The Drum Beat 161 - Communication and Change News and Issues

Evaluating Communication for Social Change: An Integrated Model for Measuring the Process and Its Outcomes

How do you evaluate communication activities and strategies? The 1st Communication for Social Change Working Paper from The Rockefeller Foundation provides a process for measuring the outcomes of communication interventions. Written by Figueroa, Kincaid, Rani and Lewis from JHU's Center for Communication Program, with substantive input from The Rockefeller Foundation social change network, the Paper includes sections on: An Integrated Model - eg Communication as Dialogue, Collective action; Social Change Process Indicators - eg Community dialogue and action process matrices; and, Social Change Outcome Indicators - eg social norms, information equity. A number of sample 'evaluation forms' are included.

 

[Declaration of interest: Denise Gray-Felder at Rockefeller and Chair of The CI Partners initiated this process; Brian Byrd at Rockefeller and a regular participant in CI Partners meetings was centrally involved; JHU CCP are a CI partner; and, Warren Feek, Director of The CI was also substantively involved.]

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PROGRAMMES

1. Eyi Medh Eyi Roudro - Bangladesh - the aim of "Now Cloud, Now Sunshine" was to encourage Bangladesh people to take advantage of available health services like the Essential Services Package (ESP) that are provided by specific clinics as well as to instill the habit of visiting health services clinics. It included a 26-episode TV series that revolved around stories in both urban and rural areas. Each episode included Health Talk for the viewers, a segment focusing on health topics including breast feeding, diarrhea, Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), child vaccination, vitamin A, polio, nutrition, pregnant mothers' health, antenatal care, and postnatal care. Contact Mohammad Shahjahan [email protected]

2. Peace Diaries Radio - Global - a radio programme for broadcast during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 2002. The 20 10-minute segments will be broadcast over the WorldSpace World Summit channel via the AfriStar satellite. The programmes feature commentary gleaned from interviews with peacemakers, educators, scientists, cultural icons, and students. These interviews focus on issues such as food, water, shelter, sanitation, health, energy, gender equity, economic security, and education. The programmes also showcase the work of students who contributed to Peace Diaries, Volume 1. Contact Janet Oseroff [email protected]

3. Women's Voices - Kenya - a project to find out which issues were most pressing to women living in very poor urban areas in Kenya and how they might try to get their views across to policymakers. 2 groups of women used old, borrowed, Betamax cameras and for 4 days they learned scripting, shooting, and editing and discussed how they could include their entire community by showing them rough-cuts and asking for contributions to the story and the narratives. They produced 3 videos, 1 each and 1 describing the process. The videos focused on issues like HIV/AIDS, the number of orphans, and the plight of elderly grandparents, in addition to the scarcity of men within their communities. Contact Maggie Foster [email protected] OR Catherine Njuguna [email protected]

4. A Healthy and Wise Choice - Mongolia - a mass media campaign to increase public awareness about HIV/AIDS addressed to 15-25 year-olds. A second campaign, launched in 2000, was entitled "Safe Sex, A Healthy and Wise Choice". Using public service announcements on radio and TV, billboard and bus ads, and 200,000 leaflets, the campaign worked to break down cultural taboos that make it difficult to discuss sexuality and to create a social atmosphere in which young people could feel more comfortable learning about, and implementing, safer sex practices. Contact Ilona van de Braak [email protected]

5. FIRE...where there's smoke - Canada - a live performance project dealing with teen violence created by Judith Marcuse Projects. Designed to provoke discussion, 'FIRE...where there's smoke' took a candid look at how youth see violence in their lives and in the world around them. Developed as a follow-up to 3 years of workshops with 400 15-18 year olds, the performance included video projected on large screens, rock music, dance, and text. 9 young professional performers communicated by living through a series of "events". The 70-minute-long performance was followed by "At the Show", a 20-minute "talkback" session. A violence prevention and justice system information brochure (made by and for youth and adults) was also made available to audience members, in addition to an on-line study guide. Contact [email protected]

6. Global Youth Reporters Programme - Global - works to provide journalism training and opportunities for young people internationally. The programme operates through professional training courses and reporting operations at international conferences. GYRP is producing daily news, stories, and photo sets for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 2002, focusing on young people's perspectives on what world leaders are doing to address environmental problems. Live news feeds from the WSSD, as well as articles are available at the Earth Youth site. Contact Mirza Delibegovic [email protected]

7. The Voice of Lautem Women in an Independent East Timor - East Timor - organised by Radio Comunidade Lospalos, this project involved recording the thoughts and opinions of 10 women from the Lautem district about issues facing women today. The women were asked questions regarding the environment, women's health, widowhood, concerns for the future of their children, and the role of women in an independent East Timor. These interviews were broadcast on community radio stations throughout the country.

8. The Human Rights Project (HRP) - Bulgaria - a non-profit NGO that focuses on human rights monitoring and reporting of human rights abuse against Roma; legal representation and legal services on behalf of Roma; human rights education; advocacy of Roma rights before the institutions of the Bulgarian state; and influencing the media to achieve a fairer representation of the Roma. "The Voice of the Roma" project involved contracting 6 local radio stations to accept 2-3 Roma for training in radio communications. 8 radio programmes produced by these journalists and focusing on the Roma culture were then broadcast. Contact [email protected]

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NEW Pulse Opinion Poll

Media coverage of the World Summit for Social Development meeting in Johannesburg made a positive contribution towards the goals of that meeting.

Do you Agree or Disagree?

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RESULTS as of August 30:

Programmes that foster open discussion and debate on HIV/AIDS are as important as programmes that distribute condoms.

87.93% Agree
11.49% Disagree
0.57% Unsure

Total # of participants = 174

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EVALUATIONS

9. Impact Data - GIMME6 - Cyprus - this children's TV series aimed to promote mutual understanding among children ages 7-12 from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The study found that the programme had the potential to help weaken negative cultural stereotypes and help the children in each Cypriot community perceive greater commonality between themselves and other children. Contact Lisa Shochat [email protected]

10. Impact Data - Involving People with HIV in NGOs - Burkina Faso, Zambia, Ecuador, India - Investigators interviewed 800 HIV-positive people involved in HIV services. 17 service providers were also interviewed. 4 types of involvement by HIV-positive people were examined. All 4 types of involvement improved mental health. Accessing services that offered peer support was associated with a reduction in self-imposed isolation stigma. However, all types of involvement could result in increased stigma and discrimination if they entailed publicly identifying oneself as HIV-positive.

TRENDS

11. Internet as a Tool for Communication, Information and Participation among Tertiary Students in Namibia - an input for a communication strategy for Southern African Students' Union (SASU) by Helen Belcastro
"...Bearing in mind the weak third world coverage and interest of the largest traditional media corporations, Internet communication may well be the only channel for global, autonomous communication. For instance, of the 50 largest media corporations in the world, none have their headquarters on the African continent...."

AWARDS

12. APC Africa Hafkin Communications Prize - Theme: People-Centred Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy in Africa. Looking for ICT policy initiatives in Africa that: are people-centred and mobilise participation; raise awareness and build capacity; are Africa-driven and that develop Africa; have positive community impact at community level. Deadline Sept 15 2002.

13. Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalism - promotes reporting on human rights and democracy as crucial elements of development. Entries from print or on-line journalists are eligible, and articles must have been published in the general news media in one of the following 5 regions: The European Union or the Accesssion Countries; Asia & the Pacific; Africa; Latin America & the Caribbean; North Africa & the Middle East. Deadline Sept 23 2002. 

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