Group
set up to explore creating a Dublin City Media and Communications
Forum
Report from Margaret Gillan, City Community Forum Representative.
The Dublin City Development Board (CDB) is in the process of establishing
FORA that will enable networking and provide a voice for those participating
in local activities and contribute to policy-making as part of the Dublin
City Development Board's strategy for Dublin for the next decade.
In line with this strategy, Media and Communications is also proposed
as a Forum area. Such a forum would involve all interest sectors in the
Dublin City area, including the community, commercial and public sectors.
This proposal from the Culture Cluster and the Executive Bureau of the
Community Forum is that The City Community Forum establish an Advisory
Council on Community Media and Communications that can clearly identify
the needs of the community and voluntary sector in this area and bring
these forward into the policy arena.
The Culture Cluster want to ensure that the community and voluntary sector
- particularly organisations working with community media such as community
radio, community video and TV, community use of photography, Internet
and print - are able to participate fully in this process.
A round table think tank meeting was held at the beginning of March including
invitees from Community media groups, community organisations who are
involved in media production, various support organisations - umberella
groups, academic, and statutory organisations.
The first discussion touched on a number of ideas about community and
media in the city and while a critical tone was maintained it was a positive
and purposeful discussion. It was felt that this forum provided an opportunity
for the community sector to make their voice heard in relation to media
and communications needs.
This could be tested, given a few objectives with a tight timeframe, to
see if it would deliver. The group agreed to constitute itself as the
Advisory Council on Community Media and Communications to the City Community
Forum. The issues discussed by the group to date include: · A Peoples
Media Coalition; · E-projects for the city; · community representation
within the mainstream media and on an organisational level in RTE etc.;
· the need for research into community media activity; · the need to maintain
a dialogue between community stations/media organisations and community
development groups to identify needs and working practices. ·
A clear need for networking amongst community media groups in the City
of Dublin was also recognised.
All this requires more work and the meeting agreed to work to establish
a wider forum for Community media in Dublin and to develop an agenda for
a workshop that would address the issues. A workshop is now being organised
to take place in mid June, if your organisation is interested in this
initiative or has ideas for the workshop get in touch with the people
named below.
For details of the workshop contact:
Kelly O'Sullivan, Strategic Policy Group Manager, 675 5035 kelly.osullivan@dublincorp.ie
Sean O'Siochru, 272 0739
sean@nexus.ie
Margaret
Gillan, 878 3344
mgillan@cmn.ie
Participants in the group include:
Farrell Corcoran,DCU;
Ciaran Kissane, IRTC;
Giancarlo Ramioli, PCC;
Brendan Dowling, Whitefriars Community Centre;
Robbie Byrne, Community Response;
Caoimhe McCabe, Pavee Point;
Jack Byrne, NEAR FM;
Declan McLaughlin, Community Radio Forum;
Mary Long and Alan Connolly, Anna Livia;
Oliver McGlinchey, Ballymun Media Cooperative;
Sean O'Siochru, Nexus Research;
Margaret Gillan, CMN;
Peter Finnegan, Director Community and Enterprise;
Kelly O'Sullivan, Strategic Policy Manager.
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