Export and Share
Want to tell the world about this? Download this image to easily share on social media or for a beautiful presentation!
What is U-Report?
U-Report is a social messaging tool that is free to
everyone, wherever you are in the world, to speak out on development issues,
support child rights, promote youth agenda, and improve our communities.
U-Report is developed by UNICEF to improve adolescents and
youth citizen engagement, inform leaders, and foster positive change. Polls and
alerts are sent out to U-reporters via social media platforms (such as Facebook
messenger, Viber and Telegram) and real-time response information is collected.
Results and ideas are shared back with the community. Issues polled include
among others health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, youth
unemployment, HIV/AIDS, and disease outbreaks. Data received can be
disaggregated by age, gender, and geographical areas.
How is the U-Report platform different from other social
media platforms?
U-Report allows you to connect with other young people and
share your opinions and ideas in a more secure environment and keeps the
identity of U-Reporters safe and confidential. It also allows you to read the
opinions of young people outside of your regular social networks.
Regular and real-time poll results and information via
U-Report will also give you new ideas that can help you trigger change in your
own life and community.
How many countries are using U-Report and when it was
launched in the Philippines?
U-Report is now active in 66 countries[1]
worldwide including Philippines, benefiting more than 10 million users.
U-Report is available via numerous messaging and social media channels –
Facebook, Viber and Telegram and even works on a basic mobile phone. It is
free, anonymous and easy to use.
Last July 2019, U-Report was launched in the Philippines, specifically in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with support from UNICEF Philippines. It aims to improve adolescent and youth citizen engagement, inform Bangsamoro leaders, and foster positive change. It provides the platform for raising young people’s voices from different parts of the Bangsamoro Region. Even those from the island provinces can respond to Poll Questions related to different issues that adolescents and youth confronted in their respective communities. It provides a platform that connects the BARMM parliamentary government with the young people.
[1] As of 15th April 2020.
How does collecting data create change?
It is easy to ignore things that are not seen or heard. Making the issues that you care most about visible –to the public and
decision-makers - is an important first step in creating the awareness and
action that leads to lasting positive social change.
Creating lasting social change takes time, and involves the
energy, actions and decisions of many different actors and groups. U-Report
works hard to create change on two fronts:
1)
Make sure that the responses and results
that you provide are shared with the media, BARMM parliamentary government and
civil society so that your voices are heard and considered during their
decision-making processes.
2)
It also aims to provide results and other
important information to our U-Reporters, to help equip you to take your own
steps towards creating positive changes in your own lives & communities.
What are the issues polled in the U-Report?
Social issues that matter to YOU and your communities! Over
the past months, we have met countless young people and youth networks who have
shared things that they want to discuss, including: employment, education,
gender equality, drugs & alcohol, reproductive health, climate change,
mental health, child marriage, discrimination, cyber security, volunteerism,
bullying, disability, peacebuilding and more.
But aren’t these issues political?
U-Report focuses on social issues and not national
politics. This means that U-Report will never be used to encourage support for
a specific political party or figure. Similarly, we won’t ask for information
on political affiliation nor about endorsing a specific political party or
programme – U-Report is neutral!.
Who sees the responses we share?
U-Report messaging platform is hosted in the cloud, and
connected to a secure offshore server. All responses appear in a back-end
dashboard that are hidden from the public access. Project staff who regularly
interact with the dashboard also doesn’t have access to identifying details beyond
those you’ve shared to create your profile. Your responses “appear” publicly
only as part of a map or graph generated by the total incoming responses.
Who chooses the poll questions and how is the selection
made?
U-Report is being managed by a U-Report Steering Committee
composed of representatives coming from youth networks in Mindanao, Bangsamoro
Youth Commission (BYC), UNICEF and Voluntary Services Organization (VSO)
Philippines and its partners. Our questions are a combination of suggestions
made by U-Report Steering Committee members, as well as the suggestions you
make via the U-Report channels. U-Report platform is able to track key word
trends to help us identify emerging issues of importance for the young people
in Bangsamoro Region.
If you are interested to initiate a poll,
please don’t hesitate to contact the U-Report Steering Committee members
through this email address - ureportmindanao@gmail.com.
Does U-Report share or sell contact database?
Definitely NOT,
and U-Report will never be used as a marketing channel for specific products or
for-profit brands.
We will never ask for any personal or identifiable details
such as your full name, date of birth, complete address or email address. If
you ever receive a message asking for any of these details, please contact us
immediately.
How can we access the results of the polls?
General poll results will be shared back with you – via
your U-Report channel of choice (U-report Facebook Page, Viber and Telegram) –
after a week we’ve sent out the initial poll. You can also check our website https://philippines.ureport.in/ for a more detailed breakdown of the
results, and also to see the results of other polls we’ve run in the past such
as Adolescents and Youth Issues in BARMM, Information on Office on the
Bangsamoro Youth Affairs, Young People’s Participation, Education, and
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Are there other uses for U-Report, aside from launching
polls?
Aside from polls, U-Report can be used for information
campaign, curriculum-based engagements, and to chat with you when you need to
voice out your concerns and issues of our society.
How to become a U-Reporter?
It’s easy, sign-in to your Facebook page,
search for “U-Report Philippines - Mindanao on Facebook Messenger App”, tap
“Get Started” button to start the registration process. You can also do the same
via Viber and Telegram. Please check the below U-Report Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/UReportPhilippines/
Can we opt to leave U-Report once we have joined?
Of course (though we sincerely hope you
don’t). You choose which polls to respond to and, if you’d like to stop
receiving message, just send the word “STOP” via your regular U-Report channel.
Before you do though, we’d appreciate if you could send us a quick message
explaining the reason so we can do our best to improve the experience for all
U-Reporters. And, if you decide we will miss you as a U-Reporter and
contributor for social change, we’d love to have you back!
