The Drum Beat 584 - Communication and Change News and Issues
- EXPERIENCES: AIDS PSAs, agri advocacy, Indian media, ICTs vs. violence...
- Effectively ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT through Development Classifieds.
- EVALUATIONS: health impacts in Latin America, Africa, Papua New Guinea...
- MATERIALS: evaluation handbook, democracy volume, climate change forum...
This youth participatory media project is envisioned as a way of communicating about AIDS that involves selecting a team of 10 talented young people and supporting them in creating a series of inventive, attention-grabbing, and educational "clips" - television public service announcements (PSAs) - designed to battle the ignorance, fear, apathy, discrimination and myths surrounding HIV/AIDS in Tonga.
2. Advocating for Agricultural Development - Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda
This project, developed by TrustAfrica, aims to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), signed by 53 African governments, which commits states to making agriculture a top priority in national development. Through grants and meetings, the project intends to enable advocacy organisations and other stakeholders to share ideas, develop and implement locally relevant strategies for raising awareness about the role of agriculture, and explore opportunities for building broad public support.
3. Hopes and Dreams Online Video Project - Middle East
Launched on November 20 2009, Hopes and Dreams was a project designed to engage Palestinian refugee children in creating an online video yearbook to mark the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Five hundred flip cameras were distributed to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugee children in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Each student recorded a 30-second message which addressed questions such as: What are the aspirations of these young refugees 60 years on from UNRWA's creation?
4. India Media Centre (IMC) - India
The Centre uses research and dissemination of that research in an effort to raise the academic profile of Indian media, build international links and partnerships, and disseminate information through conferences, events, and publications.
Launched in January 2009 by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), this 2.5-year project explores the relationship between the growth in use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the preservation and expansion of women's rights - in particular, the right of women and girls to live lives free from violence. Women's participation in training activities and research and dissemination of information about each of the 12 countries are hallmarks of this initiative.
6. Paginas da Vida (Pages of Life) - Brazil
Population Media Center (PMC) engaged in a partnership with Comunicarte, a Brazilian non-governmental organisation to provide suggestions and background information on social and health issues that can be interwoven into TV Globo's serialised dramas. One of the telenovelas TV Globo produced and broadcast was a 203-episode telenovela titled Paginas da Vida (Pages of Life), which completed broadcast on March 2 2007. PMC/Comunicarte and BEFAM (Civil Society for the Welfare of the Brazilian Family) worked with TV Globo to incorporate social messages into the telenovela about family planning and Down Syndrome (also "Down's syndrome").
7. Radio Pag La Yiri - Burkina Faso
This community radio station broadcasts programmes about health, market prices, new agricultural production methods, and local politics to listeners in the area of Zabr, Burkina Faso. It was initiated by the women's association Pag La Yiri and is supported by the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), which is training Pag La Yiri on how to use computer and multimedia equipment.
8. National Week of Action on School Pushout - United States
In October 2010, the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) - a national coalition of parents, students, advocates, and educators from around the United States (US) working to challenge the systemic problem of "pushout" in that country's schools - organised a nationwide week of action. The advocacy campaign was motivated by the concern that too many students are pushed out of school by degrading environments and harsh disciplinary measures that undermine their learning.
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9. Impact Data - Valvula de Escape [Escape Valve] - Mexico
In order to gauge the success of this radio call-in show for youth, a survey of 300 students was conducted in the fall of 2007 at schools in one of the broadcast areas in Toluca (Mexico State). Listeners: had significantly higher knowledge than non-listeners of various birth control methods, were significantly more likely to recognise emergency contraception as a form of birth control, and were significantly more likely to be knowledgeable about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
10. Impact Data - Women and Children's Health (WCH) Project - Papua New Guinea
Prior to this project, which revolved around in-service training for district health workers and various community activities, most villagers reportedly believed that sanguma (sorcery) caused illness. Increased knowledge and understanding of the "real" (root) cause of illness motivated behaviour changes as individuals realised that unhealthy practices were making them sick. Individuals reported experiencing benefits from simple, small, and inexpensive changes (such as improved sanitation and waste disposal practices) that motivated changing traditional ways.
11. Impact Data - Makutano Junction (MJ) - Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
The research demonstrated that this television drama series has: helped people understand their health and avoid illnesses, improved their farming and livelihoods, supported their children's education, and helped people fight for their rights to services from government. The programme has also had a positive impact on viewers' behaviour. For example, organisers say that to counter the common problem of milk being contaminated through poor storage, MJ modelled best practices for milk storage and transportation. This resulted in significant technology adoption and behaviour change.
12. Impact Data - Maya Salud (Mayan Health) - Guatemala
Guatemala's Maya Salud project worked to bridge the gap between those who wanted information, counselling, and services in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in their communities and those charged with providing these services but who often lacked the knowledge, skills, and resources to do so effectively. The percentage of women who said that their local health post/health centre was a source for family planning (FP) information and methods quadrupled - from 15% to 60%. The number of new FP users rose from 2,087 (i (n 2006) to 5,638 (in 2008) - a 270% change.
13. Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results
This December 2009 handbook, updated edition of the 2002 edition, seeks to address planning, monitoring, and evaluation in the context of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its evaluation policy.
14. Making Our Media: Global Initiatives toward a Democratic Public Sphere - Vol. II
From October 2009, this volume presents civil society policy initiatives in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the United States that aim to transform the structures, practices, and norms surrounding communication and culture. The book seeks to demonstrate that what is at stake in these efforts is a cultural space worth inhabiting and a strong democratic culture - both locally and globally.
15. The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media
This online publication and forum of Yale University, Connecticut, United States, seeks to provide print, broadcasting, and online reporters and editors with timely and credible information on climate change - as well as to foster dialogue on climate change among scientists, journalists, policymakers, and the public.
The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.
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