Community Media Empowering Program (m-Com)

 

MINUTES

2nd CENTRAL MANAGEMENT MEETING

4-5 February 2013

Madrid, Spain

 

Partner Needs Analysis Presentations

 

The following partners presented the results of the needs analysis in the field of Community Media, with visual and audio supplementary material, in the following order:

 

First day (4th of February)

-      CCMC  (Cyprus)

-      STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM INICJATYW EDUKACYJNO-SPOLECZNYCH (Poland)

-      Cibervoluntarios (Spain)

-      E-Seniors (France)

-      DIMITRA (Greece)

-      Comunicareilsociale.it (Italy)

-      Marmara Educators Association (Turkey)

 

Partners Needs Analysis Results Presentations 1 - “Sharing the value we have between organizations for evaluate all need analysis displayed”

 

The session combined all the presented needs analysis from partner organizations. The results were more or less the same with all the partners with minor differences. Some of the organizations stated that they were experiences delays in the responses due to the way that each organization functions.

 

As the STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM INICJATYW EDUKACYJNO- SPOLECZNYCH was absent during the first meeting in Cyprus the organization has presented their work before presenting the results of their needs analysis. The organization works on education, culture, social assistance, support to unemployment, Universities of third age. They also work with young and old people from rural/urban areas on healthy lifestyle.

 

 

 Needs Analysis result from CCMC (Cyprus)

 

CCMC has 45 organizations in their consortium and was in the position to present collective results from 20 members organizations as a sample. According to CCMC’s needs analysis, majority of the members opts mostly for the following 5 trainings:

 

 

The member organizations vary in capacity and the field of work so there are differences in their needs/weaknesses and strengths. However the most common weakness listed is the fact that almost all of the organizations lack a dedicated staff working on communications. The second most common problem was the fact that there is no budget dedicated for media and communications.

 

 

Needs Analysis results from STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM INICJATYW EDUKACYJNO- SPOLECZNYCH:

 

 

Representative from Stowarzyszenie Centrum, Anna Worach also stated that   presented the needs analysis results that they received so far. According to the results:

 

-10%-12% of their members use Website for their communications. 89% requests social media training.

-Working with the media and newsletter production are also on demand.

-The organizations main strength is listed as the volunteers.

 

Need Analysis results from Cybervoluntarios:

 

Most of the feedback they received stresses on the fact that there is a lack of financial resources. Also in Spain the results showed that social media training is the most popular among the members. The member organization’s members work with local communities who use blog for their communications.

 

 

 

Need Analysis results from E-Seniors (France)

 

France needs analysis results indicated that the most required training was ‘working with the media’, then ‘blogging.

 

 

Need Analysis results from Dimitra (Greece)

 

 

Dimitra has received results from 7 organizations who mostly work on social care for young people.

 

-The common weak point is the lack of dedicated staff for the communication

-There is a wide use of internet and the young people are mostly familiar with the new technologies

-Whenever there is an event or cause to promote they opt to do it by hiring an expert

-They use email

-The main strength is the fact that they reach young people

-There are not enough budgets for the communication/staff/equipment

-The lack of interest of mainstream media in civil society is another problem.

 

The workshops most required are:

1-    Effective press release writing

2-    Newsletter creation

3-    Documentary film making

4-    Training on television

 

 

Need Analysis results from Comunicareilsociale.it (Italy)

 

The main weakness stated in the analysis is similar to the results from other countries which is lack of financial resources, the second one is lacking technical skills and the third one is common place for communication. So the organizations stated that there is a need for common space from communication among civil society.

 

The suggestions for creation of a common communications space are, web TV and

Radio where more interaction can happen among organizations and the work done by the CSOs can be more visible.

 

 

Need Analysis results from Marmara Educators Association (Turkey)

 

 

The Marmara Educators Association has about 10.000 members and they had the opportunity to conduct needs analysis with 10% of the members. So approximately 1000 educators.

 

The results indicated that educators who are member of the association uses national radio as a communication platform.

The educators have stated that they would use a training on social media skills. After that newsletter creation is a popular answer for the required trainings.

 

At the present the association communicates with their members via sms.

 

 

Second day of Madrid Meeting (5th February 2013)

Presentation of the new website of the project

 

Orestis Tringides (Board member of CCMC Governing Board) given an PowerPoint update on the developments of the project website (http://mcom.aimcy.eu/) . The website outlines the objectives and the main targets of the project and will be set up as an interactive platform once the community media training package is finalize.

 

Presentations of best practices

 

During this session    Cibervoluntarios(Spain),E-Seniors(France), Comunicareilsociale.it (Italy) presented best practices from their respective countries. The best practices included web-radio, online-news portals, online-tv and news-blogs. 

 

Best practices from Italy:

 

Video Community (Torino): www.videocommunity.net

Crossing TV: www.crossingtv.it

Docusound: www.docusound.it

Laika TV: www.laikatv.it

Zalab: www.zalab.org

 

Best practices from France

 

Aligre FM – Paris 93.1 (http://aligrefm.org/):

Since its inception in 1981, it has always fought to preserve its independence from community, religious, political or financial institutions.

Radio Libertaire – Paris 89.4 (http://radiolibertaire.radio.fr/):

The most rebellious of radios – since 1981, the voice of the Anarchist Federation in Paris.

 

UFC-Que Choisir (http://www.quechoisir.org/):

 

Formed in 1951, a consumers group which defends the rights of consumers in litigation against corporations and pushes for public policies to reinforce those rights.

Publishes a magazine called Que Choisir (“What to Choose”).

          Slogan: “Expert – Independent – Militant.”

 

60 Millions de consommateurs (http://www.60millions-mag.com/):

Public-service magazine of the Institut National de la Consommation (“National Consumers Institute”), founded in 1970.

Publication with no commercial advertising, guaranteeing its independence from manufacturers and distributors.

 

 

Télé Bocal (http://www.telebocal.org/):

Created in 1995: local, alternative, activist!

 

 

Arrêt sur images (on IPTV + website):  (http://www.arretsurimages.tv/)+ (http://www.arretsurimages.net/)

Vocation is to pose a critical eye on the media of which it, itself, is a part...and not without past controversy!

Broadcast without editing and with no set duration, allowing guests time to develop their points of view.

 

 

Bondy Blog (http://yahoo.bondyblog.fr/):

Making the voices of poorer, working-class, multi-ethnic neighborhoods and districts heard at the national level.

Begun in 2005 during the riots in the suburbs and now with national coverage and following.

MonPuteaux.com (http://www.monputeaux.com/):

Begun in 2002 by a local inhabitant of Puteaux (a suburb to the west of Paris).

RESF Réseau Education sans frontières (http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/resf-reseau-education-sans-frontieres):

An account of the shameful exploits committed against undocumented families by the will of Nicolas Sarkozy and his collaborators.

 

MediaApart (http://www.mediapart.fr/):

Launched in March, 2008, France's first fully-independent, ad-free news website; income is purely derived from subscription fees.

In 2011, launched FrenchLeaks, a whistleblower website inspired by WikiLeaks.

 

 

Terra Eco (http://www.terraeco.net/):

Sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.

 

Rue 89 (http://www.rue89.com/):

Name chosen as a reference to freedom (1789 and 1989) and to the symbolism of the street (in French: rue) as a venue for meeting and discussion.

 

 

Charlie Hebdo(http://www.charliehebdo.fr/):

Founded in 1970.

 

 

Le Canard enchaîné (http://www.lecanardenchaine.fr/):

Founded in 1915.

 

 

Bakchich (http://www.bakchich.info/):

Founded in 2006.

 

 

Independent media center (http://www.indymedia.org/fr/):

Indymedia or IMC is a global participatory network of journalists that report on political and social issues. Political alignment: anti-corporate.

 

 

Rezo.net – « le portail des copains » (http://rezo.net/): 

Created in 1999, “The Buddies Portal”  is one of the oldest French aggregator sites. One of the most important sources of anti-globalization info. in France.

 

 

Politis (http://www.politis.fr/): 

Created in 1988, anti-capitalist and environmentalist weekly and founding member of France ATTAC (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and Aid to Citizens).

 

 

Participons (http://www.participons.fr/):

Local democracy and citizen participation.

 

Change (http://www.change.org/fr):

Global platform for petitions.

 

Association ICI (http://www.associationici.fr/):

Innovons pour la Concertation sur Internet (“Let’s Innovate

          for Concertation on the Internet”) offers internet collaboration workshops.

 

 

Démocratie ouverte (http://democratieouverte.org/):

“Open Democracy” – an internet tool for engaging and engaged citizens!

 

 

Parlement et citoyens (http://parlement-et-citoyens.fr/):

“Let’s Make Law Together!”

 

Alberto Melida’s presentation of Dubsar

 

Alberto Melida from Dubsar (communication social multimedia) of best practices of viral social campaigns was last presentation of the Madrid Meeting.

 

www.dubsar.com

 

 

 

Presentation of the newsletter

 

Anna Worach has presented the template for the newsletter which is agreed to be finalized in two weeks’ time from the meeting.

 

1) Distribution of Partners’ Tasks

It was agreed by all present that the tasks assigned to each partner will be as following:

 

DELIVERABLES TIMELINE

TASK

ORGANISATION

DATE OF COMPLETION

At least 10 needs assessment results will be sent by all partners to CCMC

All Partners

1 March 2013

All partners will send links for the best practices from their respective countries

All Partners

1 March 2013

Members that don’t receive Drop-box files will be included to the Drop-box share list

CCMC

20 February 2013

All members will give feedback on the brochure

All Partners

15 March 2013

Interim Project Report (must reflect points on p.48)

Each partner is responsible for their Interim Report

30 June 2013

 

 

The schedule of mobility is as following:

 

 

France (Paris)          4-5 July 2013

Italy (Bari)              14-15 November 2013

Greece (Larissa)       6-7 February 2014

Turkey (Istanbul)      26-27 June 2014

 

The following initial need that was identified during the kick-off meeting in Cyrus has strengthened with the results of the needs analysis.  For that reason it is relevant to re-mention, with additional information.

 

I) Traditional Media Skills – mainly for a civil society audience, all partners agreed that civil society organisations (smaller NGOs in particular) are in need of media skills training that will enable them to communicate more effectively with the wider public. These could range for writing a simple press release, to more technical skills such as video production and editing;

II)   Social Media and Online Open-Source Tools – with the opening up of the Internet, new tools and skills-sets are now available to activists and citizens in general to use in order to communicate more effectively online. These tools are growing at a very rapid rate, and there is a need to provide training on online networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, internet publishing via blogs, as well as information sharing facilities such as Doodle and Dropbox. These skills will also strengthen collaboration between NGOs both nationally and internationally to work towards common goals;

III) Linking with the Mainstream Media – Community Media is an incubator for individuals to work in the media environment. So at a point in time where Community Media is not recognised or readily accessible to groups within society, skills need to be developed for different audiences on how to interact with the mainstream media in order to get their message out there. A good example of an activity in this area was DIMITRA’s work with well-known journalists in not only training people in e.g. interview skills, but also sensitising them about what community media/journalism can do for media pluralism;

 

 

The meeting was concluded with the agreement that different fields of community media will be included with the best practices collected from different countries based on the strengths on each field. The categories will be determined after all the needs analysis is concluded.