Community Media/CCMW/Welcome Letter

Dear friends,

We’re looking forward to seeing you next week in St Vincent & the Grenadines for the Meeting of Caribbean Community Media on Creating Content, Facilitating Learning and Building Networks. All the participants to the workshop are copied on this email, so please feel free to introduce yourselves, to share ideas or ask questions.

Our main focus is on using media for learning; however we interested in any ideas for making community media stronger and more effective. We will be working together and in small groups to identify good practices and ways to improve programming and overall sustainability of community based media, primarily radio.

The draft programme for the workshop is attached. Please review it and feel free to share your feedback.

In addition to a willingness to work together, please bring three things with you


 * 1) An introduction to your group’s work and what you do; photos and short audio clips welcome; be ready to share for max 3 minutes
 * 2) A summary of a good practice in media for learning (or another aspect of community media) that you are familiar with, either from your station or somewhere else
 * 3) A sense of your group’s major challenges and needs: for example what are the barriers to networking, what technical skills are missing

If you have a chance, please take a look at the Community Media space of WikiEducator as this forum will be a major part of how we continue our work after the workshop. We’ve already set up a page to document the workshop plans and outputs and to help guide us in the follow-up.

Be sure to keep any receipts for which you will require reimbursement. Based on proper receipts COL will pay approved, reasonable travel costs as well as accommodations, two meals, two refreshments, and USD $25 per day.

The main venue and accommodations are at Paradise Beach Hotel, Villa Beach; 4 miles from Kingstown. Their phone number is + (1) 784-457-4795. People staying at the hotel next door, The Beachcombers (telephone +1 784 458 4283), will get a separate email.

We will arrange your pick-up and drop-off at the airport based on the agreed itinerary. If you encounter any problems email, call or text me, Ian Pringle; my mobile is +1 778 889 4426.

Safe travels; see you on Monday.

Ian Pringle