Green Liberty: The Third Six Months of M4D

E-bulletin “Development Cooperation News” 

To enrich awareness of society and policymakers in Latvia about global interconnection, challenges and initiatives to solve them both globally and locally we have started to publish electronic information bulletin Development Cooperation News (DCN).

DCN is published electronically twice a year and features current development cooperation topics from the perspective of practitioners, opinion leaders and policy-makers.

The 3^rd issue is Sustainable Development Goals. It is looking for answers on the following questions: How can we reduce global poverty, inequality, injustice, and climate change by empowering development of our local communities? This global and local news is published in five sections – POSITIONS, EVENTS, EXPERIENCE, OPINIONS, and RESOURCES that shape the structure of DCN.

Read and download the bulletin Development Cooperation News here.

The next – 4^th issue of Development Cooperation News will be on how to measure Sustainable Development Goals. 

Joint Study Trip to Palestine 

A journalist from regional newspaper Zemgales Ziņas - Agnese Leiburga represented Green Liberty the joint study trip to Palestine on the July 11-17. This study trip was organized by project’s Finnish partner organization VIKES. During the trip Agnese Leiburga together with her colleagues from other M4D partner organizations – Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic and Slovakia visited Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Palestinian refugee camp Aida in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem, and Abu Dis – city, which has been cut away from Jerusalem by the Israeli separation wall. During these visits there was a chance to interview Bashir and Jeanette who are well-traveled Palestinian-Christian couple and have decided to live in Bethlehem, as well as Palestinian family affected by the separation wall, to visit Bethlehem University with the participants of the media camp and much more.

Reflections on situations and experience have been published in several proceeding articles and are available here:

Leiburga, Agnese, (July-August, 2016). Viena žoga divas puses – Izraēla un Palestīna. [Two sides of the same fence: Israel and Palestine]. Zemgales Ziņas [regional newspaper Zemgale News],

- July 21, 2016: http://zz.diena.lv/kultura-un-izklaide/citas-zinas/viena-zoga-divas-puses-izraela-un-palestina-foto-219965 and http://news.lv/Zemgales_Zinas/2016/07/21/viena-zoga-divas-puses-izraela-un-palestina

- July 28, 2016: http://zz.diena.lv/kultura-un-izklaide/citas-zinas/viena-zoga-divas-puses-izraela-un-palestina-turpinajums-foto-220279 and http://news.lv/Zemgales_Zinas/2016/07/28/viena-zoga-divas-puses-izraela-un-palestina

- August 4, 2016: http://zz.diena.lv/laikraksta-arhivs/viena-zoga-divas-puses-izraela-un-palestina-220497?prices=1

- August 11, 2016:

Helsinki Intensive Course “Reporting World News” for Journalists 

On April 20-22 three Latvian writing journalists who have recently started their career together with their colleagues from other M4D partner organizations – Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic and Slovakia – deepened their awareness and understanding about reflecting on global development issues in an Intensive Course on Development for Journalists in Helsinki. Green Liberty was represented by Iveta Sondore (Vides Vēstis), Anna Ūdre (FEJS Latvija) and Santa Logina (regional newspaper Zemgales Ziņas). The intensive course was organized by project’s Finnish partner organization VIKES. The focus of the course was on such topics as timely media issues in global context, sustainable development, natural resources and disasters, migration and war coverage. The seminar was a great success because of its relevant content, discussions and workshops, organization and atmosphere.

Read the reflections by journalists who participated the event in the article Getting to the truth: Journalists from Latvia share their experience about participation in media seminar organized by VIKES

Photo and Story Competition Winners’ Trip to Kenya 

From February 28 till March 23 a group of two people representing Green Liberty had a possibility to explore Kenya and challenge our stereotypes on life in East Africa. Lasma Ozola was interested in sustainable agriculture practices in Kenya. Liene Bieza – a photographer – captured group’s moves during the travel. Also, Liene Bieza and Lasma Ozola were the winners of the photo/story competition Decent Life for All. Lasma and Liene were accompanied by Dimitri Vanham from Belgium who was documenting interviews with project developers in video.

During three weeks they travelled through different regions of Kenya to see Laikipia Permaculture Project, Sustainable Village Resources Organic Coffee project in Rongo, Regenerating Rusinga Project, Drylands Natural Resource Centre Reforestation project in Makueni. Read the reflections in the article Environment, agriculture, community and education in Kenya: Reflections from Green Liberty

Evening Tea with Documentary Journalists 

On the February 17^th Kārlis Lesiņš and Lelde Prūse, journalists from the Woodpecker Pictures were invited to an evening tea with Green Liberty’s staff and friends to share the story of their trip to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they filmed a documentary movie about the care for protected eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei andGorilla beringei graueri).

Read the reflections about the event here: Evening tea with documentary journalists

Social Campaign

With a successful piloting in the knowledge festival HELSUS on May 21^st in Jelgava we have started a social campaign “Myths and truths about our participation in global development”. The overall address of this social campaign to general public in Latvia is incorporated in the question: Does it seem to you that “we should not help other countries, because we ourselves are poor”, that “poverty results from too high birth rate”, that “help makes a receiver to become lazy”, that “financial assistance is the most needed help for poor countries”, that “climate change is not connected to increase of poverty”? If yes, come and find it out if it is truth or not. Participants interested in finding this out were involved in discussions where they shared their opinions about poverty, birthrate, and impact of rich and poor countries and whether help changes the situation for good or bad. 

The second public debate was during the conversation festival LAMPA on July 1^st in Cēsis where we added the next step to our discussion: How to substitute our myths with a rather constructive view on reality?  And why transforming myths to truths is similar to swinging on a swing? The discussion was organized in the LAPAS (Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation) tent that hosted several other discussions, conversations, films, and games about global development organized by NGOs that shared similar vision in the need to lend a hand to make the world a better place.  

Before the campaign we organized an opinion pool that helped us to choose five the most popular myths in Latvia:

    - we should not help other countries, because we ourselves are poor,

     - poverty results from too high birth rate,

     - help makes a receiver to become lazy,

    - financial assistance is the most needed help for poor countries,

    - climate change is not connected to increase of poverty.

We started our discussion with a metaphor of swinging on a swing, and connected it to the process of changing myths to truths. After discussing each myth we shared the relevant results from the opinion pool. Several of proceeding events of the social campaign will be organized in the 2^nd part of this year.

Reflections and pictures from piloting the campaign in Helsus: http://www.zalabriviba.lv/par-globalizaciju/tiekamies-sarunu-festivala-lampa/

Photo Exhibition “Decent Life for All”

Green Liberty also organizes a nation-wide photo exhibition Decent Life to All that is ongoing and includes 24 pictures from the photo competition organized in July – September 2015. The pictures included in the exhibition are created by professional and amateur photographers from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia. Among pictures representing Latvia several of them are created by national winner Liene Biezā. This exhibition provides the visitors an opportunity to think about their daily habits and the world as our global home, and to enhance their understanding of development issues. 

Since its opening at the European Union House in Riga the photo exhibition has been hosted by Latvia University, Latvia University of Agriculture, LU Botanical garden, Gulbene Municipality, Olympic center in Riga, Riga Central Market, shopping centre Galerija Centrs, Latvian National Library restaurant and several other famous restaurants, etc.

The exhibition aims to address general public in Latvia starting from school youngsters to elderly people. By choosing popular and diverse exhibition places we are trying to reach people of different professions and interests. In Gulbene the exhibition was used as a tool for teachers to work with pupils and it helped as educational material in local community.

Regional Journalist Training

Our collaboration with regional newspaper Zemgales Ziņas (Zemgale News) initiated co-organization of regional journalist training Global echoes in regional journalistic that was held on March 11 in Jelgava. The aim of the training was to discuss urgent global issues in the field of journalism, to look for answers about the role of regional journalism in a globalized world, and to enjoy a fair-trade coffee and tea. 

The program implied discussions about the mentioned issues and personal experience stories told by a journalist Kārlis Lesiņš from Woodpecker Pictures who shared the story of his trips to several countries of Global South, including Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

The training gathered 12 participants who highlighted that events like this provided for regional media are very rare. They shared that this and similar events help to open mind, encourage journalists to look at local activities from a global perspective and at global issues from a local perspective, and to cooperate with each other. Several journalists pointed out that this training confirmed that it is crucial to bring topicalities of a European project to the level of local community.  

Concluding ideas that reflect the issues and reflections covered in the training can be summarized as follows:

Regional journalism has a significant educative purpose, especially in local regional communities where the majority of population do not belong to formal educational system anymore. Thus, local and regional printed media are crucial means of informing and awareness rising for a local community. And this purpose is closely connected to the issue of responsibility.

A journalist is like a woodpecker that hammers persistently until she or he gets to the essence. It is not a routine activity, as a journalist should sustain his or her researcher’s spirit by moving around, observing, gathering information, meeting people and creating stories about fresh issues. Yet, in this activity a balance between expectations from employers and media consumers, available information and resources, and journalist’s own interest and passion should be ensured. A journalist most likely cannot change all the global problems, but what she or he can do is to create stories that can serve the aim to raise awareness and inspire to build hopeful future.

An added value of a story is a presence of journalist’s own culture (ethnic, gender, age, social and economic position, etc.) and its dialogue with the story. 

Study trip to Kenya, authentic stories in the (social) media, roundtables and travelling exhibition

Study trip to Kenya

By the end of January winners of photo and article competitions in Lithuania - Akvilė Norkute and Vaida Blažytė - as well as journalist Lauryna Vireliūnaitė and project’s media specialist Giedrė Biržytė went on a study trip to Kenya. The aim of the trip was to collect authentic, first-hand stories of local Kenyan communities. Thus, the programme of the trip included a number of visits to distant villages and slums of the capital city Nairobi, meetings with Kenyan NGOs and local people. The delegation visited Ol Pejeta nature reserve, Huruma slum, met women of Samburu tribe, members of self-help groups in Nairobi.

Stories collected throughout the study trip are being publicized in the national media and presented in public discussions.

A meeting with Samburu Women, January 2016

Roundtables with journalists

Three roundtable discussions were organised to foster more in-depth discussions by journalists visiting developing countries with the public.

By the end of January a roundtable on albino situation in Tanzania was held. Vaida Blažytė, the winner of the article competition, shared her insights about the social marginalisation of the local albino community in East Africa and presented her experience while shooting a documentary on the topic. Issues of prejudice and health care were highlighted. Possibilities for Lithuanians to contribute while overcoming these difficulties were addressed as well.

A Roundtable with Journalists, 21 January 2016.

At the end of February the second roundtable took place where participants of the aforementioned  study trip to Kenya presented their experiences there.  The audience was introduced to the socio-political situation of the country as well as stories about HIV-support community and self-help initiatives in Nairobi slums.

A Roundtable with Journalists, 26 February 2016.

In March, the third roundtable was held where Lithuanian journalists and lecturer at Vilnius University Džina Donauskaitė and radio journalist Živilė Kropaitė shared their stories from their recent trip to Nepal organised by the Minority Rights Group. The journalists covered not only the diverse ethnic constitution of the country’s population, but also discussed the reasons behind the ineffectiveness of humanitarian aid provided by the international community after the earthquakes that hit Nepal in 2015.

A Roundtable with Journalists, 23 March 2016.

Additionally, in February another roundtable was organized in order to bring together participants  (professionals and amateurs) of photo and article competitions on development organized in 2015. Prospects for future cooperation and developmental journalism in general as well as the code of conduct for development journalism were discussed there.

Photo exhibition

The photo exhibition The World As You See It continues to be displayed in different venues: Šiauliai Stasio Šalkauskio gymnasium, Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University as well as in Education Development Centre. The exhibition will further be displayed in the Lithuanian Parliament and it will travel around the country reaching inhabitants of smaller Lithuanian towns.

Photo Exhibition at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius, March 2016.

Article section

In January a new section was introduced in the national daily Lietuvos žinios in order to reach a wider public and familiarize it with current development issues. Every Saturday the stories of Lithuanian journalists that visited developing countries as well as selected articles from the article competition organised in Lithuania last year are published there. Each article is accompanied by an introduction into a certain aspect of development cooperation disclosed in the publication. 12 articles have been published so far, including those selected by project partners.   

“People of the Ocean” by Berta Tilmantaitė in “Lietuvos Žinios”, February 2016.

Appearances on TV

On the National TV morning programme “Labas rytas, Lietuva” project writer Vaida Blažytė and media specialist Giedre Birzyte appeared respectively on 19 January and 21 March with stories from the Kenya trip.

Social media

Facebook continues to be a priority channel social media communication. The trips and round tables with journalist provide attractive content and the audience steadily increases.  Since March boosting of the stories published in the media enabled to reach wider audience from approx. 4000 to 16 000 users. For example:

Example of Facebook post boost

Currently, the Facebook account has almost 2000 followers. Since January 46 posts with hashtag #M4Dproject appeared on the site.

Since January Twitter was also used as a social media communication channel. The profile has already reached 49 followers and 20 tweets using hashtag #M4Dproject were posted. Twitter is not very popular in Lithuania, however, it is on the rise, especially among policy makers, experts and opinion leaders. So it is these particular groups that are targeted through this channel.

Social media campaign targeting the most common development myths is underway. It will be conducted with the help of videos of a well-known Lithuanian stand-up comedian and special photo series.

Local Roundtable EQUALITY OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY

To what extent are local and global communities connected? How to ensure the equality of local and global community? 

Green Liberty invited development cooperation policy makers from Jelgava municipality to the local round table „Equality of Local and Global Community” on November 17, 2015.

The event was opened by a representative of Green Liberty, Lauma Ziemeļniece, who introduced the Sustainable Development Goals. It was followed by the screening of the movie "Ar domu par labāku pasauli" (With a Thought about Better World), then development cooperation story "Me&You" was presented by Madara Mazjāne-Kokina from the organisation ideA. 

The round table was opened by an introduction which was presented by six representatives of stakeholder groups who are responsible for development and development cooperation issues in the local municipality of Jelgava:

• Ginta Avotiņa - Head of  Education department in the municipality of Jelgava,
• Kristīne Kode - Head of youth policy in the municipality of Jelgava,
• Modris Jansons -  deputy of the municipality of Jelgava,
• Uldis Dūmiņš  - chairman of the non-governmental organisation "Zemgale NGO Centre",
• Līva Kaunese - journalist in the municipality of Jelgava,
• Arnita Žukauska - representative of Youth Council in the municipality of Jelgava.

The discussion tackled the issues such as involvement in the development of local municipality, decision making process, collaboration, supported initiatives and cooperation on finding solutions in both the local and global context.

Representatives admitted that the global emerges and results from the local, meaning that everyone expresses their identity in different contexts - local, national, European, global. In their opinion, the equality of local and global community is described by our unity, variety of opinions and experiences. They shared that equality of local and global community results in empathy, feelings of belonging and equality, participation and helping others in the world.

The participants evaluated this event in connection to personal context such as reflections and new conclusions on human safety on various levels, development cooperation and our opportunities to contribute to development of global society and help others. They admitted that from national context Latvia is a small country that can, actually helps and in the future would participate in aiding despite our local issues. The participants were enthusiastic to look into the realities of countries of Global South.         

Participants expressed readiness to watch other movies and participate in discussions on the development cooperation and paradigm changes, where everyone learns from each other. Networking, cooperation and co-creation in this roundtable was recognized as an important initiative for professional activity and development of local community that can provide new non-financial solutions. It was recognized that the current need is the creation of new opportunities for youth, such as a strategically development of voluntary work. Globally, the desirable need is the development of cooperation with Ukraine.

In the participants’ opinion this was a significant event for the community of the municipality of Jelgava. It broadened and changed their perspective on self and the world, developed empathy towards other nations and understanding of developing countries’ peoples’ lives.  The event brought out the importance of local needs and global issues, involved youth as well as the representatives of a local municipality and entrepreneurs in discussions. 

Overall, this event was recognized as a success as it was well organised and met the participants’ expectations. The most meaningful approaches were round table discussion and screening of the movie that represented the period before Latvia joined the European Union. It showed the period when Latvians received help until the period when Latvia helped other countries. The event opened next issues of the same context that could be introduced for upcoming participants of local round tables on local and global communities.