Carradice Cares

Talk Up Yout is a unique multi-media platform that gives Jamaican ‘yout’ (Jamaican Patois for “youth”) a voice! Its purpose is to focus exclusively on issues affecting young people and its methods are noteworthy in that it is produced and driven by young people. Like so many young fledglings across the world, Jamaican adolescents and young adults have felt disillusioned by the political system, rejected by the economic system and ignored by the media. Hence, Talk Up Yout’s mission has sought to be a change agent; creating avenues for meaningful dialogue amongst young people and between the rest of society. Talk Up Yout aims to “Give the Youth a Voice”, amplify that voice and support them in creating tangible change in their communities. Founder, Executive Producer and Chief Advocate Emprezz Mullings-Golding launched Talk Up Yout in 2010. Its format as a weekly TV program where young guests shared experiences discussed challenges and found solutions to a wide range of issues continued to evolve. Subsequently, the team established a website, Facebook and Twitter accounts and a counseling hotline for short-term assistance. The non-stop demands led to new ideas that have since expanded the movement, beginning with the Talk Up Yout island-wide school tour in 2013 which visited high schools in each of the 14 parishes to hear directly from students.

The interest and demand kept growing and in April 2014, Talk Up Radio was launched, to extend the reach of Talk Up Yout using the media platform that has the highest penetration in Jamaica. The radio show has also become a channel through which Talk Up Yout can reach out to the young people of the world and encourage international cooperation and global awareness. The stories of young people around Jamaica covered on Talk Up Yout are frank in its approach whereby topics are publicly tackled such as sexual and reproductive health (SRH), violence, teen pregnancy, suicide, substance abuse, mental health, and disabilities. Many of the SRH issues had never been raised on television like that before. Talk Up Yout has produced a high quality television program, broadcast nation-wide. In the first four seasons young people who experienced a variety of issues were invited to share their stories in an interview format, with an expert present. Issues such as Youth in Politics, Lupus, HIV/AIDS, Drug Abuse, Gang Violence, Skin Bleaching, Albinism, Sexual Violence etc. were grappled with. In time, the TV show received an exuberant amount of requests for various subjects to be covered. Subsequently, the Talk Up Yout producers became inundated with young people showing support for the program, asking for more outlets to air their views and seeking professional help for their challenges.

Stories which were once only about pain, disease, violence and despair are now becoming; stories of hope, love, success and triumph. Over the last two seasons Talk Up Yout have discussed topics such as #BlackLivesMatter, Brain Drain, Social Media, Child Abuse, Gender Stereotypes, Unemployment, Definitions of Beauty, Bullying and Mental Health. These episodes have been uploaded to YouTube and shared on a variety of social media platforms for additional reach. The Foreign Correspondents feature of the show has enabled young Jamaicans to speak to young people in countries such as Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, China, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria about the issues affecting them and their societies. Primary audiences are Youth ages 12-25 and our secondary audiences are other stakeholders such as parents, government officials and civil society.

• Each TV broadcast reaches over 400,000 viewers on Television Jamaica.

•Young people gain work experience in the media industry by appearing on the show/working in production.

• TUY offers educational scholarships each year to a selection of the youth they engage.

• In 2016, the program engaged their investors and partners to beautify communities by painting positive messages on the walls, placing garbage receptacles and planting trees.

•School tours have allowed partners in the Child Protection Agencies to hear first-hand of predators in schools and  have had cases reported and pedophiles convicted via their programming.

For additional information contact us!

Email: TalkUpYout@gmail.com

Telephone: 1-876-359-3634

TV SHOW- Produced By Stanley & Empress

Executive Producers Nadia Stanley & Emprezz Golding

Producer: Nadia Stanley