[cma-l] 25th Anniversary of AMARC: Development and Empowerment through Community Radio

[Salvatore Scifo]

>International Symposium
>« 25th Anniversary of AMARC :
>Development and Empowerment through Community Radio »
>Montréal, November 7, 2008
>
>1. Rationale
>
>The world association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC, in
>collaboration with partners and stakeholders organises the international
>symposium « 25th Anniversary of AMARC : Development and empowerment
>through Community Radio » in Montréal, Québec, Canada on November 7th,
>2008.
>
>It was in Montreal that a group of radio fans met spontaneously in
>August 1983 for the first World Conference of Community Radio
>Broadcasters, only to realise that it was the existence of an embryonic
>world movement of community radios. Since then and after 9 World
>Conferences, the community radio movement has effectively become a
>recognised global sector of communication that has an effective social
>impact in making the world a better place.
>
>It has been demonstrated that voiceslessness and powerlessness are key
>dimensions of poverty. Conversely, access to voice, information, and
>knowledge are vital factors in the fight against poverty. It is also
>clear that radio has firmly established itself as the most widespread
>electronic communications device in the world and a effective and cost
>efficient way of reaching the world’s poorest communities and favour the
>inclusion of the excluded. In that context community radio has put the
>tools of communications into the hands of people in hundreds of
>communities, particularly women and the excluded, so they can create
>their own means of cultural expression, news and information, dialogue
>and facilitate the communication process needed to achieve sustainable,
>democratic and participatory development. Community Radio has
>contributed to give confidence and empowerment to the poor and excluded,
>particularly women, so they can improve their social and economic
>conditions, hold governments and corporations to account and become more
>effectively involved in the democratic development of their community
>and country.
>
>AMARC has accompanied the emergence of community radio as a world tiers
>sector of broadcast and has decided to transform its 25th anniversary in
>the occasion to reflect with partners and stakeholders on how to
>increase community radio effectiveness to combat poverty, exclusion and
>voiceslessness and to promote social justice and sustainable, democratic
>and participatory development.
>
>The international symposium « 25th Anniversary of AMARC : Development
>and empowerment through Community Radio » to be held in Montréal,
>Québec, Canada on November 7th, 2008 will bring together community radio
>practitioners and stakeholders from over the world, NGOs, and academia
>to reflect on the social impact of community radio in achieving
>democratisation and development objectives world-wide. The symposium
>will also allow to explore the international contribution of Canadian
>Community radios and NGOs and their specific experiences and how can
>AMARC best contribute to respond to the media concentration and the
>reduction of the plurality of voices and communication rights.
>
>2. Objectives
>
>Following the 25th anniversary activities held at the Latin American
>International Conference “Community Radios for a Better World”, held in
>Bogotâ, Colombia, February 28-29 , 2008; at the AMARC Africa Workshop
>“What vision for a Community Radio Network in Africa” in connection with
>the Our Media 7 Conference in Accra, Ghana 11-15 August 2008; with the
>Asia Pacific workshop to be hold in October 2008 in Indonesia,
>"Community Radios and Natural Disaster Preparedness and Relief”, the
>Montreal International Symposium « 25th Anniversary of AMARC :
>Development and empowerment through Community Radio » will bring
>together on November 7, 2008, community radio practitioners, supporters,
>NGO representatives and stakeholders to reflect on the link between the
>communication processes facilitated by community radio, development and
>empowerment of the poor the excluded, particularly women, and to explore
>ways to increase its social impact in achieving development goals and
>democratisation of societies.
>
>More specifically the participants in the Symposium will :
>
>* Contribute to the reflection on the link between community radio,
>development, empowerment and communication rights;
>* Share experiences and define lines of action on the best way that
>the AMARC network, NGOs and stakeholders may contribute to
>increase the social impact of community radio in North America and
>overseas;
>* Explore the ways to increase networking a;nd partnership between
>Canadian NGOs and development stakeholders with community radios
>and civil society organisations efforts for democracy building and
>achieving development objectives in Africa, Asia and Latin America
>& the Caribbean;
>* Highlight best practices of community radio in giving voice to
>women in Africa Asia, in the Americas;
>* Adopt the Montreal Declaration on community radio broadcasting.
>
>3. Draft Agenda of the Symposium
>
>The structure of the symposium is four knowledge exchange sessions,
>followed by a ceremony with a Keynote speaker.
>
>a. First Session : Communication, inclusion and development : 25 years
>of learning
>Objective : Establish a comparative portrait on the development and
>characteristics of community radio in the context of neoliberal
>globalisation and media concentration..
>
>b. Second Session : Communication Rights and Development : The North
>American experience and contribution.
>Objective : Establish a portrait of the specific challenges of community
>broadcast in North America and its international contribution.
>
>C, Third Session : Increasing the Social Impact of Community Radio
>Objective : Explore how can Community Radio, NGOs and stakeholders can
>increase the social impact of community radio in achieving development
>objectives and democratisation.
>
>d. Forth Session. The Montreal Declaration on Community Radio Broadcasting
>Ojjective : Review the Montreal Declaration on Development and
>Empowerment through Community Radio
>
>Closing Ceremony
>Keynote Speaker presentation : to be determined.
>
>Networking activity
>To be determined
>
>Participants
>
>Approximately 100 participants including community radio
>representatives, practitioners, NGO representatives, academia and
>institutional representatives. The AMARC international delegation will
>consist in community radio representatives from Africa, Asia-Pacific,
>Europe, Latin America & Caribbean. See attached list
>
>Outputs
>Symposium Publication
>Broadcast through AMARC network Community Radios
>Montreal Declaration
>
>Outcomes
>The symposium will help further assess the social impact of community
>radio in development and explore how AMARC can best help to remove
>barriers that hinder CR development and contribute to increase the
>effectiveness of CR in achieving millennium development goals thanks to:
>
>* Increased awareness among community radio stakeholders on best
>experiences and challenges for community radio from a global or
>regional perspective
>* Highlighting community radio social impact in achieving
>development objectives and democratisation;
>* Increased CR stakeholders partnership for sustainable, democratic,
>participatory human development;
>* Defining how can AMARC best contribute to the reinforcement of CR
>networks in North America;
>* Reinforcing the Women International Network of AMARC in North America;
>* Adopting the Montréal Declaration of Community Radio, Development
>and Democracy;
>
>For further information and to register please contact :
>Marcelo Solervicens, Secretary General AMARC,
>secgen at si.amarc.org
>+1-514-982-0351
>
__________________________________________


-- 
Salvatore Scifo,
Lecturer in Community Media
Media Information & Communication
Department of Applied Social Sciences
London Metropolitan University
Ladbroke House, Room LH 326
62-66 Highbury Grove
London N5 2AD

W: www.communitymedia.eu



Companies Act 2006 : http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/companyinfo