The Drum Beat 557 - Peer-to-Peer Communication
Peer-to-Peer Communication
In reading and writing about communication for development, "peer-to-peer" has become a phrase I find in a variety of contexts with a meaning that changes depending largely on the needs of the situation. Generally, it seems to be applied to any of the following: horizontal (rather than hierarchical) messaging, computer network-sharing schemes, and certain behaviour change communication project structures in which trained peers become the medium of dissemination to those of similar ages, genders, social classes /castes, etc. - among other applications and definitions.
Taking a definition from the computer networking world, we might examine "peer-to-peer" applications through a slightly different lens: "Peers are both suppliers and consumers of resources, in contrast to the traditional client-server model where only servers supply, and clients consume." [Wikipedia] I wonder if that differentiation between the "client-server" model, which can include horizontal messaging, but that implies one-way message delivery and the "peers as both suppliers and consumers" model, implying an active network, can serve as a useful basis for a further examination? Included below are a variety of initiatives found on The CI website that might share the peer-to-peer umbrella.
You can find more examples and further thinking within these Africa-focused issues of The Soul Beat: one from April 2010 on peer education and mentorships, and one from December 2007 on peer education.
Julie Levy jlevy@comminit.com
Internet Tools and Dedicated Platforms for Peer Sharing
Beginning with a look at projects involving web platforms as the enablers of peer contact, I was curious about what is often called the "hardest-to-reach" generation - the youth segment - and found two interesting platforms for peer-to-peer networking. YouthNoise (YN) is an interactive online community that enables youth to join together as like-minded people in taking action for whatever cause they are passionate about. It promotes youth civic engagement and community service through the integration of technologies, including MyCauseIs, a place to create personalised web pages, upload videos and photos, write blogs, and invite friends. YN supports youth in creating social networks around specific interests, with 100% user-generated content. Global Girl Media (GGM) was developed to nurture the voice and visions of girls and young women in underserved communities and developing nations by training them as citizen broadcast journalists to speak out about the issues that affect them most. GGM gives girls an interactive website and social networking platform that leverages new internet technologies for sharing user-generated content, including streaming video.
Journalists find themselves in situations that sometimes involve risk and repression. Journalists in nations whose current political contexts might be described as fragile have peer communication needs that may be best answered by their in-country colleagues. Two examples surfaced recently. A senior Zimbabwean journalist designed MediaInZimbabwe (MIZ) as a tool for Zimbabwean journalists and those who write about Zimbabwe. It intends to serve as a platform for networking that keeps journalists - including freelance journalists - up to date on training opportunities and organisations supportive of their work as the country works to emerge from crisis into a young democracy. Palestinian journalists can access Sahafa Club, an online platform that aims to support freedom of expression and professional development and exchange of information amongst Palestinian journalists.
Know of other platforms for peer communications? Send them our way! drumbeat@comminit.com
Person-to-Person
Online platforms provide tools that potentially reach as far as the web reaches. However, I have found many examples in which person-to-person communication tends to be the "outreach medium for the last mile" - both in terms of geographic reach and of reach into populations whose trust has been marginalised. When people are asked to deliver messages that may not be easily accepted by peers, the messages often need to be tailored by those with deep cultural knowledge who have already developed trusting relationships within communities.
Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future) in Ethiopia is designed to assist out-of-school girls, especially migrant adolescent girls who have relocated to urban areas, in reducing their social isolation through support networks with other girls, as well as mentor relationships with supportive adults. Binti Pamoja (Daughters United) Peer Education Programme in Kenya creates a safe space for girls and young women to discuss reproductive health issues and to address problems such as gender discrimination, domestic abuse, and rape in the Kibera community. A community drama group writes and performs dramas on drug abuse, abortion, and discrimination against people living with HIV; the plays are followed by a member-facilitated discussion with the audience. And in Seattle, state of Washington, United States, the BABES Network provides opportunities for women living with HIV to come together for mutual support through peer counselling, support groups, publications, retreats, and advocacy.
An evaluation of a "last mile" project can be found in: "'I Have Seen the Changes': People's Stories of HIV/AIDS Behaviour Change in Papua". This report offers a Most Significant Change (MSC) technique evaluation for a peer-education-based HIV awareness initiative conducted in more than 200 remote communities in the highlands of the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua. Another initiative, The Suitcase Project, emphasises trust among peers - specifically, among refugee children in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. It uses artwork and journaling to build relationships between children and facilitators, and to help the children support each other to heal from past trauma.
Know of peer-to-peer research and projects from other regions? Send them through! drumbeat@comminit.com
Using Media
In addition to internet platforms and person-to-person message delivery, there are numerous examples of the use of photography, radio, the Internet, and theatre as peer-to-peer vehicles. For example:
Radio: Timasukirane ("Let's Talk Openly") is a radio initiative in Malawi for young people that consists of an edutainment drama series and a weekly talk show. Issues are explained through the personal experiences of the featured young people, rather than an authoritative opinion, with the intent of influencing others to make positive changes in their attitudes and behaviour.
For more examples, filter the The CI's Experiences section as "Is All Of" for Radio and Interpersonal.
Theatre: "Looking for Amina": An Experience of Forum Theatre exemplifies audience-interaction-style theatre in Spain that intends to generate peer-to-peer exchanges based on the presentation of plays on community issues followed by audience consultation/discussion focused on solutions to the issues presented, which are then dramatised - on-the-spot - through improvisation. In the tradition of Theatre for the Oppressed and Legislative Theatre, plays are often community-generated and feature community actors.
For more examples, filter The CI's Experiences section as "Is All Of" for Live Drama and Interpersonal.
Photography: This student photography project in Ghana, Turning the Lens toward Community, focuses on incorporating the values that govern the social environment in which students live into processes of teaching and learning youth media, in part by incorporating peer-to-peer training.
For more examples, filter The CI's Experiences section as "Is All Of" for Visual Arts and Interpersonal.
The Web: Adapting the social networking function of peer-to-peer communication in the computer world, Obama's Wired Campaign: Lessons for Public Health Communication reviews and analyses the use of new media by the United States presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2008 in order to extract elements that might be useful in public health campaigning. One lesson is this: "Encourage horizontal (i.e., peer-to-peer and social network) communications of campaign messages as social influence and modeling are important drivers of behavior. Embrace user-generated messages and content, especially in the case where top-down campaign messages are straightforward and translatable by the public."
For more examples, filter The CI's Experiences section as "Is All Of" for Digital and Interpersonal.
Multi-media: The question of scaling up peer-to-peer communication projects is especially relevant if peers are both suppliers and consumers. In this 6-year effort to reach more than 1,060,000 youth by relaying HIV prevention messages, Scaling-up "Together We Can" uses multiple forms of media to support peer-to-peer dialogue.
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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Julie Levy.
The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.
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