Are You Tubing Yet?

I suppose it was only a matter of time before political parties and candidates started using free video sharing tools like You Tube to get their message across in search of votes. However, a growing number of organisations and groups are also increasingly using You Tube as a potentially more useful way of communicating their message and information. One such example is the Davos Question. Here is an example of how the UK-based think tank, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), used You Tube and the Davos Question to get messages across to coincide with the recent Davos Economic Forum. Definitely a 'cheap' communication tool to consider for campaigning and awareness.

All five ODI messages can be found here.

The Rural Media Company

The Rural Media Company is an innovative media education and production organisation with a national reputation for its socially aware media and communications work. It aims to enable rural communities to learn about and use media by participating in practical media activities and the creation and dissemination of high quality media communications and educational resources.

Travellers Remembered is is a collection of 25 beautiful digital stories which record the personal memories of Traveller families in the West Midlands. Media workers helped children and young people to record their parents and grandparents, adding family photographs to bring the memories to life.

A similar project entitled Fieldwork - the Bygone Days of Farming is underway.

Certainly an interesting and useful approach for community involvement in documenting social history. Check out the other projects and activities on the site.

The Smart Toolkit; evaluating information products and services

Communication is vital for rural development. But what makes communication effective? Who bothers to find out? Seemingly few, after all evaluation of communication tools and products is involved and complex. Thankfully some organisations involved in information documentation and dissemination have placed emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness of their products and services such as newsletters, websites, training events and databases and dossiers. The Smart Toolkit, which is a collaboration between CTA, KIT and IICD, is one example of such an evaluation toolkit. Follow the links on the left hand side of the website and it will take you to the original toolkit (which is currently being updated).

Web2ForDev, enhancing knowledge sharing

Well the first Web2ForDev international conference in Rome has come and gone and it has left in it's wake a wealth of information and ideas about improving access to, and sharing, information and how communities and individuals can become involved in contributing information and construction of knowledge. Its all here!

There are many examples provided as to how knowledge sharing can be improved in a rural community setting. I was not able to look at too many but this brief presentation caught my attention, Enhancing knowledge sharing in the rural community.

For another persepective on the meeting here's the views of the Director of CTA.

These tools and ideas could add much value to information sharing among community groups in Ireland. Sadly I am not aware of any such initiatives here. That's not to say there is nothing exciting going on. I'm sure there is, please let me know.

On that point, the next BlogTalk 2008 5th International Conference on Social Software) meeting will be taking place in Cork.

Click here for an interesting knowledge management perspective on Web2.0

Help your community tell it's story

ILEIA, the Centre for Information on Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture is in the business of collecting and disseminating information on ecological agriculture. While the focus is on the global south there is much of relevance on their website for those interested in organic agriculture and other aspects of sustainable agriculture and food production. They also have good resources on documentation especially participatory approaches to documentation and information production, check out their downloadable manual Learning from Experience. This manual would be useful for community practitioners or groups requiring a structured framework to follow when documenting community based processes. All stakeholders involved have an opportunity to contribute to the documentation steps involved in this process.

Interactive web-based platform in support of agriculture and rural development

'The UN Food and Agriculture Organization today announced the launch of a unique interactive web-based platform focusing on the role that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can have in supporting agriculture and rural development.The online platform, www.e-agriculture.org, will enable users to exchange opinions, experiences, good practices and resources related to e-agriculture, and to ensure that the knowledge created is effectively shared and used worldwide.'

Have you checked out the Communication Initiative?

If you haven't, you really should.

'The Communication Initiative is a space to share, debate and advance effective
communication for development progress.'

It's brilliant, get searching.

Fillums

While on the subject of 'participatory photography' I suppose I should also mention 'participatory video' an area that in recent years has grown rapidly. Like photography, video can also be a powerful tool by giving voice to those individuals and groups that are often marginalised and rarely involved in consultation and dialogue. All you need to know by way of introduction can be found at the excellent Insight website including examples of participatory video from North and South (I am talking globally here) with a range of downloadable documents and information about training events.

To learn about the use of participatory video as a tool for monitoring and evaluation click here.

Photography as a tool for community voice

Since posting earlier describing the young refugee photographic essay supported by International Medical Corps UK and National Geographic my friend Luigi has been in touch with other similar initiatives that I thought deserve their own separate posting. 'Photovoice blends a grassroots approach to photography and social action by providing cameras to people with the least access to those who make decisions affecting their lives. Photovoice has 3 main goals: to enable people to record and reflect their community's strengths and concerns; to promote critical dialogue and knowledge about personal and community issues through large and small group discussions of photographs; and to reach policy makers.'

For further information check the following sites:
Caroline Wang's PHOTOVOICE site
Photovoice (appears to be a different site but with same name and aims)
The Communication Initiative
Unheard Voices, Hidden Lives

Postcards from Home; Community Development through Participatory Photography is a brief powerpoint presentation that will be of use to those thinking of starting a participatory photography initiative.

If you are interested in a more detailed treatment of 'participatory photography' click here or go to the papers written by Caroline Wang on her website.

While a powerful tool for planning, M&E etc. there are important ethical implications that need to be worked through when undertaking an initiative of this sort.

'Whose reality counts?'

Photography is a versatile and powerful tool. How many of us carry around vivid images of people and events that have been caught on camera? But photography can also be a powerful tool in many aspects of rural development. Most often photography is used by 'outsiders' to capture aspects of rural development practice but when we 'hand over the camera' to 'insiders' it can become a very powerful tool indeed throwing up new perspectives and ideas. A few months ago I visited an exhibition in London where young children in a refuge camp in Africa had been provided with cameras and given basic photography training. The project encouraged children living as refugees to express their feelings of displacement and interpretations through the medium of the photograph. As you can see the outcomes were indeed impressive. I have attended other exhibitions using a similar approach and indeed it can be very empowering for people who would usually not have the chance or luxury to get behind a camera. In some exceptional cases it has lead to a new livelihood. And it doesn't have to involve expensive cameras. I have seen excellent, thoughtful photographs taken by young people using disposable cameras.

I wonder has anyone been involved in such exercises here in Ireland, north and south. I can think of a huge list of situations and contexts where such an idea could be tried in a positive way.

Communications toolkit

A useful online communications toolkit for rural community groups is available from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation website. It contains a massive amount of information and resources covering creating a communications strategy and plan, key concepts, tools, dealing with the media, evaluation and excellent links to additional information.