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We would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Partner - the Ford Foundation.
The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant making organisation. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation, and advancing human achievement.
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EXPERIENCES
1. Bangladesh Coastal NGOs Network for Radio & Communication (BNNRC) - Bangladesh
Established in 2000, BNNRC is an advocacy group comprised of 9 coastal NGOs that supports the development of community and amateur radio in Bangladesh. BNNRC's activities include: promoting community radio and television, radio listeners clubs for young students, internet facilities, and renewable energy in coastal areas; establishing links with others in the community and beyond; organising training sessions; building an amateur radio network; publishing a newsletter; establishing a group of volunteers to enable rapid communication during emergencies; promoting and facilitating the establishment of radio communication facilities for public safety, especially in sea fishing and water transportation.
Contact AHM Bazlur Rahman bnnrc@bd.drik.net
2. Act Now! (Entra en Acción) - Latin America
Launched in 2003, The interactive Act Now! (Entra en Acción) portal is designed to give adolescents in Latin America access to accurate information on a broad range of issues that are important to them. The central strategy informing the development of the Spanish-language portal is addressing adolescents' needs in a holistic way. The news, information, orientation, and resources available on the site are meant to be comprehensive, factual, up-to-date, and non-judgmental. Services available on the site include information, online (confidential) counseling, e-greetings, a search engine, and links to youth organisations.
Contact Carola de Luque cluque@apropo.org.pe OR Patricia Poppe ppoppe@jhuccp.org
3. TV to Prevent HIV/AIDS - Swaziland
In October 2002, a Population Media Center team held 2 workshops in Swaziland. The first workshop, a 3-day strategy development session, enabled representatives from various organisations to present their communication strategies, approaches, and activities. The purpose of this workshop was to foster the creation of a national communications strategy for HIV/AIDS to guide all organisations and government ministries and bring overall coordination. The second, 2-week workshop, was designed to train the creative teams from 3 television shows in methods for entertaining while educating, as well as in production skills.
Contact Melissa Barrett barrett@populationmedia.org
4. Womyn Supporting Womyn Centre (WSWC) - The Philippines
Initiated in 1994, WSWC is a national organisation of self-identified lesbians committed to promote and enhance lesbian empowerment. WSWC conducts activities including: organising conferences with other groups; sponsoring monthly discussions; providing trainings, discussions, and education sessions on topics related to sexuality and gender; offering fora and symposia; publishing a magasine featuring news of activities and gatherings; collaborating with advocacy groups locally and internationally.
Contact wswc@info.com.ph
5. Children's Voice - Kiev, Ukraine
In January 2001, the international NGO the Foundation of Youth Culture & Education (FYCE) launched a 3-year effort to create the Independent Children's Media Center. The centre's central initiative is "Children's Voice", a radio programme completely created and headed by children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18. Children serve as producers, editors, reporters, and presenters. They learn how to create scripts, interviews, and video and radio programmes involving journalistic investigation on various social problems. The radio programmes focus on issues like street children, violence and criminality. In addition to radio, "Children's Voice" has developed a website and advocates for children's issue to be addressed by the news media.
Contact fyce@fyce.relc.com
6. Films for Enhancing Dialogue - Global
In 2002, UNESCO and the Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision (CILECT) launched a project called "Intensifying the dialogue between communities, cultures and civilizations". Following a call for proposals from television and film schools, organisers selected 6 short fiction scripts intended to increase inter-cultural understanding and to sensitise young people for tolerance, dialogue, and peace. Produced by and for young adults, the films are meant to provide local perspectives on global issues.
Contact Rosa Maria Gonzalez R.Gonzalez@unesco.org
7. ninelives Campaign - UK
A multi-media campaign followed 9 people over 9 weeks as they attempted to become more environmentally conscious, healthier citizens and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. A central component of the campaign was a reality-type television series which followed the progress of individuals between the ages of 21 and 77 as they embarked on a series of challenges ranging from getting fitter and eating healthier foods, to sorting out their finances, saving energy, and cutting down on waste. The 9 recorded their experiences with video and written diaries shown weekly on the ninelives website. This site also offered visitors a series of action plans, such as information on how to get a free energy-saving light bulb and how to sign up for a low-cost stress management course.
Contact Nicolette Fox nicolette.fox@brighton-hove.gov.uk
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Have you been to Soul Beat Africa?
All Africa. All communication for development and social change.
All at Soul Beat Africa.
See you there!
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STRATEGIC THINKING
8. Strengthening the Knowledge and Information Systems (KIS) of the Urban Poor by Theo Schilderman
"A key reason for embarking upon this research was that earlier surveys, evaluations and experience had concluded that development agencies and researchers who possess knowledge on urban development had not been very effective at disseminating that knowledge to the urban poor, resulting in only limited uptake and impact at the grassroots. There appeared to be various reasons for that..."
9. A Distorted Image of AIDS & Orphaning in Africa by John Williamson
"The August 13 Washington Post article, "A Generation Orphaned by AIDS," by Emily Wax conveyed powerful images of the horrific human costs of AIDS. What troubles me, though, about this kind of article, of which there have been many in the US media, is that it gives an incomplete and therefore distorted picture of the situation. Consequently, this kind of story can encourage inappropriate action or, because the situation seems so hopeless, no action at all..."
10. New Technologies for Rural Applications: Final Report of ITU-D Focus Group 7
"More than 2.5 billion people - over 40% of the planet’s population - live in rural and remote areas of developing countries. Of the small fraction that has any access to telecommunications, radio broadcasts and voice telephony have traditionally been the main services provided. Today, a wide variety of new telecommunication applications such as e-mail, e-commerce, tele-education, telehealth, and telemedicine, among others, has made access to interactive multimedia services as important for rural and remote communities as voice connectivity alone..."
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Panos Canada
A new Canadian development NGO on media, pluralism & peacebuilding.
Partnered with l'Institut Panos Paris and other Panos organisations worldwide, and with Liu Institute for Global Issues at University of British Columbia, Panos Canada supports sustainable human development, human security, peacebuilding, pluralism, and public understanding of critical global issues.
For more information click here for a PDF prospectus
The website will be live in early Nov 2003 at http://www.panoscanada.ca
Contact Jon Tinker, Executive Director jtinker@sdri.ubc.ca
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EVENTS
11. Information Technology, Transnational Democracy & Gender Conference - Nov 14-16 2003 - Luleå, Sweden
Aims to address:
* Feminist Policy Issues in a Technological Order
* Information technology in everyday life
* Women in and on the Net - visibility, work and community building
* Enhance understandings of (techno)politics
12. World Summit on the Information Society - Dec 10-12 2003 - Geneva, Switzerland
The first phase of the World Summit will address the broad range of themes concerning the Information Society and adopt a Declaration of Principles and Action Plan, addressing the whole range of issues related to the Information Society...
13. 18th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion & Health Education - Apr 26-30 2004 - Melbourne, Australia
The aim is to assess the current status of health promotion across the world and identify practical solutions to move forward. The voices of indigenous and marginalised peoples whose health is seriously compromised by their living conditions will be given particular attention. The theme of the conference is "Valuing diversity, re-shaping power: Exploring pathways to health and well-being".
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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria is recruiting experts to serve on the Technical Review Panel (TRP)
Individuals with expert technical knowledge and extensive experience in one of the following are sought:
* HIV/AIDS
* Tuberculosis
* Malaria
* Cross cutting issues (such as institutional and governance issues, macro-economics in a health sector context)
Click here for the full vacancy listing.
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MATERIALS
14. Living in Hope: People Challenging Globalization edited By John Feffer
Tells of the response of people around the world to the force of the global economy. It chronicles attempts to create alternatives by those for whom globalisation has no need including: small farmers in Honduras, migrant workers in the Andes, urban poor in Bosnia, Cambodian woodcutters, Mexican textile workers, Korean NGO activists, Vietnamese government officials etc...
15. Wireless World: Social and Interactional Aspects of the Mobile Age edited by Barry Brown, Nicola Green, Richard Harper
Explores the way in which mobile technology is changing the way people interact and cooperate with each other, and how this change can be analysed. It identifies the major trends, discusses the main claims made about the mobile age, and looks at the issues that affect design, usability and evaluation.
16. Communities Taking Charge of Their Health: The India Local Initiatives Program
Based on a model adapted from Bangladesh and Indonesia, India-LIP trained almost 2,000 community health volunteers; cooperated with the government to use existing clinics, supplies, drugs, and staff; and provided reproductive and child health services to over 200,000 individuals...
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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com
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