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COMMUNITY RADIO & MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN

Mauritius Strategy Implementation: Small Islands Voice Planning Meeting Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines July 14, 2004. COMMUNITY RADIO & MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN. INTRODUCING.

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COMMUNITY RADIO & MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN

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  1. Mauritius Strategy Implementation: Small Islands Voice Planning Meeting Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines July 14, 2004 COMMUNITY RADIO & MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN

  2. INTRODUCING • PP is is a professional and dynamic non-profit organisation providing high quality training, consultancy, products and services for organizations and countries that are seeking to improve parenting outcomes.

  3. believes that: • Every child should be afforded the best quality parenting as the most important contribution to their total development. • All Caribbean parents can, with self-confidence, information, skills and support, raise happy and healthy children who will become resilient and responsible citizens.

  4. INTRODUCING • Caribbean Support Initiative (CSI) is a 5 year sub-regional Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme with a thematic focus on parenting initiatives in ECD. • PROGRAMME PURPOSE: Good parenting practices in ECD adopted

  5. Regional Radio Project CSI Supported projects with funding from the Bernard van Leer Foundation: Caribbean Research Project (CARE) Replication of the Roving Caregivers Project (RCP) Caribbean Internship Project (CIP) Story-Telling for Early childhood & Parenting Support STEPS Revision of the Pathways to Parenting manual (PP manual)

  6. Grenada St. Vincent & Grenadines Dominica St. Lucia Trinidad & Tobago Belize Regional Radio Project Project Countries Project Purpose Local capacity to produce and deliver radio programmes on parenting and early childhood development (P/ECD) is strengthened

  7. RRP - PHASES 1 & 2

  8. Radio Programmes Developed : Dominica - “Shaping Our Children’s Future Through Good Parenting Practices” Grenada - “Spice It Up” St. Vincent & the Grenadines - “In This Life” Trinidad (Toco) - “Focus on the Family” Tobago - “Tobago Today – All About Good Parenting” St. Lucia - “Mamay-la” (The Children and People of the country)

  9. The Radio Programmes should help Caribbean Parents & Children attain: • WELLNESS - A child who is healthy, strong and well-adjusted • EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION - An effective communicator • CULTURE VALUE - A child who values own culture and that of others • INTELLECTUAL EMPOWERMENT - A critical thinker and independent learner • RESPECT FOR SELF, OTHERS & ENVIRONMENT - A child who respects self, others and the environment • RESILIENCE - A child who has coping skills

  10. Underlying Radio ProgrammePrinciples: • THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD(as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) • GENDER EQUITY - both male and female parents and children must be involved and their respective issues, differences etc. addressed. • LIFE CYCLE APPROACH – recognising that Early Childhood is not a stage but part of a process of human development • ADAPTABILITY - of other issues into P/ECD e.g. Health & Nutrition YouthDevelopment HIV/AIDS Community Development Drugs & Alcohol Conservation & the Environment Conflict Resolution Domestic and Community Violence

  11. The Grenada Experience • Grenada was badly and directly hit by Hurricane Ivan on September 7, 2004 • Many people died, others made homeless and the infrastructure suffered extreme damage • Little or no communication throughout the island for weeks. • No electricity throughout the island due to fallen poles

  12. The Grenada Experience

  13. The Pilot Project Altered • A drama series “Spice It Up” was advocated as the format of presentation • Series was written by Ms. Paloma Mohamed, Communications Specialist from Guyana as a public service to the people of Grenada in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan • “Spice It Up” was produced by Mr. Francis Urias Peters of Family Theatre Production.

  14. The Pilot Project Altered • Themes for first 3 episodes: Family Communication; Back To School; Coping With Unfamiliar Behaviour and Emotions • A panel is in studio to discuss the issues, speak with callers and make referrals where necessary. • WEE FM and GBN broadcast the programmes. Feedback has been very positive

  15. RRP Collaborations • The RRP has collaborated with the STEPS project (Storytelling) • The CIP (internship) has provided interns from various Departments of the University of the West Indies (UWI) who assist on projects • UNESCO – the Caribbean Multimedia Centres (CMC’s) for rural and remote communities

  16. UNESCO's MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS

  17. UNESCO’s Multimedia for Caribbean Communities (MCC) • The MCC Project exists under the framework of a larger international project to develop Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. • The CMC’s offer concrete examples of how integrated, sustainable, grass-roots community development use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

  18. UNESCO’s Multimedia for Caribbean Communities (MCC) • ICT’s can help improve the quality of life, particularly in disadvantage communities in rural and low-income urban settlements

  19. Benefits of Community Radio • Builds local identity, character  and culture through a diversity of programmes and content • Promotes community access to Caribbean and local community content • Focuses on specific community issues  concerns and events • Highlights  various interest groups and community personalities • Shares local   news  by giving voice to the voiceless

  20. Benefits of Community Radio Benefits of Community Radio • Includes minority and marginalized community members • Facilitates mastery of radio equipment  and basic broadcasting techniques • Promotes democratic process, social change, development, civil society and good governance • Acts  as a form of public-service broadcasting independent of government and  party politics • Relies on the community resources it serves rather than the whole nation

  21. UNESCO’s Multimedia for Caribbean Communities (MCC) • The first phase of the MCC project saw theestablishment/transformation of four community radio stations into Community Multimedia Centres: • Roots FM - Jamaica • Radio Toco - Trinidad • Radio Cocodrilo - Cuba • Radio GED - Barbados

  22. Multimedia for Caribbean Communities (MCC)’sVision 15 steps that include: • Computerised news scripting and research • Computerised storage, indexing and cataloguing of recordings • Mastery of sound editing software and automated radio management system • Internet connectivity for downloading, sharing and repackaging • Eventual transformation of broadcasters into MultiMedia practitioners

  23. Phase 2: Countries selected with specific criteria, offering a variety of backdrops and themes:

  24. Guyana St. Vincent & the Grenadines Belize Dominica Suriname Related Project: ICT’s and Indigenous Peoples Project • GOAL: To address poverty in isolated indigenous communities using integrated community media and the creation of multimedia products as the focus for a sustainable human development strategy • This pilot project aims to consolidate existing community broadcasting and/or telecentre facilities into community media centres for indigenous peoples in isolated communities in the following countries:

  25. The Suriname Experience • Radio Muye serves 10,000 indigenous Maroons in villages along the Saramacca River. • Maroons, originated from runaway slaves, started ‘illegal’ communities years ago and have kept the African culture alive.

  26. The Suriname Experience • The radio station came about as a result of there being no electricity or television in the rain forest, few schools limited information, socially isolated from the outside world. • Radio Muye is powered by solar energy • Programmes also reinforce the Saramaccan language

  27. The Suriname Experience • There is a generally high dropout rate at primary school level in the villages. • The station has been useful in supplementing children’s education, “Both children and teachers appreciate those programmes, especially at exam time!”

  28. The Suriname Experience • Nurses and Health Workers say both men and women are more curious about sex and HIV/AIDS from what they hear on Radio Muye. • However, listeners are very keen to criticise, demand and propose programme ideas to the radio staff they meet on river trips.

  29. The Suriname Experience • Radio Muye is “The Poor Man’s Telephone” – people can send messages and news to relatives and friends in far off villages • Behaviour changes when a station reporters visits a village. “Radio Muye is here, so better behave properly!”

  30. The Suriname Experience • Village meetings are broadcast and benefit those unable to travel to the meeting • The villagers want a stronger transmitter in order to reach more people and thus attract advertisers, especially tourism interests

  31. SUCCESSES & CHALLENGES OF RRP & MCC PROJECTS • Challenges • Challenges of sustainability are common • Developing content • Difficulty developing local proposals at local level • Frequent disruptions in email, fax and telephone connections delay implementation • Absence of technical expertise to service and maintain equipment

  32. SUCCESSES & CHALLENGES OF RRP & MCC PROJECTS • Successes • Community Involvement is good • Interest has been mounting from national governments, regional and international stakeholders in the region • Community residents take much pride in their work and culture • Radio programmes produced at community level • Coordinators are nurtured in their independent efforts at improving themselves rather than relying solely on development funding • Collaborations developing

  33. UNESCO-CSI/RRP COLLABORATION - provides access to ICTtraining and infrastructure - helps communities develop contenton Parenting & Early Childhood issues Projects have countries in common(Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago) Projects are both interested in enabling and developing local capacity

  34. UNESCO-CSI/RRP COLLABORATION Together, CSI/RRP and UNESCO can assistlocal communitiesproduce and broadcast relevant content to a wider audience

  35. Remember . . . the reason for our work.

  36. For further information on the REGIONAL RADIO PROJECT or PARENTING contact: MS. COLLEEN WINT-SMITH PROJECT COORDINATOR PARENTING PARTNERS C/o CARIBBEAN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES MONA, KINGSTON 7 JAMAICA TEL: (876) 927-1618 or (246) 266-5300 (roaming) FAX: (876) 977-7433 EMAIL: parentingpartners03@yahoo.co.uk regionalradioproject@yahoo.com URL: www.csinews/rrp/index.html

  37. For further information on the CARIBBEAN SUPPORT INITIATIVE contact: MS. SUSAN BRANKER PROJECT DIRECTOR CARIBBEAN SUPPORT INITIATIVE (CSI) 1st FLOOR, WEYMOUTH CORPORATE CENTRE ROEBUCK STREET BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS TEL: (246) 427-8535/6 FAX: (246) 436-1709 EMAIL: sbranker@csinews.org URL: www.csinews.org

  38. For further information on the UNESCO’S MULTIMEDIA FOR CARIBBEAN COMMUNITIES contact: MR. ALTON GRIZZLE NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL OFFICER COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION UNESCO CARIBBEAN OFFICE 25 DOMINICA DRIVE KINGSTON 10, JAMAICA TEL: (876) 929-7087 FAX: (876) 929-8468 EMAIL: a.grizzle@unesco.org URL: www.mcclinks.com

  39. Produced and presented by Colleen Wint-Smith, at the Mauritius Strategy Implementation: Small Islands Voice Planning Meeting Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines July 14, 2004

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