Radio Farah Al Nas

This radio initiative is designed to be fully grounded in community needs and realities, with young people at the helm. For this reason, Internews trained and supported young people ages 10 to 24 to operate the radio station. The young journalists are learning the technical and journalistic skills needed to fulfill their commitment to "promoting change for their communities and country through transparent reporting and unbiased news coverage." Radio Farah Al Nas broadcasts focus on development issues that directly affect Jordanians, in particular, youth and women.

Farah Al Nas produces 3 main programmes:

1. "Woman Today," broadcast twice weekly, deals with issues such as women's right to education, a career, and life, as well as discrimination against women - whether judicial or societal. It also stresses the importance of empowering women financially and intellectually. Some topics of discussion are: Jordanian women's right to give their nationality to their children; the right to get promoted based on qualifications rather than gender; the right to all vacations as per the labour law; and injustice to women due to so-called "honour crimes" and sexual harassment.
2. Aired 3 times per week, "Youth" deals with the concerns and aspirations of young people.
3. "Min Qalb El Nass" ("From the Heart of the People") deals with people's daily concerns.

To encourage a sense of community ownership of this endeavour, organisers invited volunteers affiliated with PBYRC to gather as soon as construction on the station started so that they could ask questions about the equipment and the broadcast process. The PBYRC volunteers have also started asking if they can participate in programmes, request songs, and/or play music and sing on the air. The station staff hope that, in a few years, their ranks will include many of these volunteers, and that some of the children from PBYRC's kindergarten class will be inspired to pursue careers as journalists and disc jockeys (DJs). People from surrounding neighbourhoods also began asking questions about the new tower and antennas and plans for this new community radio station. Considering the friendliness of the residents of this area, the station manager says, "I am expecting them to knock at our doors to tell their stories and talk about their problems."

As this comment reflects, the station's process involves not merely sharing information, but also facilitating community engagement and activism. "By serving as an entryway through which issues can be brought to light to the general public and decision-makers, Farah Al Nas will encourage suitable solutions to be reached." For example, in early 2009 the station held a week-long campaign dealing with violence against women that featured the voices of women affected by violence talking openly on the air about their experiences. And in January 2009, when a child was killed by a truck, community members grew upset at how many children had been injured or killed by trucks passing through that neighbourhood. Working with all affected parties, Farah Al Nas held a campaign to ban trucks from entering the area.

Children, Youth, Women, Rights.

The station builds on an existing partnership between Internews, and WKU, which established AutoStrad, a youth radio production unit, at the PBYRC in 2005. Young trainees gained real-life experience producing programming at the Autostrad studio, and their programmes have aired on Jordanian radio stations.