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Key Points to consider for the TBC-Media Program Project Proposal

REFERENCE 1: Communicating in Community (Franz Josef-Eilers, SVD)

Chapter 4: Group Communication

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

TRADITIONAL MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

All communicative possibilities existing and inherited in a given culture.

Not only distinctive technical means but a part of lifestyle and world view of a culture.

Related to the deep-rooted values of a group of people.

“Ethnocommunication” – description and study of communication means, communication
structures, processes and contexts of communication of a given cultural group.

This attempt is an initiative to know and to take the communicative dimension of every
culture seriously.

Communicative means and behavior vary from culture to culture. Classified according to
technical means, persons involved and social structures.

Technical Means Persons

Storytelling opinion leaders in different fields

Songs speaker
Gestures story teller
Rituals, cults, myths (town) cryer
Drama including mime and puppetry headman
Drums for signaling, message-giving and “taking” hornman
Dance poet
Minstrel

Places Places
(geographical) (in time, life cycles or course of the year)

marketplace initiation rites

streets and street crossing marriages
forums and assemblies burials
religious institutions customs related to planting
voluntary groups or cooperatives & harvesting
selling & exchange for rainy & dry
seasons or fiestas

WHY FOLK MEDIA

General Criteria for folk media:

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Simple in form

Generally available to all at no material cost

Public domain

Anonymous in origin

Have little differentiation between producers and consumers

Communicating directly through any of the senses

Dialogic and often a verbal exchange

Function and utilitarian by way of definition

Almost constant presence of one or more surrounding listeners or participants

Purpose

To provide teaching and initiation

Imparting traditional esthetic, historical, technical, social, ethical, religious values

To provide a legal code which rests in stories and proverbs

Mobilizing peoples awareness on their own history

To unite a people and give them cohesion of ideas and emotions

POINTS FOR PROJECTS OBJECTIVES

Chapter 5: Church and Communication

CHURCH DOCUMENTS

Inter-Mirifica

Communio et Progressio – theatre and arts as expressions of social communications

ON FOLK MEDIA Aetatis Novae – affirms that mass media “by no means” detract from
the importance of alternative media, which are open to people’s involvement and allow them
to be active in production and even in designing the process of communications itself. The
Church rather “must take steps” to preserve and promote folk media and other traditional
forms of expression, recognizing that in particular societies there can be more effective than
newer media in spreading the Gospel because they make possible greater personal
participation and reach deeper levels of human feeling and motivation.

Ecumenical Documents

Policy statement of National Council of Churches of Christ (USA) – (4) While traditional
modes of communication enabled development based on cultural autonomy, mass
communication discourages such development.

ON MEDIA EDUCATION The Church in Broadcasting: (J Harold Ellens) the use of

pedagogical model – religious programs and presentations are more of an educational
character.
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Idea: To use modern means of communication as a tool to spread and to boost

appreciation of traditional means of communication as part of our rich cultural
heritage as Filipinos

Traditional means must not be forgotten but rather should complement modern
means of communication.
Since faith and value formation seems to be lopsided nowadays because of internal
and external factors, Church should concentrate more on utilizing means that is
effective within small group of audience as in the rural communities. More on means
for interpersonal/group media

“Back-to-basic” theme. Available means within the community, then as values

formation grow within the community, traditional means can now complement the
use of modern mass communication.

Refer to Specific activities: Quasi religious activities can be shown through video not
just the entire event but in a documentary style of production like inclusion of its
history, meaning of the rites, how its done/organized and how can it be improved
constructively. The material will be of cultural reference.

Program: recommend good programs and guide people in their selection according
to moral and good artistic standards.

Modern Means Traditional Means

Utilized for teaching Utilized for values formation

critical media literacy program and Church teachings

core/center then move out

ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA On the development of Mass Media, “Ecumenical document,

Switzerland (1983) -More on existing forms of cooperation in electronic media rather than
having the Church’s own radio and TV stations.

ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA Not using media to project an ideal image of itself.

ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA Audiovisuals should never be mere fill-ins, but rather a

natural ingredient of a well-prepared lesson, talk or sermon. They should never be a cover-
up for our lack of knowledge or an escape from a difficult teaching situation.

Idea: should not be a replacement for quality content. It must complement a good
talk/lecture.
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ON FOLK MEDIA Not only preaching the Gospel, but also one’s own culture.
Reawaken pride in traditional culture and the rich heritage of the past, which sometimes
have been neglected because of foreign influence.

ON FOLK MEDIA The invasion of technological civilization often finds traditional

societies unprepared. As a result, it menaces not only cultural values, but the stability and
growth of the individual and of the community.

ON FOLK MEDIA Thus, the most important thrust in the Third World countries may
not be a heavy instrument in the media production, although, this should not be neglected
entirely. Perhaps of even greater moment is our presence among professionals.

ON FOLK MEDIA They have their own apostolate, but we can be of service. We can
advise them in their difficulties, try to understand their problems, give them our support and
encouragement.

Communication creates CommunitY

Communication including the use of alternative media can revitalize communities and
rekindle community spirit, because the model for genuine communication is open and
inclusive, rather than unidirectional and exclusive.

Communication is ParticiPatorY

The more widespread and powerful the media become, the greater the need for people to
engage in their own local or inter-group communication activities. In this way, they will also
rediscover and develop traditional forms of communication.

Only if people become subjects rather than objects of communication can they develop their
full potential as individuals and groups.

Communication suPPorts & develoPs Cultures

Communicators now have an awesome responsibility to use and develop indigenous forms
of communication. They have to cultivate a symbolic environment of mutually shared
images and meanings which respect human dignity and the religious and cultural values
which are at the heart of Third World cultures.

One of the greatest assets of today’s world is the many different cultures, revealing the
richness of God’s image in all its diversity.

Communication is ProPhetic
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Prophetic communication stimulates critical awareness of the reality constructed the media
and helps people to distinguish truth from falsehood, to discern the subjectivity of the
journalist and to disassociate that which is ephemeral and trivial from that which is lasting
and valuable. Often it is necessary to develop alternative communication so that prophetic
words and deeds can be realized.

REFERENCE 2: Church and Social Communication, Basic Documents I(Franz Josef-Eilers)

INTER-MIRIFICA

14. (4th paragraph) Noble and ancient art of theatre has been widely popularized by the means of
social communication. One should take steps to ensure that it contributes to the human and moral
formation of its audiences.

COMMUNIO ET PROGRESSIO

Education, Culture

51. An example of the cultural potential of the media can be found in their service to the traditional
folk arts of countries where stories, plays, songs and dance still express an ancient national
inheritance. Because of their modern techniques, the media can make these achievements known
more widely. In this way, the media help to impress on a nation a proper sense of its cultural identity
and by expressing this delight and enrich other cultures and countries as well.

52. (2nd paragraph) Noblest forms of artistic expression offer true recreation.

AETATIS NOVAE

Context of Social Communications

5. Faced with increasing competition and the need to develop new markets, communication firms
become even more “multinational” in character; at the same time, lack of local production
capabilities makes some countries increasingly dependent on foreign material. Thus, the products of
the popular media of one culture spread into another, often to the detriment of established art forms
and media and the values, which they embody.

The Service of the means of Social Communication

11. Along with traditional means such as witness of life, catechetic, personal contact, popular piety,
liturgy and similar celebrations, the use of media is now essential in evangelization and catechesis.

But it will also be of great importance in the Church’s approach to media and the culture
they do so much to shape always to bear in mind: it is not enough to use media simply to
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spread the Christian message and the Church’s authentic teaching. It is also necessary to
integrate that message into the new culture created by modern communication with new
languages, new techniques and a new psychology.

Pastoral Priorities and Challenges

16. Grassroots and traditional media not only provide an important forum for local cultural
expression but develop competence for active participation in shaping and using mass media.

17. Foster its own specifically Catholic instruments and programs for social communications.

(2nd paragraph) Communications should be an integral part of every pastoral plan, for it has
something to contribute to virtually every other apostolate, ministry and program.

REFERENCE 3: Global Communication, Is there a place for human dignity?

(Dafne Sabanes Plou)

Chapter 1: The Media Set the Agenda

All are becoming multinational media companies – having their own newspapers, managing
AM/FM stations and having control over their very own TV station, not to mention cable
TV, magazine/publications and filmmaking.

Effects: now you can buy newspaper, listen to radio and watch a TV program produced by a
single private multimedia company and receive the same information, same opinion and
same analysis. Does this make our societies more democratic? Despite the illusions of being
better informed, are people not being increasingly being limited to what the interests of a
private group are prepared to let them know?

Idea: This is exactly what traditional means of media can offer, alternative ways of looking
at things and analyzing situation. A break from the monotonous set of opinion, angle and
analysis, treatment that is given to news. Also, to avoid media mediocrity, to give color,
flavor and taste, to let culture take over. With traditional means, one will know that the
production of this type of media came from different ideas, opinion and analysis of
situations and issues all put together, consolidated unlike the multimedia company who
usually dictate the content of their mediums according to their interests that would
eventually be the same in their publications, radio stations, TV channel, cable news and
internet arm. Treatments of news are the same but we are a diversity of culture, therefore
opinions and analysis must be studied and analyzed differently according to our own cultural
standards and should disseminated in a way that is known to our own culture.

Neo-liberalism: the entire country resolves around private enterprise.

COUNTRY SITUATIONER
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Diminished state, a frightened people, nervous armed forces, badly-paid teachers, a

moribund health system, a worried Church, hungry unemployed, indigenous communities
subject to discrimination. The whole of civil society is dislocated, shattered, disorganized,
not knowing how to proceed. Private enterprise is the best organized sector.

Deteriorated people’s standard of living – not because people ceased to work and produce,
but because all their efforts were channeled into paying the foreign debt, neglecting
investment in education, health housing, better wages and job creation.

14 million children under the age of 5 die each year from the combined effect of
malnutrition and preventable and curable diseases is perhaps the most painful reminder of
how decisions taken on a macro-economic level fail to take account of human realities.

__________________________________________

POINTS ON PROJECT OBJECTIVES

ON GRASSROOTS/INDIGENOUS MEANS OF COMM’N & ITS IMPORTANCE

Is there possibility of replacing “globalization from above” by “globalization from below”?

Real communication develops from the base like traditional media even cyberspace can be
open to participation the sharing of ideas, the struggle for human dignity wherever it is
threatened. Real communication must wage a cultural battle to dislodge miscommunication.
Real communication loves life and rejects contamination born of false power. If
communication is understood to mean dialogue, human encounter and understanding, it
cab be given to others.

The globalization of the economy, politics and cultural production has led the grassroots to
view themselves as citizens of the world, though they are not yet treated as citizens of their
own country.

What is local is inferior is still quite prevalent and status is conferred by the extent to which
one adopts nor the American fashion and technology and the frequency of travel to the US.

Major challenge facing communicators is to recreate and recover alternative myths. There
are myths born of the history of peoples, cultures, traditions linked to the land that are
myths of liberation.

Messages conveyed by the mass media can trigger hidden motivations, old resentments,
unspoken prejudices, hatred buried in the deepest recesses of a person’s being or frustrated
desires latent in society. These can be reactivated by clever and persistent campaigns.

Ancestral hatreds were not created but rekindled by the media.

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If the foundations for war and racial hatred were already in place, the structures of such
extreme cruelty, terror and injustice could not have been built without the systematic use of
electronic media to bolster perverse and untruthful discourse.

World Council of Churches, 6th Assembly – the assembly called on the Churches to relate
the media in three ways – pastorally, evangelically, and prophetically. Pastorally, it must try
to understand the tensions of those who work in media and assist them to perform their
work in ways, which affirm human values. Evangelically, the Church must resist the
temptation to use the media in ways, which violate people’s dignity and manipulate them,
but rather should proclaim with humility and conviction the truth entrusted to it. And its
prophetic role, “it must provide a continuing critique of the performance, content and
techniques of the mass media and the ideologies which lie behind them.”

Lima Declaration: pledged to promote by the most imaginative and practical means the
indigenous production of news, messages and programs as well as their use, exhibition and
distribution to struggle for the just and self-evident goal of establishing real public services
and to stimulate broader and better communication services, promoting in particular
participation by women and ensuring, as well, the presence of every sector of society,
including religious, political ethnic and other minorities.

Chapter 2: The Search for Democracy

SITUATIONER

“the true development of human beings involves much more than mere economic growth.
At its heart must be a sense of empowerment and inner fulfillment. This alone will ensure
that human and cultural values remain paramount in a world where political transformation
is the central issue of our time.”

How local elites use privatized media to back the lies propagated by the authorities and
imposed by repression.

Establish independent media that were impartial, objective and true.

Idea: local radio, TV program or other alternative media utilized by the people themselves
are free from manipulation of multimedia owners since they are the ones to produce
it.

The doctrine of globalization encourages the development of a “cognitive elite” whose

intellectual achievements justify their aspirations to power in the new technological society.

Working for democracy is more than having free access to giving and receiving information;
it also involves the opportunity to use that information to challenge and limit the excesses of
the powerful and to the flight for the rights and the quality of life of those whom the present
system persists in excluding.
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Chapter 3: Culture, Identity and People’s Struggles

“Culture” is a multidimensional concept that encompasses people’s values, attitudes, rules of

society, traditions, relationships and behaviors, as well as their language and creative
expressions.

Culture is part of the communication processes, of its methods and structure, just as
communication, whether interpersonal or group, modern or traditional, verbal or non-
verbal, is the principal vehicle for transmitting cultural values and traditions.

Communication is at the heart of the nation’s cultural identity.

Identity is shaped in a dynamic process involving day-to-day changes. It can never exist only
in terms of tradition, for it is also bound up with people’s present and future.

By communicating with others, we communicate with ourselves – must be a genuine

interchange, a real two-way dialogue, an encounter between cultures, not a case of the
absorption of some by others…If all identities draw on symbols and myths rooted in the
social imagination, then mass media, in the interests of greater social cohesion, could and
should be part of an identity – building process.

Take care not to provoke divisions among the various cultural groups within societies and
nations.

Group and community media are important in education and communication for dialogue
and democracy.

There has been a reluctance to focus on…meetings, dances, songs and drama, storytelling
and other interpersonal means of communication. These will need to be rehabilitated.

Imposition of language – based on history of conquestors/colonizers – went hand in hand

with political and economic domination, which continues today: entire populations and
ethnic groups are excluded from power if they do not use the language of the rulers.

All people have an identity and this is supported by their… means of resisting attempts to
exterminate their identity.

Mass media should be bilingual.

Popular culture affirms people’s identity, names their values and is a tool for finding,
maintaining and reclaiming social meaning.
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It can use new technology creatively to support mobilization at the community level.
Theatre, song and dance, puppets and marionettes and popular art are traditional forms of
popular expression that have enabled peoples to transmit wisdom and values from one
generation to the next.

In the zeal to commercialize everything, deeply rooted cultural expressions like folk dances
and stage traditional costumes and even religious expressions have quite simply become a
show, robbed of the meaning and profound popular symbolism they once embodied.

Church can create communication networks to pool efforts in defense of human dignity.

REFERENCE 4: Participatory Communication for Social Change (Jan Servaes, Thomas L.

Jacobson, Shirley White)

Introduction: Participatory Communication and Research in Development Settings

Participatory approach stresses the importance of cultural identity of local communities and
democratization and participation at all levels-international, national, local, and individual

Participation is very important in any decision making process for development.

Participation involves the more equitable sharing of both political and economic power.

Structural change involves the redistribution of power and structural change should occur
first in order to establish participatory communication policies.

Two major approaches to Participatory Communication

Dialogical pedagogy (Paulo Freire)

Ideas of access, participation and self-management (UBESCO debates, 1970s)

Access – refers to the use of media for public service

Participation – implies a higher level of public involvement in communication
systems
Self-management – public exercises the power of decision-making within
communication enterprises and is also fully involved in the formulation of
communication policies and plans.

Ideas: gradual progression. Amount of access may be allowed but self-management may be
postponed until some time in the future (talks in neutral terms about the public)
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Freire’s theory allows us no such compromise. One either respects the culture of the other
or falls back into domination and the banking mode of imposed education (talks about the
oppressed)

Chapter 3: Communication Participation and Development: Comparative Political Ideologies

School of thought, third perspective on communication – a peace and development theory –

‘communitarian’

Tends to focus on the preservation of community as the highest value, I have chosen to
label it communitarian in order to characterize its main tendencies.

Idea of progress sees material development and of itself as good and inevitable.

Chapter 9: Participation in Community Communication

In everyday life, popular media and mass media exclude each other. This is because media
are cultural phenomena. Evidence of this fact can be found in the popular acceptance of
contents of mass media and also in the incorporation of the cultural values of a people in the
programming of mass media.

POINTS FOR PROPOSED ACTIVITIES (3 YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN)

How do people participate?

Have meetings with the participation of the community, to discuss the programming or even
to plan a radio program, to establish the guidelines for a small newspaper to evaluate, etc;

Create a network of popular correspondents;

Keep reporters in charge of collecting and covering local, regional or national events;

Allow people to direct access to microphones or to newspapers so that they can give their
opinions;

Keep programs, or sections of them, supported by ample and democratic popular

participation;

Allow room for programs to be produced by collective, representative organizations;

Employ opinion research.

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Open a system to collect complaints and suggestions;

Promote mechanisms and participation channels organized according to management

principles;

Organize debate panels and also motivate people to create theatre plays, festivals and other
methods that promote popular expression;

Socialize technical knowledge (besides training the executive team) and production values;

Introduce participatory planning in the medium and/or program planning;

Organize evaluations with ample participation;

Be aware of what is being developed by the community, according to the goals established;

Institute mechanisms of collective management of the communication medium.

PARTICIPATORY MEDIA

Participatory communication is two-way. It involves dialogue, collaboration and group

decision-making.

Direct media are smaller on all these scales; here the elements of choosing to participate or
self-determination are strong and these forms of communication often enable feedback or
exchange.

Grassroots organizers with little formal education are often the most effective producers.

With participatory media, people just learn to operate the equipment. They participate in
planning and making productions about their own concerns. Seeing their situations framed
on a video screen, their perspective on these issues changes.

Participatory media are practically oriented and build on the strengths of local organizers.

Participatory video: sample goals

 To awaken people’s human and ethical values;

 To ensure the participation of poor villagers and to value their thoughts and beliefs;
 To disprove the popular belief that poor villagers cannot use sophisticated
technology and to create skills among these target people;
 To project the viewpoints of the villagers about social issues and to ensure their
participation;
 To point the viewpoints of the villagers about social issues and to ensure their
participation;
 To point out the reasons which deprive the poor and rob them of their power;
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 To ensure that participatory video remains true to life rather than being created as
entertainment;
 To uphold the views of people who might be alienated by the mass media;
 To show that grassroots people are capable of expressing their feelings and their
problems;
 To raise people of various regions and to show the processes through which people
conquer poverty and to show the causes of poverty.

Popular theatre

 Popular theatre is used to describe a great variety of theatre-based forms including

mime, folk, puppet theatre and political protest theatre, all of which are specifically
employed to advance and validate a people-based counter culture.

 Popular theatre is controlled by the people, is inherently participatory and

performances deal with concerns that are mainly of local origin.

Chapter 13: Mobilizing Communities for Participation and Empowerment

Possible roles of community organization in social mobilizations

Communicating

 To create long debate/dialogue on major local problems and needs.

 To reach, if possible, a consensus on priorities and desirable options.
 To initiate local initiative for solutions.
 To diffuse information and promote the utilization of available services and technologies

Organizing

 The collective investigation of community problems.

 Participatory planning of interventions.
 Resource mobilization of local management of resources (including financial)
 Establishment of regular localized monitoring, impact evaluation and program revision.

Networking

 With outside initiatives in order to express needs and build alliances.

 By creating a bridge between external institutions (political organization, administration,
regional consultancies, NGOs, donor agencies) and POs and the individual members of the
community.

ADVOCACY EFFORTS
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 Shifting emphasis to processes rather than on outcomes to demonstrate that people are
more important than funding.

 Shifting resources to the localities with some autonomy (funds, budgets)

 Decentralizing political power and encouraging local actions as opposed to local responses.

 Allowing initiative in setting goals and allowing confrontation and debate;

 Allowing spontaneous group formation.

 Having a strong local administration that can take decisions delegated by central authorities.

 Creating policies that facilitate all of these and, allowing decentralization.

Stages in Community Mobilization for Participatory Empowerment

 Self-assessment: participant observation, initial contact by change agents

 Problem and context analysis: self-analysis, group diagnosis/consultations, identification of

solutions and project.

 Development and strengthening of the community’s structures: emergence of appropriate

organizations, identification of local cadres, setting up coordination mechanisms.

 Awareness creation: animation, leadership training, briefing, community education

 Group action: program management, doing something concrete.

 Linking up: networking, making outside contacts, building alliances articulation with outside
support

 Self-evaluation: adjusting strategies, expansion, replication

 Stabilization: autonomy, functioning alone

Techniques that evoke participation

Participatory Training

 De-emphasize technical competence.

 Should permit sharing of experience of practice.

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 Should be multisectoral and multilevel to create a positive experience in challenging barriers

and in working together in an equal partnership.

Communication that contributes to community empowerment

 Communication should be innovative, imaginative and participatory

Group Meetings/group discussions

 Function as a forum to get people involved to help create awareness of issues and to
subsequently find a consensus on solutions

 Meetings are vehicles for action.

1. Meetings should be open-minded and project staff should see their role as
facilitators.
2. Meetings should not be inclusive of all community members regardless of their
status but rather segmented into smaller homogenous groups.
3. Meetings should be conducted in the language of the people and at a pace that is
appropriate with their lifestyles and education levels.

Peer Communication in groups

and individual consultations

 Communication among peers and through natural leaders.

Popular ‘Forum Theatre’ and

Folk Media (songs, puppetry, storytelling)

 Theatre can act as a catalyst or a forum to challenge people to look critically at their
situation and change it.

Idea: theatre endings/story endings can be done through alternative endings and are
played by voluntary ‘spectators’ which provide new perspectives/solutions to problems.

 Dramatized, open-ended manner until a crisis point is reached.

 Presented and discussed with the community

 Emphasizes group solutions to concrete problems and is meant to be a rehearsal for real
life action.

Small Group Media

 Photos, local journals, wall journals, slide shows and video productions
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Local Radio, ‘Vox Pop’ and Live broadcast on location

Chapter 14: Fitting Projects to People or People to Projects?

Effective Communication Strategy

1. Determine priority issues of the program and policy.

2. List the actors involved.
3. Analyze target groups.
4. Formulate clear objectives.
5. Design appealing and understandable message-elements for the target group
6. Selection of media materials.
7. Design of communication materials
8. Pretest the materials
9. Action plan for strategy implementation

Idea: Develop a communication strategy/plan in the site.

1. Non-media communication

Face-to-face home visits

Public meetings games/contests
Group discussion role playing
Networking drama
Symposia, seminars and workshops folk theatre, case study
Demonstrations exhibitions

2. Media communication

 Written Media Visual Media

Newspapers slides
Magazines flip charts
Newsletters poster
Manuals stickers
Pamphlets, booklets banners
Letters (direct mail) billboards (on public transport)
Extension/information kits
blackboard
 Audio media bulletin board
Maps/charts/diagrams
Radio wall paintings
Audiotape stamps
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 Audio-visual media

Televisions
Cinema

LEGEND:

ORANGE – for use in the project proposal

PLUM – Jofti’s idea

BLUE – headings in the project proposal (for what heading is the key points appropriate)

BROWN – summary of the point (what the poi

nt is all about)