Community Radio - A Tool to Empower the Community

Community Radio has played a revolutionary role in development communications worldwide since the late 70s, especially in Africa, Latin America, and North America. Of late, community radio has been heavily discussed in South Asia, and in 2006, the Govt of India has release community radio for the first time.

The traditional development approach has been a top down approach focusing on creating awareness to the community in the hope that critical information will trickle down and community members will automatically absorb information important to them. However, it has been proved that communities need a participatory approach, where they make the decisions about what is necessary for their lives.

Technology mediated approaches are often inappropriate for the community in question. Community radio is the low cost technology model which addresses access issues of the poorest of the communities. Further, it even transcends literacy gaps, and is known to encourage participation from all kinds of communities.

The training is expected to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to develop their own community radio station. Training program is designed with main focus on the role of community radio in developing life and livelihood of the rural communities, Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy and technical operation of Community Radio and strategy of work-plan for sustainable operation of community radio.

Objective
The training programme will be conducted to meet the following objectives: clarity on the concepts related to community radio; understanding of the government policies and expectations from the organization setting up their own community radio station; and provide tools to develop basic production and post-production skills.

Pedagogy
The following techniques would be used to conduct the training program.
� Lectures/interactive sessions
� Games/anecdotes
� Group Discussions
� Case studies/Group exercises
� Brainstorming sessions/ Experience sharing
� Training Support materials/ Handouts
� Power-point Presentations

Contents
The training programme would cover the following:
� Conceptual clarity on CR
� Government Policy for CR
� Technical sessions on sound
� Understanding the studio
� Recording in the studio
� Field recording
� Editing on digital sound architecture
� How to set up your own community radio station

Eligibility
This programme is designed for Development Professionals from NGOs, CSR Professionals, officers from Central and State governments, Academic institutions, international development organizations and individuals who want to set up their own community radio stations or support community radio with their partners.

Resource Person
Ram Bhat
Ram Bhat, a graduate of Manipal Institute of Communication, has worked as Media Head, in VOICES, a media advocacy group in Bangalore, from 2004 to 2007, and in 2008, co-founded a media collective called Maraa (Tree) in Bangalore. He has also worked as a free lance ICT trainer for community media projects in South East Asia, particularly, Kothmale Community Radio in Sri Lanka, Sitakund Youth Community Multimedia Centre in Bangladesh, and also helped with set up on UNESCO projects in India, like the Namma Dhwani Community Multimedia Centre in Karnataka. He started his career as an ethnographic action researcher, for the UNESCO and Queensland University of Technology, Australia collaborative project titled ICT and Poverty Reduction. During his tenure with VOICES, Ram has also worked with UNDP and Dhan Foundation to set up the Kalanjiam Community Multimedia Centre for disaster preparedness and rehabilitation. A gender component to the project was included wherein women set up their own community video component to the media centre. In 2006, he worked with the University of Surrey and MYRADA, to facilitate a unique ICT project in partnership with Nokia, wherein the multimedia capabilities of mobile devices were utilized to give opportunities of expression to communities. Currently he is involved in the International Program for Development of Communication (IPDC) which is supported by UNESCO, and works closely with set up and capacity building of four community radio stations in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

Duration
3 Days

The training will be for a period of 3 days which will essentially consist of:
1. Class room sessions
2. Demonstrations (table top level),
3. Field visit with the community reporter
4. A guided tour to Radio Bundelkhand 90.4 within TARAgram campus
5. An evening out to visit the Orchha temples and fort.

TARAgram Campus - an overview
http://devalt.org/da/field/tarapic.htm

FEE
INR 10,000 per participant for Indian Participants
INR 18,000 (450 USD) for Overseas Participants

The Training fee covers the following:
� Accommodation
� Food
� Course material
� Leisure trip to the famous Orchha Temples and Fort

Indian participants to make payment through Demand Draft drawn in favour of TARA Livelihood Academy payable at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The address for sending the Demand Draft is-

TRAINING COORDINATOR
TARA Livelihood Academy
Development Alternatives
TARAgram, Orchha Tigela,
Orchha-472246,
Dist.-Tikamgarh (MP),
Ph.-+91 510 2911368

Please send the Demand draft by registered post or speed post only.

Overseas participants may please send the fees through wire transfer. The details of the wire transfer will be sent to each selected trainee once we get their nomination form.

YOUR TAKEAWAYS
� Knowledge and experience from the training
� Field Exposure and further learning
� Manuals and training material
� Networking opportunity for you
� And a visit to Orchha Temples and fort - a glimpse www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Orchha/Orchha.htm

SOME OF OUR TRUSTED CLIENTELE FOR TRAINING
1. Hindustan Zinc Limited
2. Childline India Foundation
3. World Vision India
4. IDRC
5. IFFDC
6. Rio-Tinto
7. Aravali Institute of Management
8. NABARD
9. Accenture Service Pvt. Ltd.
10. Aga Khan Rural Support Program
11. International Crops Research Organization for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
12. Pratham

To ensure your participation, we request you to send the nomination form (attached with the announcement and the course fee (non-refundable) by 28th February'09.

VENUE
The training will be held in TARAgram, Appropriate Technology Centre, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. TARAgram is a campus set in the rural environment of Orchha. It is a centre which showcases the Livelihood models developed by DA in the field of appropriate technology, and environment.

Participants to the training will be provided a guided tour of the campus which will enrich the learnings from the class room sessions.

TIPS OF GETTING TO TARAgram
Participants coming by train should take a ticket till Jhansi (UP) Railway station. From there, TARAgram is 9 kms away. There will be a pick up facility based on the information provided on the arrival time.

Route map - how to get to TARAgram from Jhansi Railway Station
http://devalt.org/da/field/map.htm

OTHER USEFUL TIPS
The participants can arrive one day before the training date and leave on last day of the training by a train which leaves around 5.45 pm onwards.

Travel Booking Tips for International participants
� While making your travel plans, please note that if you are arriving in Delhi by flight, in order to reach the Training venue, you will need to take a Train from Delhi to Jhansi which is around 400 kms and takes 5-6 hours.
� Therefore please arrive in Delhi one day in advance from the day the training starts. (i.e. if the Training date is 3rd March '09, then your flight should arrive in Delhi latest by 2nd March' 09 early morning).
� Similarly, please book your return flight from New Delhi a day after the training ends. (i.e. if the Training finishes on 5th March' 09 then your air tickets from New Delhi should be on 6th March' 09 morning)
� Please book your train tickets from Delhi to Jhansi and back to Delhi before hand. We can also support you in booking the Train tickets which can be reimbursed by you once you arrive here.
� DA reserves the right to withhold the fee for administrative and other costs for cancellations prior to the start of a course. A suitably qualified replacement may attend the course in place of the registered person. DA also reserves the right to cancel a course if too few participants have registered.
� Interested participants who are unable attend this Training on the given dates due to prior engagements can let us know of their interest. We will keep you informed when the same training is conducted again.

ENQUIRIES AND SUGGESTIONS
If you have any queries or suggestions for the training or nominations, please contact the following:
Madhuban Pandey, Executive Training
Juhi Nigam, Training Assistant
Jhansi (UP)
Tele. No: - + 91 510 2911 368, +91 972 1754 958, +91 983 9820 689,
E-mail: tla@devalt.org

Bhavana Gadre, Manager- Training,
TARA Livelihood Academy
New Delhi
Tele. No: 011-26132718
Email Id: bgadre@devalt.org