The Drum Beat 99 - Communication and Change News and Issues

Junio 27 es la fecha de lanzamiento de la versión latinoamericana de The Communication Initiative - La Iniciativa de Comunicación en español. Tendremos secciones específicas para latinoamericanos que hacen y piensan la comunicación: trabajadores de campo, gente de medios, académicos, investigadores... con énfasis en comunicación, desarrollo y cambio de pensamiento, para y desde Latinoamérica. Será un espacio para la información, el debate y el intercambio de ideas. Estamos buscando gente en Latinoamérica que se interese por la comunicación para el cambio social.

Queremos que cuenten sus experiencias en La Iniciativa de Comunicación, escribiendo a Adelaida Trujillo [email protected] y que consulten la página a partir del 27 de junio, para que conozcan el trabajo de otros colegas. En español. 

Nuestro boletín, El Son de Tambora (The Drum Beat), será publicado en español y con énfasis en Latinoamérica, los miércoles cada quince días. Espere el primer número el 27 de junio. Para suscribirse, visite pagina. 

Para consultar La Iniciativa de Comunicación entre a la página global a partir del 27 de junio.

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PROGRAMMES

1. MEMA kwa Vijana - Tanzania - a project in Mwanza testing innovative health education in schools, youth-friendly sexual & reproductive health services, and community mobilisation. The educational component includes formal teaching on reproductive health and "peer education", in which pupils act as information sources for their classmates. The programme is supplemented by extracurricular activities such as clubs and special health days. Contact [email protected]

2. Radio Soap Opera on Disaster Reduction - Central America - project consists of 20 episodes of 24 mins each, which will be broadcast consecutively before and during the heavy rainfall and hurricane season. The story will take place in a rural farming environment, with the experiences of the characters used to instruct listeners on prevention or reduction of the impact of floods, earthquakes and other emergencies. Contact Jacqueline Flentge [email protected]

3. Mothers Together, Inc. - New York City, USA - a 2 part training programme for women who receive welfare, live in shelters, or have a very low income. They are taught professional sewing skills and job-readiness and job-retention skills. The training lasts 8-10 wks with the finding of work or launching of employment activities as the culmination of the project. Training includes basic writing and math skills. MT, Inc also provides opportunities for women who sew to become entrepreneurs - linking the women to outside contract opportunities. Contact Joan Sakalas [email protected]

4. Street Theatre Project - India - a programme in New Delhi with the objective of utilising mime, movement and the provision of advice and education in local city areas to develop awareness of HIV/STD’s and encourage informed reproductive and sexual health practices to minimise rates of infection. Contact [email protected]

5. Mediaworks Community Media and Arts Centre - South Africa - provides access to integrated information and communications services to marginalised communities, particularly youth and women. Aim is to provide trainees with the opportunity for self-employment or formal employment, to assist communities in running their own community media projects, and to empower civil society organisations to acquire better communications skills and media production techniques. Contact Karen Thorne [email protected]

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June 27 2001 will launch The Latin American Communication Initiative - La Iniciativa de Comunicacion - in Spanish. There will be - new sections specifically for latin american communicators, practitioners, media makers, academics, and researchers; a focus on communication, development and change thinking in and from Latin America; a space for information, debate and exchange of ideas. We are looking for people in Latin America who are working and are interested in communication, development and change.

Send your experiences to Adelaida Trujillo [email protected] - and visit the site on June 27 to read more about the work of your colleagues.

Son de Tambora (The Drum Beat) will be published, in Spanish with a latin american focus, every other Wednesday. The 1st issue will be June 27. To subscribe to Son de Tambora, visit web page.

LA INICIATIVA DE COMUNICACION - check the global site for a link - June 27

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6. Environmental Broadcast Circle (EBC) - South East Asia - a network of broadcast media practitioners and educators committed to providing the public with information on the environment and sustainable development through their programmes and activities. EBC serves as a clearing house for channeling information between sectors and communities and the participating broadcast practitioners. Contact [email protected]

7. Promotion of Youth Responsibility Project - Zimbabwe - a project addressing contraception, sexual health & gender roles for youth 10-24 yrs. Youth were encouraged to adopt behaviours that reduce pregnancy and STIs; including HIV, such as visiting one of the 26 "youth-friendly" clinics with specially trained personnel. 26 1-hr episodes of 'Youth for Real', a radio variety show, were broadcast nationally. A youth hot-line was promoted on the show where calls were answered by peer counselors & doctors. Posters, leaflets, and the newsletter 'Straight Talk' were widely distributed. Contact [email protected]

8. Radio Sel - Haiti - a community radio station with a grassroots method of broadcasting local information. This project attempts to reach people in some of the regions which were hard hit by dictatorships which long ruled Haiti and to reflect and work on the issues that are priorities for them. One of its successful shows has community leaders on air discussing difficulties and initiatives in the regions where they live. Contact [email protected]

IMPACT DATA

9. Impact Data - Promotion of Youth Responsibility Project - Zimbabwe - Overall, 97% of respondents were exposed to the campaign. Nationwide, 41% of youth living in urban areas had heard the radio programmme & 5% reported calling the show to discuss problems. 61% of respondents exposed to the campaign saw or heard at least 3 campaign components. 80% of youth in campaign areas said they had talked with someone about reproductive health issues. 67% of those who had sex within the 6 months after the campaign reported using a modern contraceptive method, compared to 56% before the campaign. Contact [email protected]

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Vacancy - BBC World Service Trust - Research Director, India AIDS Campaign - Deadline: July 17, 2001. Contact [email protected]

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STRATEGIC THINKING

10. "Software...to the rescue of parched Indian villagers" - a software that could allow users to create an interactive water-map of a village to help cope with drought conditions. Called Jal-Chitra, this software has been developed by Jaipur’s Ajit Foundation, in close collaboration with the Barefoot College of Tilonia...[Posted on BYTESFORALL list-serve May 27 2001]

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You may have noticed... 

"Tempo" is now COMMUNICATION NEWS...
"About Time" is now DEVELOPMENT NEWS...
"The Drum Role" is now COMMENTARY. 

Let us know what you think of the new names and the information they provide - [email protected]

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WEB SITES

11. AIDS & Africa - includes articles, statistics, country reports, and news.

12. PLANetWIRE - provides information on international family planning, population, reproductive health and the environment. Offers media analyses on news coverage of these issues. 

AWARDS

13. Research Training Grants 2002 - Deadline: Oct 31 2001 - Applicants must be nationals of and employed in the developing disease endemic countries, particularly from least developed countries, and low income and high-burden countries with limited research capacity. Contact [email protected]

14. Colibri Ecotourism Award - presented annually in June on World Environment Day. Juan Carlos Ibarra & Antonio Suarez were selected for 2001 because of their practical field work, conceptual framework and commitment to communication. Contact [email protected]

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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Send items for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann [email protected]

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