"The role of information and knowledge in development is contentious - whilst information is central to development, practitioners struggle to define a causal link between it and development outcomes. The authors conclude that information-sharing of itself does not necessarily lead to such outcomes,
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unless the processes are in place to support its transformation into knowledge. Based on the principle of technology challenging poverty, this paper summarises the findings from a two-year research project conducted by the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) and Cranfield University into the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for development. In developing countries most people have little experience of ICTs, little time or money, low levels of literacy, and highly contextualised knowledge and language requirements (representing a challenge known as 'the first mile'). The paper springs from an analysis of the literature, and a case study based on practical experience of a project in Peru. It offers recommendations for practitioners, and suggestions for further research. Changes in the ICT industry such as "convergence" and the reduction of costs lead to hopes that "technology-leapfrogging" will help to bridge the "digital divide". The Peruvian case (a Rural-Urban Information System) project links local information centres (infocentres) in the region to information providers such as government bodies and NGOs working in the region. Project success depends on attention to process, and the authors recommend two key principles: communities need to first specify the development outcomes they want; and projects need to adopt an iterative project cycle. This comprises researching and planning, implementation, evaluation, and learning and sharing, to ensure practitioners repeatedly re-evaluate assumptions, learn from experiences, and involve the community at each stage." (Oxfam Review 10/06)
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"The goal of this best practices guide is not to provide a template for trauma reporting, although the specific examples should be useful for journalists working on similar stories or faced with similar ethical dilemmas related to trauma reporting. The goal is to help journalists produce professiona
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l, insightful, informative, ethical and engaging stories about difficult subject matter by using other journalists’ successful ideas, insights and experiences as an inspirational guide. Of course, each journalist writing about trauma will find his or her own voice and perspective when crafting the story. But that voice and perspective may be informed by the voices and perspectives of those who have already engaged in the process effectively. The following section discusses narrative elements and other considerations that reporters should keep in mind when writing about violence and trauma. Some of these elements are presented as best practices examples. Other elements are more explicitly presented as suggestions or recommendations." (Page 4)
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"Inspired by innovations that emerged from the Kothmale Community Radio and Internet project, Sri Lanka, in 1999 and 2000, UNESCO has since established some fifty CMCs in a wide range of contexts in some twenty countries on three continents. In addition to new facilities and increased local capacity
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in communities around the world, pilot CMCs have involved a wide variety of partnerships, across all levels, and have led to an expanding number of creative and dynamic new initiatives and solutions in key areas, from content creation to financial and social sustainability. Significantly, the first phase of the CMC programme has also led to national ‘scale-up’ projects now underway in Mali, Mozambique and Senegal. This volume not only shares the context and experiences of UNESCO-supported CMCs, but is also intended to facilitate direct, practical cooperation between international and national agencies with CMCs at the ground level by providing a directory of local CMC services and contact information." (Foreword)
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"The purpose of this reference publication is to provide meaningful and ready-to-use information to media professionals, decision makers, students, and the general public on the core PSB concepts related to legal, regulatory, financial, and other major issues as recognized by the international profe
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ssional community. Key notions of PSB such as editorial independence, universality, secured funding free of all pressures, distinctiveness, diversity, representativeness, unbiased information, education and enlightenment, social cohesion, citizenship, public accountability, and credibility, are dealt with in the book." (Foreword, page 7)
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"The Task Force research initiative has resulted in the most comprehensive study on cultural diversity and the media ever undertaken, anywhere, that will serve as a major source of information for future research. Interview subjects generally concluded that some advances have been made regarding the
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presence of cultural diversity on television in the past decade, but there is still a great deal of progress required. Many provided suggestions for improvement, such as the increased use of internships and the development of a database of actors, directors, producers and experts from Canada’s ethnocultural and Aboriginal communities. The Task Force initiated a round of consultations with interview subjects to discuss Recommended Best Practices and Industry Initiatives in April 2004. Focus groups provided a broad range of strong opinions and perspectives on the issue of cultural diversity and television. Several areas of concern were highlighted by focus group participants across the country: the persistence of stereotyping; too many instances of negative or inaccurate portrayal; underrepresentation of many groups; unbalanced or negative portrayal on newscasts; and a serious absence of Aboriginal representation on television. The benchmark content analysis substantiated many concerns raised within the focus groups, and provided a very rich assessment of exactly how cultural diversity is reflected and portrayed on television." (Executive summary)
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"This study, ‘Media Operations during SALW Control Interventions’ attempts to encapsulate best practices for dealing with mass media outlets when implementing SALW [Small arms and light weapons] control projects. It draws on a number of communication and media operation’s studies, but draws it
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s major lessons from case studies of communication during SALW control programmes conducted in South East Europe from 2001 to 2003. The first section of this report sets out the principles for effective media work during SALW control interventions, and offers useful tools for applying them. The case studies from which the principles are derived have been included in Section Two. They summarise the experiences of project staff that have worked with the media during the recent micro-disarmament interventions in the region." (Page 1)
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"UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR) projects on young people's participation in the media to date have focused on teaching young people new media skills, educating them about child rights issues, encouraging them to have an opinion on issues facing them and their communities and creating a p
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latform for them to "speak out" and have their voices heard through radio, print and television media. The most visible and successful programs would appear to be the ones that incorporate the ideals of "genuine and effective" participation. That is, they create an environment whereby young people are involved in every step of the process from planning to production to evaluation. The main challenges ahead facing "genuine and effective" participation in the media are: getting adults to "let go", creating an environment at school, home and in the community where young people's participation in the media is encouraged and taken seriously and generating enough funds for a sustainable and successful projects. To overcome these challenges more promotion and education on young people's participation in the media and elsewhere is needed to create a more enabling environment." (Executive summary, pages 4-5)
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"Vietnam and Peru are two examples of countries that, in the past decade, surpassed WHO targets. This paper synthesizes the lessons learned from those two programs, with a particular emphasis on the role of strategic health communication in each program. The conclusions in this paper are drawn from
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two in-depth reports — 'The Role of Health Communication in Vietnam’s Fight Against Tuberculosis' and 'The Role of Health Communication in Peru’s Fight Against Tuberculosis' — as well as a focused literature review." (Page 1)
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"El tema principal de este libro es la combinación de Internet y la radio, que ofrece un rango potencial y nuevo de posibilidades para los proyectos de comunicación para el desarrollo. Sus 17 capítulos examinan algunos proyectos que incorporan radio e Internet y los agrupan en tres amplias catego
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rías que ocasionalmente se superponen: proyectos que crean o apoyan a redes de radiodifusoras; proyectos en los cuales la emisora de radio sirve como portal o como un intermediario comunitario, proporcionando un acceso mediado pero significativo y eficaz, al potencial de conocimientos e información que se encuentran en Internet; proyectos que utilizan la combinación de radio e Internet para facilitar la comunicación con las comunidades emigrantes, proporcionando un acceso mediado pero eficaz al potencial de comunicación de Internet." (https://comunica.org/secreto)
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"The cases presented in this book are among the first examples of the convergence of radio and new ICTs for development, and the book underscores the significant potential of the combination. In this convergence, radio promises to take on even greater significance and value. For this reason, we beli
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eve that radio is the one to watch." (https://comunica.org/1-2-watch)
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"This publication by the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) highlights initiatives that are using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to make a real and meaningful difference in communities around the world, no matter how disadvantaged or isolated they may be. These stories on Youth, P
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overty and Gender are snapshots of the learning process that accompanies the introduction and implementation of ICTs in a community development project. In publishing these stories, the GKP hopes to share experiences and lessons learned to increase global understanding of how ICTs can be used to tackle poverty, injustice and inequalities. Conceptually, the idea of knowledge sharing and 'storytelling' underpins all of GKP programmes and projects. Good success stories have the ability to inspire and motivate communities. This is what the GKP hopes will happen when we award and recognise communities which have used ICT to uplift and empower themselves. [...] The stories were submitted under three broad categories: Youth, Poverty and Gender. The best among them have been selected for the inaugural GKP Youth Award, the Tony Zeitoun Awards for poverty reduction, and the Gender and ICT Awards. The awards will be presented at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva in December 2003." (Foreword)
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"Das vorliegende Buch dokumentiert 28 erfolgreiche Medienprojekte, die an zwölf Schulen entwickelt und umgesetzt wurden. Darunter etwa: »Munich: A guide for teenage exchange students«, ein multimedialer Spaziergang durch eine Kläranlage und »Tatort Münster - ein vernetzter Roman«. Die 28 Medi
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enprojekte sind übersichtlich in konzentrierter Form dargestellt. Sie sollen vor allem Lehrern anderer Schulen als Anregung für den pädagogisch sinnvollen Einsatz neuer Medien dienen. Hinweise zum Zeitplan und zur Leistungsbewertung erleichtern den Transfer auf andere Unterrichtssituationen; selbstkritische Einschätzungen unter der Rubrik »Erfahrungen und Empfehlungen« helfen, Fehler zukünftig zu vermeiden. »Tipps und Tricks für Medienprojekte im Unterricht« ist das Ergebnis der Arbeit des »Netzwerkes Medienschulen«: Im Oktober 1999 hatten sich zwölf deutsche Schulen, die als Vorreiter beim Einsatz neu Medien im Unterricht galten, auf Initiative der Bertelsmann Stiftung zusammengeschlossen, um gemeinsam Konzepte für den Einsatz neuer Medien in der Schule zu erarbeiten." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This reader 'aims to show that ordinary people, even non-technical rural folk, can plan, set up, manage and produce radio programmes by themselves with a minimum of dependence on outside help, whether for technical advice and training or for funds and equipment.' To do so, it highlights case studie
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s from several countries like Homa Bay Radio in Kenya, Radio Apam in Ghana, Radio Sagarmatha in the Kathmandu valley, Tambuli Community radio in the Philippines and others, and it explains the main factors for planning a community radio station, eg, examining the legal framework, applying for a license or doing preparatory work in the community. Moreover, it briefly explains the technical background of broadcasting, such as the difference between AM and FM broadcasting, as well as the basics about the equipment which is needed. What makes the publication particularly interesting is its perspective on community involvement in every step of setting up a radio station - which is, as many community radio stations are built up by institutions like NGO's, churches or universities, not something to be taken for granted." (commbox)
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"What follows is a fascinating account of 50 experiments in empowering people— living in poor communities across the world—to seize control of their own life stories and begin to change their circumstances of poverty, discrimination and exclusion. Alfonso Gumucio spent nearly one year researchin
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g and interviewing sources for “Making Waves,” and has been actively involved in every phase of production. “Alfonso’s voice” is evident throughout this work, and it is a tribute to what makes him the ultimate communicator: he has the soul of the good poet and filmmaker that he is, combined with an unwavering sense of justice and fairness. Following the first introductory chapter—which explains the field of participatory communication for social change and how it is evolving—you will read 50 illustrations of the power of community decision-making and action. Many of the stories are about community radio. We hope you don’t find this tedious; but our research and conversations certainly suggest that community-based radio is one of the best ways to reach excluded or marginalised communities in targeted, useful ways." (Foreword by Denise Gray-Felder, page 1-2)
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