dorcas women’s group communications plan · the dorcas women’s group is located in the seaside...
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Dorcas Women’s Group Communications Plan Killeen King, Bryanna Johns, Jessica Whelan and Dena Potter
Executive Summary
The Dorcas Women’s Group is located in the seaside fishing village of Matelot, Trinidad, and was founded in 2008. The group currently has 14 members. The group’s main recruitment strategy is word of mouth. The goal of the group is to help community members, specifically youth, the elderly and the economically disadvantaged. The main source of funds is visiting organizations that come through Amizade, an organization designed to coordinate study abroad trips that has teamed up with the Dorcas Women’s Group. However, they also receive funds from membership dues and community events.
The Dorcas women seek to increase the funding of their organization, so that they can use the increased funds to better their community of Matelot. In this way, the Dorcas Women’s Group hopes to become the ambassador for the village of Matelot.
In order to reach this goal, the Dorcas women need to increase awareness of their organization both within Trinidad and internationally. We believe the Dorcas Women’s Group can raise awareness of the organization through developing partnerships, using social media and securing media placements.
Secondary and Primary Research
Communication Audit The Dorcas Women’s Group has not made a priority of communicating with those outside of Trinidad, either by choice or because it lacks the infrastructure and skill set to do so. Most of the communication done by the group is advertising events through flyers posted in neighboring villages. The group relies on others, mostly students or the Amizade group, to tell its story outside of Trinidad. The Dorcas Women’s Group has had several positive media mentions both on Trinidad and in other countries. While the organization sometimes is mentioned in Trinidad news outlets, the overwhelming majority of mentions come from students writing stories about their time visiting the group or from Amizade marketing materials. There is a website, http://tgnalian9208.wixsite.com, that focuses on Matelot and the Dorcas Women’s Group. It is not clear who established this website, but appears to be a former student group. The website is not updated, and the Dorcas Women’s Group does not seem interested in establishing or updating a website of their own. The organization established a Facebook page, used it sparingly in 2013 and 2014 but hasn’t posted anything since March of 2015. Only 127 people liked and follow the page. In interviews with members of the group, we found that Facebook is their primary means of communication, so our plan recommends making better use of this platform to communicate its message.
Similar Organizations Key characteristics of Dorcas Women’s Group Through our primary research, three key characteristics of the Dorcas Women’s Group emerged. A focus on faith and community enrichment through female empowerment were areas touched on by each of the Dorcas women interviewed. Below are similar organizations in Trinidad in each field. Women’s Ministries of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies International http://pawi-online.org/?page_id=91
The Women’s Ministries group is only a subset of the larger group of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies, but has similar communication issues with clarifying their mission statement and objectives as the flagship Dorcas Women’s Group. They are located in Marqacas, Trinidad. Their mission statement is listed as five bullet points:
1. To provide an atmosphere that will accommodate the changing needs of today’s woman. 2. To minister to every woman according to her needs. 3. To help each woman find her personal place of ministry. 4. Helping believers attain Christian maturity. 5. Making opportunities for new women to accept the Lord as their personal Saviour.
Some example objectives are “Interest Groups – These groups are established to bring
women together around a mutual interest or vision. It is a tool for evangelism to reach out to friends and neighbours” and “Service Programmes – Hospital Ministry; Prison Ministry; Ministry to the Elderly; Ministry to Young Mothers etc.” Mizpeh-Halfway House http://www.ngocaribbean.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Mezpeh-Halfway-House.pdf http://www.christianvolunteering.org/org/mizpeh-halfway-house-inc.jsp#fq=content_type:opportunity&fq=org_nid:42652
The Mizpeh Halfway House is a Christian organization dedicated to helping women, specifically pregnant women, through housing and faith. They are located in Chaguanas, Trinidad. Like the Women’s Ministries of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies International and the Dorcas Women’s Group, they lack a clear, strong outline of their communications plan.
They list their goals and objectives as: a)To meet the basic needs of caring and comforting hurting women b)To provide a programme of counseling, re-education and therapy for troubled young
adults and older women
c)To utilize techniques and methodologies for their re-direction that are based on biblical principles
d)To provide volunteer training in and create awareness for self-employment to enable them to assist themselves financially
e)To provide an environment where residents can build healthy relationships with others f)To provide unwed mothers with support to enable them to make positive decisions
concerning their future and that of their children (including the unborn child) “which points to the need for more concise and effectual mission, goal and objective statements.”
They do, however, have an excellent brochure outlining their organization and include an
effective call to action, which can be found at the second link listed under the heading of this section. Network of Rural Women Producers, Trinidad and Tobago http://nrwptt.net/
The Network of Rural Women Producers, Trinidad and Tobago, is a nonprofit organization formed in 1995 and located in St Augustine, Trinidad. They have the clear, effective vision statement of, “To be a national umbrella body promoting rural women's issues and empowering women to enhance their economic and social well-being.” Similar to the Dorcas Women’s Group, the president of NRWPTT descriptively “continues to devote herself tirelessly to national service particularly working with young people, women and the disadvantaged.”
NRWPTT boasts a membership of more than 60 small businesses and individuals and working relationships with organizations like the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Food Production, etc.
Their communication strategies, like the Dorcas Women’s Group’s, leave room for opportunity. They effectively use traditional tactics for communication online, such as news releases, brochures, newsletters. They are full of visuals and clear calls to action. However, like Dorcas, they are not regularly updated. Most recent brochures and newsletters are from 2013. The latest news piece on the website was updated in 2016.
NRWPTT has an interactive and appealing website. It is used as a platform to educate and to sell goods produced by members. It has a photo and video gallery and the group celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015 with a photojournal. Like the Mizpeh Halfway House, they effectively use visuals to tell their story and deliver their message. The information needs to be kept more up to date as the events tab has no listed events and the most recent news and communication items are from before the current year. Interviews Collected in Matelot Debra Mcclatchie-member Joanne Bradley-secretary Myrtle Coa-Joseph-president
The Dorcas women interviewed shared many of the same concerns and goals. They
spoke of the need for new facilities in the village, such as a convenience store, gas station, a washroom, and a sporting facility. They were less interested in tourism and more interested in strengthening their infrastructure and community improvement. A significant worry voiced by every member interviewed was the need for more regular income. The group’s income is dependent on their sole partnership with Amizade, membership dues of $5TT per month, and community events, such as regular barbeques.
The group’s president, Myrtle Coa-Joseph, spoke of a desire to retain the community’s youth after completion of secondary school. Many are forced to move away because of a downturned economy and difficulty finding employment. This fear speaks to the group’s relationship with community youth. She stated that an express goal of the Dorcas Women’s Group is to speak to local youth about spirituality and morality.
When interviewing other Matelot residents about the Dorcas Women’s Group, some other similar sentiments emerged. Jose Mcano, a community leader focused on land restoration, stated that he saw no relationship between the community and the Dorcas Women’s Group. Police Officer Steffon Alfred echoed this when he struggled to provide examples for the Dorcas Women’s Group’s involvement with the community. He holds a positive view of the organization and proposed strengthened ties with the Dorcas women and the community. Future Implications
The Dorcas Women’s Group appears to have a dedicated group of women who are
motivated. However, it is hard to tell from the research if the organization has a strong foundation and clear goals, as the group’s stated goals include educational, recreational, spiritual, cultural, social and environmental improvements in their community. There are some areas of the organization that need improvement. For instance, the NRWPTT’s website is interactive with lots of visuals. The Dorcas Women’s Group does not appear interested in creating and maintaining a website, but it could benefit from being more active on social media pages that a designated woman from the Dorcas Women’s Group maintains. Along with these online resources, the women of the group could make sure they include descriptive visuals of their work, much like the brochure of the Mizpeh Halfway House and the pictures on the NRWPTT website. Perhaps one way to create a more active online presence is to consider communication trainings for the Dorcas Women’s Group.
There also is a strong need for the Dorcas Women’s Group to outline its mission, vision, values, goals and objectives. In secondary research conducted, these were not clearly defined on the Facebook page in the “About” section or anywhere else on the page. In order to garner interest in the work that the Dorcas Women’s Group does, people need to know the purpose of the organization.
Some of the other similar organizations researched have partnerships with the government and other local organizations. The Dorcas Women’s Group could benefit greatly by
forming stronger partnerships with other organizations locally and internationally. It is unclear if the organization has any other partnerships besides its collaboration with Amizade.
SWOT Analysis Strengths Good reputation: all stories/media mentions were positive Experience: formed in 2008, almost 10 years, so they know what works for them Relationship with Amizade: provides resources for the group and the community Relationship with alumni of program: interested in following group’s successes/contributing Results: Have had successes Weaknesses Infrastructure: Getting to them is difficult and there are few amenities in the village for visitors Communication: Lack of communication channels, frequency Diversity of interests: Seems to be a lack of focus on what they’re trying to accomplish Money: They do not have a lot of excess funding Opportunities Communication: Tell their story more; create interest in the organization Youth involvement: Most members are middle-aged women so will need to pass the torch Partnerships: Need more collaboration with organizations locally and internationally Threats Aging population: Youth are moving away Lack of infrastructure/technology: Makes reaching the town/group and communicating with outsiders difficult Zika virus: Visitors may keep away due to fears of contracting the virus Other organizations/nonprofits: Competition for interest and funding
Target Audiences
Through primary and secondary research we found that the Dorcas Women’s Group wanted to bring more awareness to their organization and Matelot as a whole. To do so, the Dorcas Women’s Group should focus on audiences both at home, in Trinidad, and abroad. The list of their internal audiences are solely organizations in Matelot. It is vital for them to have a good relationship with these organizations before they attempt to reach their external audiences. The external list includes Trinidad as a whole and international audiences such as America, Canada and the UK. Although we included other international countries, we focused on America because we are more knowledgeable about U.S. media and communication therefore we can give better recommendations.
Internal Business Owners Village Council Farmers Association Pawi Turtle and Wildlife Preservation Fisherman Association Police Youth Club Schools Churches External Tourists Schools Churches Trinidad Media Outlets International Media Outlets
Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics Goal Increase awareness of the Dorcas Women’s Group in Trinidad and internationally to establish the group as the ambassador for Matelot. Objective 1 Develop five mutually beneficial partnerships by the end of 2018 Strategy 1 Strengthen existing relationships with other organizations within Matelot. Tactic 1: Host a BBQ for the organizations in Matelot Tactic 2: Invite a representative from the other groups to one of the Dorcas Women’s Group’s meetings each month. Strategy 2 Develop partnerships with churches in Trinidad and internationally. Tactic 1: Partner with churches to host service learning trips with the Dorcas Women’s Group. Tactic 2: Host church group visitations. Tactic 3: Offer missionary trips with the Dorcas Women’s Group. Strategy 3
Develop partnerships with schools in Trinidad and internationally. Tactic 1: Partner with schools on Trinidad to offer field trips. Tactic 2: Travel to schools across Trinidad to speak to youth. Tactic 3: Seek out international student study abroad opportunities. Strategy 4 Develop partnerships with government entities as part of the government’s Vision 2030 initiative Tactic 1: Establish Dorcas Women’s Group as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is aligned with the Ministry of Planning and Development to accomplish the Vision 2030 goals Objective 2 Post on social media at least four times each month. Strategy Increase the Dorcas Women’s Group’s social media presence Tactic 1: Establish a content calendar Tactic 2: Post something on your Facebook page at least once per week Tactic 3: Create an Instagram account Tactic 4: Create a hashtag to use on all social media posts (#DorcasWG) Tactic 5: Encourage and report visitor-generated content Tactic 6: Establish a “Donate” button on the Facebook page Objective 3 Secure three media placements about the group by the end of 2018 Strategy Target media outlets on Trinidad and Tobago and internationally Tactic 1: Pitch stories about the group to media outlets on Trinidad and Tobago Tactic 2: Pitch travel-focused stories to international media outlets Tactic 3: Pitch food-related stories to international media outlets Tactic 4: Pitch stories to women’s focused media outlets Tactic 5: Seek out a PR firm to work with the group on a pro bono basis
Contact the Public Relations Association of Trinidad and Tobago at [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/PublicRelationsTT/
Timeline
July & August 2017 - Start assigning roles and organizing in preparation for the implementation of the plan. September 2017 - Analyze and record partnerships, media placements and social media activity to create a baseline from which progress can be measured. October 2017 - The plan is in full function, including:
● Meet with a representative from each Matelot organization on the second Tuesday of every month to discuss possible partnership and collaboration opportunities.
● Each Tuesday manage and post on Instagram and Facebook. Engage with online audiences by responding to comments and liking and reposting visitor-generated content. Lastly, use the hashtag #DorcasWG.
● Reach out to one local and one international church per month to offer visitation and missionary opportunities.
● Reach out to one local and one international school per month to offer service learning opportunities.
● Pitch two stories per month. One to local media outlets and the other to international media outlets.
January 2018 - Reflect on the plan, implementation, successes and downfalls. Record the findings and, if necessary, change the plan to better fit the needs of the Dorcas Women’s Group. February - April 2018 - Continue to use the plan. May - July 2018 - The Dorcas Women’s Group celebrates their 10 year anniversary in June. This is a great opportunity for the organization to increase social media presence, host events in Matelot, invite local and international visitors and pitch stories. During this three-month time period we suggest that the Dorcas Women’s Group expand its monthly goals. August - November 2018 - Continue the plan. December 2018 - The plan is completed. Evaluate the progress the Dorcas Women’s Group has made since September 2017 and decide the best way to proceed.
Budget
This plan was created keeping in mind that the Dorcas Women’s Group does not have excess funding to spend on public relations. Almost all of the tactics require little to no cost. Some cost will be spent on food for the BBQ to bring together Matelot organizations. There will be travel costs associated with traveling to schools in Trinidad to speak to youth, as well. But the social media will be no cost, it will just require time. The same goes for the media pitches. As for the service learning trips with schools in Trinidad and abroad, those trips should be designed much like the Amizade trips, where the schools provide money for the cost of the trip. The faith-based trips should be designed like that as well.
Evaluation
Evaluation of each objective will be simple. A baseline needs to be established by
September 2017, in terms of partnerships, media placements, and social media posts. An initial evaluation should be made at the beginning of 2018 to see which tactics are working successfully and which aren’t. Every successful tactic should be recorded for future possibilities in that avenue.
Appendices Objective 1 Develop five mutually beneficial partnerships by the end of 2018 Strategy 1 Strengthen existing relationships with other organizations within Matelot. Tactic 1: Host a BBQ for the organizations in Matelot Below is a list of the organizations in Matelot to invite to the BBQ. These organizations can collaborate with the Dorcas Women’s Group in various ways. The Matelot Village Council The Matelot Village Council has the strongest and most direct connection to the national Trinidad government. So any sort of help that the Dorcas Women’s Group may want from Trinidad’s government would best be brought to the attention of the Matelot Village Council, as it will hold more weight coming from them. The Police Youth Group The Police Youth Group is one of the most effective ways for the Dorcas Women’s Group to reach out to the youth of Matelot. Since working with youth is one of the Dorcas Women’s Group’s goals, the Police Youth Group is a great place to start making those connections. The Farmers on the Move The Farmers on the Move group could be a valuable partner organization for the Dorcas Women’s Group. The Dorcas Women’s Group can collaborate with the local farmers to coordinate in the initiative to clean up Shark River. Mr. Jose Mr. Jose is already a partner of the Dorcas Women’s Group. However, this partnership could be strengthened so that when the Dorcas Women’s Group hosts more church and school groups, Mr. Jose could provide tours of his estate, much like when the Dorcas Women’s Group hosted the VCU graduate school program.
The local schools The Matelot schools are another way for the Dorcas Women’s Group to connect with the youth in Matelot. Dorcas Women’s Group is already partnering with a school in Matelot by providing the AC unit in one of the classrooms of the school, but Dorcas Women’s Group could expand this partnership and work in direct relation with the youth attending the local schools. The fishermen The fishermen of Matelot are an important group for the Dorcas Women’s Group to collaborate with because they have the opportunity to drive more revenue to the town of Matelot. Much like the hikes of Mr. Jose’s estate, groups that the Dorcas Women’s Group hosts in Matelot could go on a fishing tip with the local fishermen. Tactic 2: Invite a representative from the other groups to one of the Dorcas Women’s Group’s meetings each month. The Dorcas Women’s Group should establish a calendar where the second Tuesday of each month, the women invite a representative from each group in Matelot to meet with them and discuss partnership possibilities. With 12 second Tuesday meetings a year, this provides them with the chance to meet with two representatives from each group, with the exception of Mr. Jose, who they could meet with once at the beginning of the year and once at the end of the year. Strategy 2 Develop partnerships with churches in Trinidad and internationally. Tactic 1: Partner with churches to host service learning trips with the Dorcas Women’s Group. Living Water Community Living Water Community is a Catholic church organization based in Port of Spain. They have a history of mission work in Barbados which could make it more appealing to conduct mission work closer to home because of cost, travel etc. Their mission focuses on the “the physically poor and the spiritually poor”, similar to the Dorcas Women’s Group which suggests that beyond a simple visit they could set up a lasting relationship because of mutual goals. Website: https://www.lwctt.org/ Mission website: https://www.lwctt.org/ Phone:1 868-625-6730 Address:109 Frederick St, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Anglican Youth & Young Adult Department The Anglican Youth & Young Adult Department is a branch of the Anglican Church in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago with a focus on youth service. Their mission is “to empower & develop the young persons in and out of the church spiritually, mentally & physically”. This would be a beneficial partnership for the Dorcas Women’s Group because of their interest in youth development. The Anglican Youth & Young Adult Department is very event oriented, with
activities such as dances and sports (futbol). These activities are common ground with the Dorcas Women’s Group and can strengthen this relationship beyond service. Website: http://theanglicanchurchtt.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anglicanyouthtt/ Phone:(868) 622-7704, (868) 622-0773 Address: 2 Hayes Street, St Clair, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Tactic 2: Host local church group visitations. Because these are local churches, they do not have centralized websites, but all have at least fb pages with complete contact info. Both churches have actively updated social media presences that contain attractive visual content which are both areas for improvement for the Dorcas Women’s Group.
Catholic Youth Commission - T&T Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcyctt/ Phone: 1-868-624-0454, 1-868-290-1665. Address:15 Robinson Ville, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago St Ann's RC Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stannsrcchurch/ Phone: 1 868-624-1426 Address:St. Ann's Avenue, St. Ann's, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Stanmore Avenue Seventh Day Adventist Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanmoreAvenueSDAChurch/ Phone: 1 868-625-4843 Address: 7 Queen's Park West, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Tactic 3: Offer missionary trips with the Dorcas Women’s Group. The two organizations listed offer opportunities to post mission trips through them. The Dorcas Women’s Group could take advantage of this and craft the specific mission trip and services desired. They are specifically desirable because of the ease and simplicity of the signup process. Short Term Missions Website: http://www.shorttermmissions.com/signup Phone:479-530-5987
Go International Website: http://gointernational.org/ Mailing Address: PO Box 123 Wilmore, KY 40390 Phone: 859.858.3171
Strategy 3 Develop partnerships with schools in Trinidad and internationally. Tactic 1: Partner with schools on Trinidad to offer field trips. Tactic 2: Travel to schools across Trinidad to speak to youth. Because of its proximity to Matelot, Sangre Grande is an ideal area to source opportunities for field trips and speaking tours. In the infancy of this venture, closer schools would be an easier and more attractive option. The town is populated enough, however, to provide a wealth of opportunities for the Dorcas Women’s Group. Through partnerships with local entities in Matelot, the Dorcas Women’s Group could host activities such as fishing/interviews with fishermen, and hikes to Mr. Jose’s estate. Both experiences are extremely educational and intensely Matelot. Bates Memorial High School Mailing Address: Adventist Street, Sangre Grande, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago Phone: 1 (868) 668-3128 Principal: Principal, Catherine Walcott. North Eastern College Address: Graham Trace , Ojoe Road, Sangre Grande Phone: 1 868-668-2479 Principal: Mrs. Jesslyn Ramlal Sangre Grande Junior Secondary Address: Savi Street, Sangre Grande Phone: 868-668-6415 Tactic 3: Seek out international student study abroad opportunities. The University of Louisville The University of Louisville International Service Learning Program of Trinidad and Tobago already has a program that visits Port of Spain. The program is multidisciplinary and includes activities designed to expose students to local culture and history. They also include video and photos on their main page of the program which could be updated to include the Dorcas Women’s Group and essentially be free marketing. The current professor heading the program is Dr. Kandi Walker, whose field is communications, which is doubly helpful to the Dorcas Women’s Group. Website: https://louisville.edu/islp/trinidad-and-tobago Walker’s email: [email protected] Strategy 4 Develop partnerships with government entities as part of the government’s Vision 2030 initiative
Tactic 1: Establish Dorcas Women’s Group as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is aligned with the Ministry of Planning and Development to accomplish the Vision 2030 goals The Ministry of Planning and Development is responsible for preparing and managing the Vision 2030 National Strategy, a comprehensive national development planning framework that is intended to help Trinidad and Tobago attain developed country status by the year 2030. Vision 2030 includes many goals for the islands nation to help it diversify its economy from its dependence on oil and natural gas and contend with other socioeconomic issues such as the aging population and migration from the country. Included in the sustainable development goals are those to “empower all women and girls” and to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” Both of these goals drive directly into the heart of what the Dorcas Women’s Group hopes to accomplish. One way the initiative identifies to accomplish these goals is to partner with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) “so that together, our interventions are more impactful.” Government plans to lend support to NGOs whose projects and programs are aligned to the development needs of the country, particularly in the areas of agriculture, energy, the environment, and information and communication technologies. This is an area Dorcas Women’s Group should explore. Objective 2 Post on social media at least four times each month. Strategy 1 Increase the Dorcas Women’s Group’s social media presence Tactic 1: Establish a content calendar To start it is best for the Dorcas Women’s Group to have a reasonable goal of posting every Tuesday at their weekly meetings. Thus the content calendar will only include tuesdays and will be fairly simple and easily modified. We suggest each tuesday have a different theme like food, tourist attractions, news, etc. Below is a mock content calendar:
Tactic 2: Post on the organization’s Facebook page at least once per week For the last few years the Dorcas Women’s Group has had no Facebook activity. To attract people to their organization their social media presence must be increased. Once a week is a reasonable starting point for an organization of its size. Sample Post:
Dorcas Women’s Group is sad to see our most recent guests go. We welcomed a graduate class from Virginia Commonwealth University to our homes here in Matelot. During their stay we accommodated them with food, lodging and fun. Our guests hiked, swam and had a lime! (Liming is what we call “relaxing”) We’ll miss this group but we’re excited to welcome our next. Will it be you?
Tactic 3: Create an Instagram account The Dorcas Women’s Group should create an Instagram account under the username, DorcasWG. While we spent time in Matelot we found that the village was best represented through visuals like pictures and video. Instagram is a hub for visual content and would work best for this organization. Sample Post: Dinner is served! #DorcasWG loves cooking but we may love eating our creations even more. Why don't you pull up a seat at our table? Contact us on how to visit Matelot, Trinidad. #farmtotable #organicfood #DorcasWG #Trinidad #TrinidadandTobago
Tactic 4: Crease a hashtag to use on all social media posts (#DorcasWG) Creating hashtag streamlines content and makes it easier for audiences to find and engage with the organization.
Tactic 5: Encourage and repost visitor-generated content The Dorcas Women’s Group would like more tourism to Matelot through their organization. When doing so it would be wise to connect with those visitors on social media and to repost their content onto the Dorcas Women’s Group pages. This is an easy way to create relationships with audiences and acquire new content. Tactic 6: Establish a “Donate” button on the Facebook page This is an easy way to provide a channel for those wishing to donate to the organization to be able to do so. And this way, people who live in different countries still have the opportunity available to donate to the Dorcas Women’s Group. Objective 3 Secure three media placements about the group by the end of 2018 Strategy Target media outlets on Trinidad and Tobago and internationally Tactic 1: Pitch stories about the group to media outlets on Trinidad and Tobago Sample pitch: Dorcas Women’s Group serves as ambassadors for Trinidad while improving village community When many foreigners think of Trinidad, it’s difficult to get past the colorful images of Carnival, beaches, and rainforests. But a group of women far from the hustle and bustle of Port of Spain are changing the way visitors view the country. The Dorcas Women’s Group in tiny Matelot, a seaside fishing village along the North Coast, hosts student groups from the United States, China, and other countries through the American student service learning organization Amizade. The students learn about Trini culture, food, and the bountiful eco-tourism opportunities while helping the Dorcas Women’s Group to improve their community. Interviews:
● Members of the Dorcas Women’s Group ● Foreign students who have gone through the program with the group ● Matelot villagers who can speak to the positive impact the group has had on the
community Visuals:
● Map of Matelot ● Photos of Dorcas Women’s Group members
● Photos of student groups ● Photos of projects completed by student groups
Media Outlets to Pitch: Michelle Loubon, Trinidad Express [email protected] 1-868-623-1711/8 Anna-Lisa Paul, Trinidad Guardian 225-4465, ext. 2030, 2032 Tactic 2: Pitch travel-focused stories to international media outlets Sample pitch: ‘End of the Road’ is beginning of true Trinidadian experience Those who live on Trinidad refer to the tiny Caribbean village of Matelot as the “end of the road.” The pavement ends three hours from the bustling capital of Port of Spain, past the hairpin curves, sleepy beach towns and villages known for their annual sea turtle nesting pilgrimages. Waiting at the end of the road is the Dorcas Women’s Group, an organization of women who came together to improve their community while offering visitors a true Trinidadian experience. Interviews:
● Members of the Dorcas Women’s Group ● Visitors/students who have stayed with the group ● Matelot villagers who can speak to the positive impact the group has had on the
community Visuals:
● Map of Matelot ● Photos of Dorcas Women’s Group members ● Photos of student groups
Media Outlets to Pitch: Islands magazine Specializes in covering islands, with a large focus on the Caribbean. Email: [email protected] Mailing address: Islands Editorial Department, 460 North Orlando Ave. Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789 Beth Harpaz, Travel Editor The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is a global news organization. Weekly travel features are published in newspapers all over the world. [email protected] Outpost Magazine Canadian magazine that specializes in travel, adventure and culture. [email protected] Wanderlust British travel magazine that covers independent and special-interest travel, specializing in “off-the-beaten-track destinations, secret corners of the world and unusual angles on well-known places.” It has a particular interest in local culture, preferring pieces written by someone with in-depth knowledge of a topic. Editor, Phoebe Smith [email protected] Travel + Leisure Magazine [email protected] American Way magazine Magazine of American Airlines, one of the largest airlines serving Trinidad and Tobago. https://ink-global.com/media/passenger-engagement Blogs Most are women-centric and have very clear and easy guidelines on how to be a guest writer for the blog. Global Grasshopper Submission page: http://www.globalgrasshopper.com/contact-us/ Do It While You’re Young (Travel Ideas for Ambitious Women) Submission page: http://diwyy.com/travel-writers-wanted/ Lost Girls World http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/contribute/ Tactic 3: Pitch food-related stories to international media outlets Sample pitch: Dorcas Women’s Group offers visitors a taste of true Trinidad
It’s not even 6 a.m., and the smell of coconut bake rises above the crash of the nearby waves. Members of the Dorcas Women’s Group are busy whipping up traditional Trinidadian food for visitors, a mix of homemade breads, Indian-inspired and Caribbean-infused recipes complimented by ingredients plucked from the trees and ground just outside the main house. Interviews:
● Members of the Dorcas Women’s Group ● Visitors who stayed with the Dorcas Women’s Group ● Local farmers who provide the ingredients
Recipes:
● 4-5 recipes of traditional Trini food Visuals:
● Photos of food ● Photos of farmers ● Photos of visitors eating
Media Outlets to Pitch: Outpost Magazine Canadian magazine that specializes in travel, adventure and culture. The magazine has an international food feature called Gourmet Du Monde, which features different cultures and flavors around the world. [email protected] Bon Appetit Fine food magazine that has a travel food section [email protected] Mailing Address:Bon Appétit 1 World Trade Center, 36th Floor New York, NY 10007 Food Traveler Magazine [email protected] Phone: (813)898-2808 Address: 14497 N. Dale Mabry HWY STE 135, Tampa, FL 33618 Lucky Peach Online publication featuring stories on travel and food. [email protected] NPR Food Blog: The Salt
NPR’s take on the wide world of food. https://help.npr.org/customer/portal/emails/new Saveur Magazine Specializes in food and travel. [email protected] Eating Well Magazine that focuses on cooking and the origins of food, as well as social issues related to food network and eating cultures and traditions. Food and culture-based stories should be pitched to Editor-in-Chief Jessie Price, [email protected] Tactic 4: Pitch stories to women’s focused media outlets Sample pitch: Women’s group in tiny Trinidad village work to improve community, welcome visitors In this tiny fishing village, a group of women are working to build a community that can keep its young people from moving away while attracting visitors from all over the globe to experience the true Trinidad. Interviews:
● Members of the Dorcas Women’s Group ● Visitors/students who have stayed with the group ● Matelot villagers who can speak to the positive impact the group has had on the
community Visuals:
● Map of Matelot ● Photos of Dorcas Women’s Group members ● Photos of student groups
Media outlets to pitch: Essence Magazine Essence Magazine is a premiere lifestyle, fashion and beauty magazine for African-American women. http://www.essence.com/about/writers-guidelines 135 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10020. Woman’s Day
[email protected] Womensnews.org - A top blog covering women’s issues. [email protected]