SWEENEY’S, Montserrat – A new series of public service announcements are to begin airing on Friday, September 11 on ZJB Radio Montserrat.
The PSAs were commissioned by the Department of Social Services to bring awareness to the ongoing problem of child abuse on the island.
The first installment of ads were written and produced by Goldenmedia and highlight several issues which social workers said are prevalent here.
“In collaboration with officers in the department we looked at what were the recurring themes that they heard often in their daily work. We crafted stories around these messages which we believe will resonate with listeners,” explained producer Nerissa Golden.
In the first PSA “Just Like Him” a stressed out single mother is chastising her son for his similarities to his absent father. The other two PSAs continue the story of the single parent with “Smartphone” and the need to protect children from predators and “Minding my Business”, which encourages neighbours and family members to report instances of potential abuse.
“We are very pleased with the quality of the PSAs and it is a new way of getting the message out that we hope listeners will connect with and respond to,” said Director of Social Services Mrs Teresena Fergus.
“We recognize that parents may be having challenges and we want them to reach out to us for help,” said Child Protection Specialist Ms Elaine Ryan.
Under the supervision of UNICEF, the ads were scripted by Nerissa Golden and produced at Raw Island Music Studios. They feature the voice talent of Sonja Smith, Joshua Golden, Kemson Fenton, Wejhana Weekes, and Noella Weekes.
The Social Services Department can be reached at 664-491-8142 .
Listen to the PSAs here:
