ODC kicks off data literacy training program
Open Development Cambodia (ODC) kicks off its Data Literacy Training Program, the first training lasts for five days held in Phnom Penh, from 21-25 October, 2019.
With financial assistance from USAID’s Cambodian Civil Society Strengthening (CCSS) project, ODC is implementing Data Literacy Program which consists of three training phases and a final workshop. Each training phase combines classroom learning, field visit, mentoring session, producing evidence-based story and online publication.
Thirty trainees are admitted into the program throughout recruitment process which participants are people working in journalism, communication and research sector.
During the workshop, Executive Director of ODC, Mr. Thy Try said Data Literacy Training is an intensive program that runs for a year; he added that the program would progressively equip participants with skills and knowledge on data analysis and data-driven journalism.
“At the end of the training, I believe that participants are able to use evidence-based storytelling in raising awareness and promoting informed decision-making with regard to environmental and natural resources management in Cambodia,” he added.
The modules included in this first training covers the topics of “From Evidence to Stories and Finding Data & Data Formats”. The participants are instilled with the concept of open data, data portal, and data analysis.
The program’s main trainer from Myanmar, Mr Yan Naung Oak expressed that “with the first training, I introduce participants several strategies for identifying story angles and demonstrate how data from various sectors have been used to create data-driven stories”.
Chhorn Reakshar, a trainee from Transparency International Cambodia, expressed how using data is important for her work and making decisions: “I intend to utilize data by finding useful and up-to-date data and then use it in any decision making like a strategic plan for my current workplace and show it to other people to know about the data-related issues.’
Being part of this training, she hopes that she can make use of the learnt skills in data for her future work and paper, ‘I expect to learn the useful tools for using in data searching and making it usable data. […] After the training, I want to make a research paper related to youth engagement in decision making at the grassroots level by using any tools and knowledge from this training.’
In the last day of this training, Ms. Catherine Cecil Chief of Party of East-West Management Institute (EWMI) gave a closing speech to mark the end of training phase one and handed Certificates of Attendance to all the participants who have successfully completed the first training phase.
The second training phase is set from 2-6 December 2019 at Phnom Penh.
The program will run for a year from July 2019 to July 2020. Participants are expected to apply knowledge gained during the workshops into their respective projects in the weeks that follow the program.
