• Measuring the impact of Social Media in the neighbourhood
• Coalition building by using MEdia in multicultural neighbourhoods
• The integrated media approach in Schilderswijk

Workshop sessions 29 May 2011

• The implementation of the MEM project in Slovakia
• The implementation of the MEM project in the Czech Republic

1.       New lobby strategies for immigrant organizations

Chair: Bashy Quraishy, MediaWatch, Denmark

Minutes: Peter de Groot, Mira Media, The Netherlnds

Social media has quickly become an important factor in the public debate and journalistic practice. Besides being an effective tool to organize protests and to put important issues on the political agendas, social media has also become an important and influential source of information for journalists that allows them to follow the events as they unfold internationally, as well as to find additional local sources of information with immigrants in their own country. Social media prove to be an important tool for NGO’s to feed the mainstream media with information, but also own communities with adequate information.

In this workshop several examples  of innovative lobby and action strategies which have been developed by NGO’s all over the world were presented. We will hear about the way NGO’s in the so called “developing countries are using social media to improve society, but also about how America’s Voice is using social media to run effective campaigns. In France Les Indivisibles are using comedy to make their point. Also in the Netherlands new strategies are being developed.

Download here the workshop report

Chair & minutes: Giovanni Massaro, Mira Media, the Netherlands

Community media are any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest. Community media is separate from commercial media, state run media, or public broadcasters. The fundamental premise is to engage those groups that are categorically excluded and marginalized from the media making process.

In this workshop examples were given given of the different forms community media can have in each country, of the role they play as a communication channel for ethnic communities, but also for society in general. Specific attention were given to the possibilities and good examples of cooperation between community media, and between community media and mainstream media. Based on these examples we explored the  possibilities and strategies of community media to have a larger influence on the public debate about multicultural issues.

Dowload here the workshop report

Chair: Ed Klute, Mira Media, the Netherlands

Minutes : Fehmi Kemal Kutluer, Mira Media, The Netherlands

The project Multicultural Europe in the Media (MEM) promotes intercultural dialogue and social cohesion in 10 EU member states by introducing intercultural competences with programming - and journalistic staff of national Public Service Broadcasters (PSB) and other mainstream media and media skills with minority organisations. The outcomes of the MEM project aim to improve PSB/mainstream media as a platform for intercultural dialogue and to act as a binding factor between all citizens in the multicultural society. In order to realize this minority organisations should establish themselves as mediators between their communities and the media organisations by offering the media better access to minority communities, to provide better skilled minority spokes persons and information on the opinions and developments inside the minority communities. This developments should contribute to a more balanced portrayal of minorities and to a more  equal participation of minorities in the public debates in the media.

Dowload here the workshop report

Chair: Anna Meli, Cospe, Italy

Minutes: Angeliki Papastamatiou, Freelance reporter, The Netherlands

Multilcultural neighbourhoods are the place where policies on integration and social cohesion are being tested and put into practice, involving local authorities and management and workers of neighbourhood organizations and institutes. Despite lots of efforts recent reports show that there are still points of serious concern:

•         The cooperation between the different stakeholders in achieving the ultimate goal of an inclusive neighbourhood;

•         The active participation of all residents  in inclusive neighbourhood activities;

•         The overall image of the neighbourhoods and migrant groups which negatively influences the chances of the involved citizens on the labour market and has a discouraging effect on new economic investments.

Social media offer an increasing number of opportunities to help to involve citizens in intercultural dialogues and social cohesion activities as more and more citizens have access to digital and social media. How can we introduce these tools in neighborhoods in an effective and sustainable way. What are the obstacles, which strategic local alliances are needed to implement media methodologies. What are examples of good practice?

Download here the workshop report.