Participatory community communications is simply media we make and control ourselves. Newfoundland and Labrador is known worldwide as being a birthplace of participatory communication.
In the 1960s the National Film Board and Memorial University (MUN) partnered in the use of black and white film as a communication tool. Film messages, for example, were taken back and forth between the people of Fogo Island and the political decision makers in St. John's.
In 1979 the MUN Extension Media Unit started to experiment with a low power television transmitter in rural communities. But it wasn't until 1984 in Robinsons that they evolved the process to include community forums.
According to a 1986 university report - "The evening 'prime time' resource panels were launched here and the content of the programming moved to the more socio-political concerns of people, resources and issues."
The purpose of a community forum, as we now define it, is to promote cultural celebration and the public discussion of local issues. The two threads are intertwined.
Provincial cuts during the 1980s eliminated the media unit. By the early 90s the community television forum process was utilizing cable television while a combination of budget slashing and popular education methodology meant local people replaced university technicians from St. John's.
Then in 1991, the province, while participating in the closure of the cod fishery, closed down it's rural extension service.
In 1993 the Community Education Network (formerly the Port au Port Community Education Network) was introduced to the community forum process and responded by sponsoring a series of public community television events on the Port au Port Peninsula.
In the past decade, participatory communications on the west coast has been implemented in such projects as Communication for Survival/Communiquer Pour Survivre (participatory rural dialogue in eight communities); Talking About the Zone (public consultation forums using community television); the Youth, the Environment and the Economy conferences (mixed media including community television and interactive websites), and Sharing Our Future/Partager Notre Avenir (a multifaceted project including local facilitators working with teams of youth volunteers; community television and community radio special events, and reaching out to expatriates with email, interactive websites and webcasting.
One purpose of Enlarging the Circle is to focus on one facet of participatory communication - the community forum.
"The focus of our community training activity will be community forum
preparation, implementation and follow up. A community forum is a facilitated public meeting which also features cultural celebration. It is interactive within the community and typically includes moderated panels of local people with 'phoneins and phoneouts'."
"The forum itself would be enhanced by other mixed media tools - for example, internet webcasting and discussion boards. In a sense, the forum is the "tip of the iceberg" representing planning, public mobilization, promotion, dissemination and ongoing consultation and evaluation. Our process therefore includes identifying specific local issues, using community media for a focused discussion and implementing followup procedures for community learning."
"The public consultation forums will be complemented by practical community media training. This would mean training practitioners in utilizing the technology. We will be partnering to build skills in the community."
Community Forum Analysis:
Ingredients:
A. People (All the Voices)
1. Production team (Youth)
2. Planning Committee
3. Musicians
4. Forum panels (seeded phoneins)
5. Participating audience
B. Planning
1. Promotion (All the Ears)
2. Program
3. Forum panel (Moderated)
C. Microtechnology
1. Community television
2. Community radio
3. Webcasting
4. Interactive website
Community Forum Workshop:
A. Ryakuga community communications, needs, skills and resources assessment maps.
Process:
There are two community forums in March. We would like everybody to get a chance to operate the equipment and speak on air. This will be during the day - we need a schedule and RSVP.
The committee is the Planning Committee. We need two subcommittees for both events. The Promotions Committee and the Program Committee.
1. What is the issue?
2. Who are the musicians?
3. List the youth production team - technicians and on-air people. What is their schedule?
4. Who moderates the panel? Who is on the panel?
5. How do we promote the event? In the community? Outside the community?
6. Who else can be on the program?