Participatory Radio in Flemingdon Park

Community radio stations are radio stations that are owned, operated and directed by the communities they serve. Typically non-commercial, they broadcast content that is relevant to their local communities, and may be produced by community members. Community radio stations broadcast from houses, schools, churches, union buildings and community centres. They usually have small broadcast ranges compared with commercial stations, but are nonetheless influential in the communities they serve, allowing people to make their voices heard, and to share ideas. Participatory radio is community radio that involves input from the community at all levels. This includes involvement of the community members in the decision-making process, from initiation to management, financing, administration, program production and evaluation. The participatory approach can strengthen a community by fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to the station. Worldwide, community radio has become an important medium for participatory communication, promoting grassroots engagement with issues including education, gender inequality, agriculture, and poverty. Latin America has a strong community radio tradition, which began with isolated mining communities that began operating their own stations. Bolivia's community radio stations date from 1947 when a station called "Radio Sucre" was founded in the mining districts of Catavi and Siglo. "La Voz Del Minero", another mining community station, followed in 1949. Miners founded these community radio stations to resist the influence of an oppressive military government. 1 The number of community radio stations in Latin America continued to grow though the 1950s and 1960s. In times of political upheaval, when the military captured newspapers and radio stations, community radio stations provided listeners with trustworthy sources of information. While the number of stations has declined since the 1980s, most Latin American countries still have community radio stations serving rural communities in the local language, addressing issues relevant to local culture and needs.2 In Africa, radio is the most widely used medium for providing information to rural audiences. For remote farming communities, radio is often the only connection with the rest of the world. Radio reaches communities without phones or electricity (through battery-powered sets), and people who haven't learned to read or write. "Farm Radio" is an example of a participatory radio project in Africa that was very successful. The project involved radio stations in five African countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Mali, Ghana, and Malawi. Programs educated farmers on ways to improve their agricultural practices. The participatory radio model allowed farmers to participate at every level in the process. Farmers were surveyed about agricultural practices and needs, and helped design a series of radio programs aimed at improving food security through better farming practices. 3 A community radio station can make important contributions to a community, even if it isn't highly participatory. A small station may start out by playing music from its community, strengthening cultural identity and community pride. Stations also carry news and announcements that strengthen social networks. Eventually, community produced programs may contribute to sharing information on issues of importance to the community. Community radio stations also provide access to media skills training, facilitating capacity building

What's Going on in Community Media

What's Going On in Community Media shines a spotlight on media practices that increase citizen participation in media production, governance, and policy. The report summarizes the findings of a nationwide scan of effective and emerging community media practices conducted by the Benton Foundation in collaboration with the Community Media and Technology Program of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The scan includes an analysis of trends and emerging practices; comparative research; an online survey of community media practitioners; one-on-one interviews with practitioners, funders and policy makers; and the information gleaned from a series of roundtable discussions with community media practitioners in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Portland, Oregon

Bottom-up radio: creating a new media format using living lab research

This study resulted in the creation of a new media format for urban youth, adopting a living lab-approach, as current studies have shown that this group is currently not reached with the contemporary media offer. Living lab research is a state-of-the art methodology that aims at involving end-users in the innovation process over a longer time span, combining both quantitative and qualitative research techniques and tools. In a first phase, a panel of urban youngsters was created using an intake survey (N=290). These data were analyzed resulting in three distinct types of urban youngsters. In a second phase, a qualitative research trajectory was organized in order to refine the three profiles and get an insight in their media use, digital skills, media preferences and needs with regards to the current media offer. Research methods during this phase included diary studies, participatory observation during workshops and probe research. In a third phase, co-creation sessions were organized with youngsters from the urban panel in order to get feedback on a concept that was iteratively developed during the first two phases of the project. Results show that mobile devices and social media are important for these urban youngsters and that most of these youngsters have quite some creative skills. Radio seems to be a less popular medium, although they spend a significant amount of time listening to music. Further, results show that these youngsters are in need of a platform which stimulates community building and offers a space to express their creativity. A third requirement for the development of a new media format that would meet the needs of these youngers is a format that provides space for local elements and niche markets. This all resulted in the launch of Chase, an urban, crowdsourced radio station

11 11 remembered

I wanted to look at the next step from “experience captured” (Sontag, 1977) to the online art forms about ‘experience shared’ and therefore networked in our participatory culture, which conceptually inspired project two. My work will be experimental so that I can explore sharing (and communicating with) images and possibly audio on a particular subject or theme. My assertion is that we are innate communicators with a natural desire to connect with others. It has been customary for us to communicate and connect since ancient times – from drawings carved out in caves to tales told around communal fires and from Plato’s shadow-playing to religious preaching. We have always communicated/connected throughout history by reading books, listening to the radio and watching the television. Now we are embedded in the World Wide Web ‘public sphere’ where images have become a part of our sharing culture. Thus photo essays and photo sharing are other mediums to communicate and connect. Civic engagement to connect has shifted into a shared online socio, economic, cultural and political space. Historically we have developed from a local geographical community into the ‘digital commons’ - a global landscape of web 2.0 digital media (Merrin, 2008). My project plan is to research and evidence to inform my mobile phone capture idea. I wanted to understand mo-blogging and the method of producing a photo essay. According to an online photography and social media organisation creating a photo essay is an art form as well as journalistically communicating a message

Promoting Handwashing and Sanitation Behaviour Change in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review

This systematic review shows which promotional approaches are effective in changing handwashing and sanitation behaviour and which implementation factors affect the success or failure of such interventions. The authors find that promotional approaches can be effective in terms of handwashing with soap, latrine use, safe faeces disposal and open defecation. No one specific approach is most effective. However, several promotional elements do induce behaviour change. Different barriers and facilitators that influence implementing promotional approaches should be carefully considered when developing new policy, programming, practice, or research in this area

Assessing the impact of participatory research in rice breeding on poor rice farming households with emphasis on women farmers: a case study in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

For the past years since the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Systemwide Initiative on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA) was initiated, guides for impact assessment of PRGA have been developed (Lilja and Ashby 1999; Johnson et.al., 2000; Lilja and Johnson 2001). However, according to Farnworth and Jiggins (2003) while there is rapidly growing literature on the impacts of PPB on farmers, this is not further differentiated by sex. Despite the immense literature on the impacts of production, post production technologies on women farmers, systematic studies on the impacts of PPB on women in any category, either in terms of the effects of being a participant in a participatory plant breeding process (PPB) process, or in terms of the impact of the new materials generated is few. There is practically no literature that examines the effects of PPB – either as process or in terms of the impacts of the emergent materials – on gender relations at the household, community or any other relevant social or geographic scale along the food chain. Even with women’s active involvement in rice production, post harvest and seed management, scientists who are mostly male often talk with the male farmers only. Ignoring women’s knowledge and preference for rice varieties may be an obstacle to adoption of improved varieties, particularly in areas with gender-specific tasks, and in farm activities where women have considerable influence. Feldstein (1996) cited three different ways in which gender analysis can be considered in participatory research. These are: the efficiency argument, equity oriented, and empowerment. This study attempts to fill in these research gaps. The objectives of this paper are to: a) discuss the process used in integrating participatory research and gender analysis in breeding for drought prone and submergence prone environment; b) assess how gender analysis contributed to the design and implementation of the research and development outcomes; c) assess the impacts of PVS on poor women farmers, particularly on women’s empowerment; and d) recommend strategies to further enhance women’s roles in ensuring household food (rice) food security and improving their social status within the household and the community

Epistemología de la comunicación en India: Una aproximación histórica más allá del “desarrollo”

This paper attempts to outline various recent contributions that can illustrate in developing an epistemological understanding of Communication in India, which is a country that could be considered as a continent due to its demography and territorial extension; but more importantly, due to its multiculturality, multilingualism, and strong cultural roots that transcend beyond colonising and neocolonising processes. It is assumed that conventional contemporary understanding of Communication is oriented toward the conquest of modernity and Western development from principles of Eurocentric rationality. Certain divergences and contradictions are observed here by drawing evidences from the indigenous cultures of the Indian society. The recent writings and contributions provide enormous intellectual resources to formulate a knowledge perspective that emerges from the critique of the conventional utilitarian understanding of communication and helps to formulate a critical epistemological perspective of communication in India. In this paper, we describe various contributions to the communication research in India, and the influence that development as an economic concept had on culture, resulting from the influence exerted by communication. Additionally, this article documents participatory approaches that are also original in the search for holistic and endogenous solutions in communication in India, and that follow a critical cultural perspective of their own.En este trabajo se intentan esbozar diversas contribuciones recientes que pueden ilustrar en el desarrollo de una comprensión epistemológica de la Comunicación en India, un país que en sí mismo es un continente por demografía y extensión territorial, pero sobre todo por su multiculturalidad, multilingüismo y sus fuertes raíces culturales que trascienden más allá de los procesos colonizadores y neocolonizadores. Entendiendo que la comprensión convencional contemporánea de la comunicación está orientada a la conquista de la modernidad y el desarrollo occidental desde principios de racionalidad eurocéntrica, observamos divergencias y contradicciones evidenciadas desde la cultura autóctona de la sociedad india. Los escritos y contribuciones recientes proporcionan enormes recursos intelectuales para formular una perspectiva del conocimiento desde la crítica de la comprensión utilitarista de la comunicación y a formular una perspectiva crítica epistemológica de la Comunicación en India. En este artículo se describen las contribuciones de la investigación en comunicación en India y la influencia que el desarrollo como concepto económico tuvo en la cultura desde la influencia ejercida por la comunicación. A partir de ahí se documentan enfoques participativos originales en la búsqueda de soluciones holísticas y endógenas en la comunicación en India desde una perspectiva cultural crítica y propia

Enforcement Guide: Near Shore Artisanal Fisheries

We need healthy oceans to support our way of life. Unfortunately, fish stocks are under growing pressure and the need to find innovative and pragmatic resource management strategies is more important than ever. Disregard for fisheries and environmental laws is common and if we are to succeed in reversing the declining trend, we must draft relevant regulations, design and fund comprehensive enforcement programs and cultivate a culture of compliance. Historically, marine law enforcement has been the competency of Naval and Coast Guard authorities; however, many fishery and park agencies, who lack training, equipment, and at times controlling legal authority, are tasked with fisheries management and enforcement. Complicating matters, most agencies are understaffed; lack budgetary resources, and possess limited authority (i.e. power of arrest and the ability to use force). WildAid in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy developed this guide to assist managers in designing a cost effective enforcement strategy for near shore artisanal fisheries. This document is not a recompilation of literature, but a practical guide based on our experience in the Eastern and Western Pacific. Generally, an enforcement system is designed to monitor all activities within a given area ranging from tourism, investigation, and transportation to fisheries; however, this guide will focus primarily on near shore artisanal fisheries. The objectives of this guide are three-fold:1. Examine all factors considered for the design and operation of a marine law enforcement system; 2. Illustrate key components of an enforcement system and evaluate surveillance technology and patrol equipment options; 3. Guide managers in the design and implementation of an enforcement system.In summary, it aims to equip managers with the tools needed to strengthen fisheries management and design enforcement systems that are practical, affordable and feasible to implement in a timely manner. Fisheries enforcement requires a holistic approach that accounts for surveillance, interdiction, systematic training, education and outreach and lastly, meaningful sanctions. Although it explores many surveillance technologies and management tools, this guide more importantly provides a blueprint for the capacity building and professionalization of enforcement officers, who truly are the core component of any fisheries enforcement program

The learner centric ecology of resources: a framework for using technology to scaffold learning

This paper is based upon a Keynote presentation at CAL07 and extends previous introductory descriptions of the Ecology of Resources model of educational contexts. The relationships between the elements in the Ecology of Resources are a particular focus for discussion here. In particular, we consider how we might use the Ecology of Resources model to scaffold learning so that a wide range of the resources available to a learner within their context can be used to best support their learning needs. Resources here include people, technologies and artifacts. We look for ways in which they can be linked and marshaled in a learner centric manner and draw on the HOMEWORK and VeSEL projects as practical examples of the way the Ecology of Resources framework can be used