Tuesday, 8 August 2017

Green Liberty: Fifth Six Months of M4D

Journalist joint study trip to Uganda


Two journalists, Sandra Kropa from Latvia Radio and TV and Anna Ūdre from DELFI represented Green Liberty in the joint study trip to Uganda on March 3-16, 2017. 

This study trip was organized by project’s Estonian partner organization MONDO.

Reflections on situations and experience have been published in several proceeding articles and broadcasts, and are available online.
 Broadcasts and articles by Sandra Kropa, and discussions with opinion leaders from different fields:
 
Articles by Anna Ūdre:  

Fairtrade coffee with journalists: Stories about Uganda trip 


On April 21 Sandra Kropa, Latvia Radio and TV journalist and Anna Ūdre, DELFI journalist were invited to a Fairtrade coffee with Green Liberty’s staff and friends to share the story of their trip to Uganda. The trip was organized by project’s Estonian partner organization MONDO and took place on March 3-16, 2017.
 Stories about Uganda trip covered several exciting issues: connections between Uganda and Latvia, similar problems and solutions, learnings from Uganda, connection of Uganda trip experiences with UN sustainable development goals.
 Read the reflections about the event here: Fairtrade coffee with journalists http://www.zalabriviba.lv/par-godigu-tirdzniecibu/godigas-tirdzniecibas-kafija-ar-zurnalistiem-ugandas-brauciena-pieredzes-stasti/



Politicians’ trip to Philippines


Rihards Kols, a member of 12th Saeima, a deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, a member of the European Affairs Committee, and a representative of the Saeima to the OECD was supported by Green Liberty in the study trip for politicians to Philippines. It was an informal study trip for official parliamentary representatives from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to Philippines from 29th of May to 3th of June, 2017, and was organized by Czech relief and humanitarian organization People in Need (PIN). The participants of the trip had an opportunity to visit the development projects’ sites, talk to the beneficiaries, meet with the national and international development implementers and officials in the capital city Manila and in the province of Eastern Samar. 

Development Journalism Trip to Afghanistan

A journalist from media house DELFI – Ansis Īvāns represented Green Liberty the joint development journalism trip to Afghanistan on the July 18-26, 2017. 

This study trip was organized by project’s British partner organization BAAG. 

During the trip Ansis Īvāns together with his colleagues from other M4D partner organizations – Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Slovakia visited Kabul (Kabul province) and Nili (Daikundi province). 


Journalist participation in international trainings


How to find the real stories and sources? How to separate propaganda from reality? How to get behind the headlines? How do we see the world through today’s media? Is the world really getting better or worse?

Journalists from M4D partner organizations together with Finnish journalists were involved in three-day intensive course “From Stereotypes to Covering Global Interdependencies – Training by Journalists for Journalists” on May 22-24, 2017. The training was organized by the Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (VIKES) and Kansanvalistusseura (KVS) and aimed to answer these questions and increase knowledge about development affairs among media. Green Liberty was represented by a journalist Guntars Veidemanis from DELFI. 

Documentaries ready for screening  


A fruitful cooperation with Woodpecker Pictures has been finalized, and three exciting documentaries are ready for screening. 

Clay children (Māla bērni)

Spirits of mountains (Kalnu gari)

Tender giants (Maigie milži)

Watch, enjoy and plan screening in your community! 





Public discussion about global development myths in festival LAMPA 


Development is not just economic growth. Development is a balanced interaction of national, public and private sector. Development can be characterized by values that make the core of public consumerism, that describe human well-being, and characterize civic participation in decision making. Development is not charity and assistance. Development is not a rescue of people in critical situations. Why it is important to inform and educate society about development in the world and the local community?

We invited participants of the discussion festival LAMPA to come to LAPAS tent on June 30 at 16:00 to share their opinion and to shell these hard nut questions.

HAZELNUTS: food security
Myth: Secure food is the one that is not rotten and does not have expired period of validity.  
Hard nut questions: Is it safe to eat everything that you can get in supermarket? What is secure food? Can vegetarianism save the world?

COCONUTS: participation in local and global community
Myth: My involvement in local and global community can change anything.  
Hard nut questions: Can my participation in community life give a global impact? Is riot and aggressive campaigning a way of effective participation? How effective is virtual participation?  

ALMONDS: solidarity economy
Myth: The only value in business is to give personal income.
Hard nut questions: What causes our well-being? Is financial prosperity the main reason of well-being? Is the existing economical model compatible with nature protection and social well-being? Is personal business prior to solidarity with local community?  

PEANUTS: sustainable development
Myth: Development best of all can be measures in money.  
Hard nut questions: Should and can the world constantly develop? How fare we can develop? Where are the limits to growth and development? Is material prosperity the only need for good life?  

WALNUTS: nature capital
Myth: All nature resources should be extracted and financial benefit should be obtained from them.
Hard nut questions: Who is paying for industrial development? What is its true price? Can we all benefit from extraction of nature resources?

This interactive discussion was led by M4D hunter of global stories – Sandra Kropa, a TV and Radio journalist. Shelling the hard nut questions helped participants to change form voiceless representatives of society to active citizens who are responsible driving forces of change in local and global community.

Also, we were selling wonderful baskets made by women in Ghana that served as a practical example of global partnership, solidarity economy, and social entrepreneurship.

Journalist networking in in festival LAMPA


We live in a time where everywhere in the world, including EU, civil society is increasingly under threat. Freedom of expression is more and more controlled and restricted, yet at the same time, the word still has the largest power and influence. Information is still one of the strongest weapons we have to understand the world around us and to take action to change it for the better. Therefore, we organized a networking event where to discuss, share stories, play music, and enjoy art to surface the question - what does the power of word mean to us?

In cooperation with LAPAS we invited journalists and other stakeholders you to expand borders of the festival LAMPA and to join us on July 1 at 14:00 in Raunas street 9 (outside the building some metres away on the opposite side of Cēsis Concert Hall) in networking event. We met at the wall painting by Rudens Stencil (Dainis Rudens) – fresh and opened to co-creating and in the atmosphere of music played by Raimonds Mežals together with journalists from Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Poland and enthusiasts of sustainable development who believe in the power of word and are opened to new cooperation and meaningful actions.

In this networking event participants were adding their light-bulbs to the wider community of light holders and participated in an opening of a wall painting that is telling about power of word #VārdaSpēks. 

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 publish electronic information bulletin Development Cooperation News (DCN).

The 5th issue Security and development is looking for answers on the following questions: What is a priority – security or development? What is a secure society and securitability? How secure is a space of a civic society? How security is related to the field of energetics, internal affairs and nature? What are security and change stories? How to look for a connection between security and development?
Stories that provide different answers on these questions are published in five sections – POSITIONS, EVENTS, EXPERIENCE, OPINIONS, and RESOURCES that shape the structure of DCN.

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

Read and download the bulletin Development Cooperation News here.
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Thursday, 3 August 2017

PIN activities May – July 2017

Bulletin – Climate Change

In July, People in Need published the second issue of the regular bulletin Rozvojovka. Main story was the impact of climate change in Philippines and the possible mitigation strategies. We interviewed Monika Nová, co founder of health clinic in Malawi, to find out, why still so many people disbelieve “the modern medicine” and prefer to go to traditional healers. Readers could also read about, how skating in Myanmar has become one of the symbol of democracy, or about modern slavery. David Lachout from African Information Portal wrote an analysis inquiring the issue of corruption in Africa. Bulletins are sent to relevant decision makers, i.e. members of Czech national Parliament and Czech representatives in European Parliament, Ministries' officials and key development experts, scholars and NGO representatives.


Journalists from Aktuálně.cz in Iraq

In April, a journalist Martin Novák and photographer Jakub Plíhal travelled to Iraq to visit People in Need’s projects. They have published several stories, videos and photo reportages about the life in liberated Mosul

Czech Tv in Philippines, Jordan, Iraq

 Barbora Šámalová, Czech Tv correspondent for China visited People in Need’s Country program in Philippines. She produced several stories for the main news about the issues of poverty or urban development. She also made a short documentary “Life in Storm” about the livelihoods’ recovery after typhoon Yolanda and about People in Need’s development projects.


In May, Jakub Szántó, Czech Tv correspondent for Middle East, went to journalist trip in Jordan, where he visited Czech government’s project MEDEVAC and other humanitarian projects that help refugees in the country.


In June, Jakub Szántó went to Mosul in Iraq, where he was shooting in the liberated part of the city. He produced stories about the level of destruction, captured Daesh’s prisoners, the renovation of historical sites or return of refugees to their city, which were broadcasted in the Czech Tv's main news program.

Study trip with politicians to Philippines

From May 28th to June 3rd, in total 5 members of parliament travelled to Philippines with People in Need. The participants were from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The goal of the joint study trip was to introduce these parliamentarians to the mechanisms of development cooperation’s implementation, monitoring, evaluation and how it should be based on country and community needs. We hope the parliamentarians developed an appreciation for the benefits of the development cooperation for their own countries, which are currently allocating their ODA primarily to middle income countries and only Czech Republic and Slovakia are the members of OECD Development Assistance Committee, which constitutes the leading international forum for bilateral providers of development co-operation.
The participants had the opportunity to visit the development projects and to meet national and international development implementers and officials in Metro Manila and in Eastern Samar. In Manila, they met with senators and congressmen and with local NGOs' representatives, they visited vice-president's office. In Eastern Samar, the parliamentarians visited the agricultural projects' of Czech caritas and People in Need. They were also welcomed by local vice-governor. 

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Tuesday, 1 August 2017

Vikes: Journalist trainings and guest lectures



During the first half of 2017 Vikes organized a training for 30 young journalists, with participants from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The focus was on offering journalists a practice-oriented training organized and planned by experienced Finnish and international journalists and media experts.

The participants learned about the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as different dimensions of development, and became more familiar with global interdependencies. In addition, they got practical tips on where to get contacts and information, and how to sell stories to editors and media houses. Feedback from the participants of the training was very positive, and they were especially happy with the concrete stories and practical tips they got from the more experienced lecturers. Vikes is organizing a similar training on September 21-23 in Helsinki.

In addition, our invited lecturer, the renowned former BBC correspondent Elva Narcia, visited Tallinn and Vilnius to give guest lectures to journalists and NGOs in events organized by Mondo and House of Europe in May 2017.

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Thursday, 27 July 2017

Green Liberty: Journalist individual trips - Global stories hunt







The first part of the third year of M4D for Green Liberty has been with a huge emphasis on planning and organizing journalist individual trips that we have named Global stories hunt. 

 We have started organize the whole process as five events: 
  1. journalist training, 
  2. competition of applications for individual trips, 
  3. networking and individual trip planning, 
  4. individual trips, 
  5. multimedia festival “Library of global stories” that would serve as a closing even of the project.

During these six months, we have succeeded to organize journalist training, competition of applications for individual trips, and networking and individual trip planning seminar. Also, we are in the process of planning individual trips that will be completed on October. 

Journalist training 


 On March 31, we organized journalist training Global stories hunt strategy development. The training attracted 20 journalists from several publishing houses: internet portals DELFI and TVNET, publishing house LILIT, TV broadcasts VIDES FAKTI and AIZLIEGTAIS PAŅĒMIENS, journal VESELĪBA, and others.  In the training participants discussed the meaning of development journalism, learned from colleagues about experience in developing countries, refreshed their experience in research journalism and connected their experience to UN sustainable development goals.

Participants pointed out that the most meaningful things in the training were: experience exchange, information about SDGs and M4D project, and building bridges between journalists and NGO activists.

Future events that would be interesting to journalists who participated in this training: discussions about global stories, workshops about SDGs and particular issues: eco products and green lifestyle. 

Also, the experience about how to integrate media in development storytelling, different campaigns and communication.

Info about the training in Latvian: Globālo stāstu medības - Ideju koprades seminārs

Journalist networking and individual trip planning seminar

Meeting with journalists whose applications for individual trips were accepted was on June 2, 2017. The aim of this meeting was to network and share plans of individual trips. 

The meeting started with getting to know each other and followed by a discussion about global stories hunt – individual trip plans. 

The invited participants who shared their plans were: Guna Gleizde, DELFI journalist and editor who is planning to go to Haiti;  Ieva Jurevica, LTV journalist who is planning to go to Tanzania and Zanzibar; Anta Blumberga, a journalist from mediahouse “Dienas žurnāli” and journal “Veselība” who is planning to go to Swaziland; Ģirts Strazdiņš and Sandijs Semjonovs, LTV journalists who are planning to go to Indonesia; Andris Kārkluvalks, DELFI journalist who is planning to go to Iraq (Kurdistan region).

After this introduction of plans, we had a conversation about formalities of individual trips, code of ethics, development journalism approach, and SDGs as the wider context for development. 



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Tuesday, 4 July 2017

Mondo activities April–June 2017

Work with General Audience
In April we met with all the partners of the SDG campaign "#hoolin" and the video competition winners were announced. After receiving the SDG-themed exhibition from the festival, we decided to make a re-print as the photos were quite damaged from weather and wear from the guerilla pop-up gallery.

A new exhibition was printed on more durable material and from the beginning of June it was shown in the public hall (used often also by policy-makers and NGO workers for events) of the local EU Commission Representation.

Diana, the main character of one of the films made during M4D also visited Latvia to participate in a screening arranged by Green Liberty.

A meeting with the advertising company Velvet was held to discuss the campaign to be held in autumn. Additionally, the World Village Festival was attended in Helsinki to get to know communication and dissemination activities of other NGOs.

Two guerilla actions were also held during spring: global topics quiz during Seto Folk and working with refugees living in Estonia to introduce Syrian and Palestinian dishes to the wider audience during the opening festivities of the Estonian Presidency 2017.











Work with Policy-Makers
To prepare for the policy-makers joint trip to Philippines (organised by PIN), we met with mr Rainer Vakra, a social democrat MP.
During these months, work also continued on preparing the roundtable and conference in September.

In the beginning of May, an inspiring event for general audience and policy makers was held near Mondo's office in Telliskivi – an education seminar called "Education Quality = Sustainable World?". The main topic of the event was global education in the framework of SDGs. Photos of the event can be seen here.
Panelists were given gifts of baskets woven by women in Ghana.

On the topic of SDG 4 (Quality and Global Education) a bulletin for policy makers was also edited and printed: http://www.mondo.org.ee/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/teataja_1_2017_veeb.pdf

For the beginning of Estonia's EU presidency, a second bulletin on EU development policies was also published for policy makers. The bulletin can be seen here: http://mondo.org.ee/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/mondo-arengupoliitika-teataja-el-eesistumine.pdf

In May, the Parliamentary Bureau asked for Mondo's input to send out an information e-mail to all the members of the Parliament celebrating the Parliament's African Day. We encouraged the Bureau to introduce the documentary films made by ERR as a part of M4D. The e-mail was sent to all members of the parliament.




Also in May, the representatives of The Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) visited Mondo's office along with MFA officials:







 Work with Journalists
After a public competetion, a journalist from Postimees (K. Meresma) was chosen to take part of the training to journalists arranged by VIKES. We also met with her to discuss possible future plans and activities after the training.
A journalist (A. Lobjakas) was selected to participate in the joint study trip to Afghanistan arranged by BAAG and the several meetings were held with him.

As a continuation of last year's training directed to journalists, this year we teamed together with the training section of Postimees to arrange an internal seminar for their employees. The seminar took place on the 25th of May under the title of "Press Freedom and Corruption". The main star of the event was Mexican journalist and media expert Elva Narcia, who has worked internationally from Norway and South Sudan to Afghanistan and Ethiopia. 7 journalists attended the discussion with Elva.

The last M4D grant competition was held for experienced journalists. We received 10 very thorough and interesting project ideas. The jury selected L. Tankler and I. Soopan as the winners. The duo proposed an interesting multimedia investigation of the issues social and sustainability issues in the delta of Mekong river in Vietnam.




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