract Technical Writer

  Researched and wrote a series of articles and features on the work of the Advance Programme in Jamaica. Also produced content for newsletters, an advertorial and blogs on the programme which focused on expanding access to tertiary technical training opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Jamaica.

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  Global Health Advocacy Incubator

  Sept 2019 - Jan 2024

  Advocacy Communications Consultant

  Working with national partners in Jamaica and Barbados, and with regional stakeholders, to develop communication strategies which support local policy advocacy campaigns for GHAI's Obesity Prevention/Food Policies Programme in the Caribbean.

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  UNICEF

  Mar 2020 - Feb 2024

  Communication for Development/Social & Behaviour Change Communication Consultant

  Worked as the social and behaviour change consultant and programme coordinator for UNICEF Jamaica under the Spotlight Programme to end violence against women and girls in Jamaica. Developed a social and behaviour change framework for UNICEF's activities in prevention of GBV under Spotlight and provided support for the development of interventions and implementation by CSO partners. Supported UNICEF's programme delivery and reporting for the programme. Provided C4D and advocacy support to UNICEF's communication unit and to programme specialists. Show less