The Drum Beat 330 - Communication and Change News and Issues

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As this is our final issue of The Drum Beat in 2005, we would like to express our gratitude for your support through the past year. Whatever your choice of celebration at this time, we wish you peace and prosperity in 2006. We look forward to working with and in support of you.
- The Communication Initiative Team

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The next issue of The Drum Beat will be published on January 23 2006. We take this month of transition from 2005 into 2006 as a time to address our queue of communication projects, publications, articles, events and awards that are waiting for summary inclusion. We look forward to our communication with you, our network, as we work to share your achievements.

DB Classifieds will continue to be published as regularly scheduled: Vacancies on December 21 2005 and Training, Materials, Events (TME) on January 4 2006.

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THINKING

1. Research as Empowerment?
This report offers information based on a series of seminars organised by the Toronto Group that examined evidence-based policy and practice in health and social care. The seminars, which took place in different locations in England, covered four topics: involving service users in traditional or mainstream research; involving service users in peer review; involving people from black and minority ethnic communities in research; and emancipatory research. Some of the issues described in this report centre around perspective. For instance, the report suggests that white researchers may not address the questions that people from black and minority ethnic communities see as a priority. In addition, the report makes note of the fact that research carried out by service users is rarely published in peer-reviewed journals and as a result does not gain recognition from other parts of the research community, or from those who judge the quality of research.

2. Managing Fear, Giving Hope: HIV/AIDS and Family Planning Behavior Change Communication Guidelines for Urban Youth
"The purpose of this supplemental report is to provide a systematic, easy method for developing effective health risk messages using data gathered according to a well-tested behavior change communication theory. In other words, our goal is to demonstrate how to translate theory and empirical research into practice. By using theory-based research in our health risk messages, we more efficiently and effectively develop communications that work. Cost is reduced as well because the use of data and a proven theory cuts trial-and-error time as well as expensive mistakes."

3. Using Facilitation to Solve an ICT Problem
by Roslynn Brain, Kathleen Hyland, Franklin Kutuadu, Elizabeth Kent, Krista Moyer & Claire Pitt
This article describes the experience of University of Guelph students and library staff as they attempt to navigate through the complex and changing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Librarians and students agreed that creating a web portal would be useful, yet the goals were not clearly established and the librarians contended that the portal would be rendered obsolete as the library refined its website technology. According to the authors, this situation created a crisis because of misconceptions and a lack of consistent and clear communication. The process of facilitation described within this article helped remedy the situation.

4. Why Gujarat Farmers are Celebrating this Writing on the Wall
by Hiral Dave
This article describes a 2-kilometre wall of slogans created at Junagadh Agriculture University in India which offers farmers the latest research and information pertinent to their livelihoods. This agricultural university carries out research in fields such as biotechnology, aromatic plants, medicinal value of plants and trees, and pesticides. Each of the University's 35 departments contributes at least 5 useful tips, which are then translated into simple language that a farmer with only a basic education can understand. The use of graffiti, or slogans, is meant to make the latest news easy for farmers to read and benefit from; as reported in this article, this form of unintimidating information-sharing has proven particularly helpful for shy farmers. 

5. Literacy and Livelihoods Experts Meet in Vancouver
This article describes a meeting held in Vancouver in November 2004 to discuss ways that The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) can provide greater support to Commonwealth developing countries seeking to improve the livelihood opportunities of the illiterate people living within them. Participants at the meeting described literacy development programmes as generally lacking in coordination and noted that the role of literacy in development is not well understood; the group almost unanimously agreed that COL should assist policy makers in developing and implementing policies that foster the integration of literacy skills acquisition with livelihoods development initiatives. One session focused on how schools on boats can provide unique learning opportunities for people who live in remote areas of Bangladesh. This article also highlighted some features from the COL Literacy Project (COLLIT), which was carried out in India and Zambia to explore ways in which literacy programmes could be enhanced through the use of appropriate technologies.

6. Psychosocial Context of Young Adult Sexual Behavior in Nicaragua: Looking Through the Gender Lens
by Manju Rani, Maria Elena Figueroa & Robert Ainsle
This paper examines the nature and magnitude of gender differences in sexual norms among young adults in Nicaragua, considers how these differences affect sexual behaviour, and explores how this information could be brought to bear on the design of adolescent reproductive health programming. The empirical findings presented in this report are based on data from a representative cross-sectional survey that was conducted in 6 departments in the Pacific region of Nicaragua in 1998. In the words of the authors, "Carefully designed programs that involve all elements of society, including community institutions, can explicitly question differences in sexual norms, raise awareness about their unjust nature and properly educate young people. Several nongovernmental and community-based organizations, such as Puntos de Encuentros, are already active in this arena. However, programs need to recognize the source, magnitude and nature of gender differences if they are to serve as external catalysts for change..."

7. Mass Media: A Tool for Empowerment of Asian Women?
This article details the outcomes of a workshop on gender, media and development in September 2003 in Vietnam. The purpose of this workshop was to analyse the role of the mass media in propagating gender equality and to explore models and experiences that promote the active participation of communities in their own development. The workshop ended with participants making recommendations on how to move forward in the struggle to ensure that the mass media become a tool for women's empowerment in Asia.

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The December 2005 issue of the DB Classifieds - Vacancies will be published on December 21. Please send your vacant posts to Jennifer Savidge [email protected] by December 19 2005.

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EVALUATIONS

8. Reducing Iron-Deficiency Anemia and Changing Dietary Behaviors among Adolescent Girls in Maharashtra, India
This research brief explores and evaluates communication strategies developed to address India's high prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia among women. The Institute of Health Management-Pachod (IHMP), in collaboration with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), conducted a 3-year community intervention trial in Maharashtra, India among unmarried adolescent girls aged 10 to 19. The research brief proposes the following policy implications: "the government's anemia prevention and control programme should focus on adolescents; participatory nutrition education can influence adolescent girls' anemia and dietary behavior; iron supplementation programs need to include nutrition education programs to be effective; key dietary behavior messages for girls include: eating more than 3 meals a day, eating with family so as to eat enough, eating green vegetables daily, and eating lemon or amla with meals; and more effective methods need to be devised for community-based Hb testing."

9. Stimulating Participation in Human Development Through Theatre: A Case Study of Mobile Laboratory Experiments
by Yacoub Adeleke
This presentation at the 4th International Entertainment-Education Conference in Cape Town in 2004 explored the use of Theatre for Development (TFD) and its application in community development based on the presenter's experiences in Nigeria. Adeleke explores the different ways in which participation can be realised in development through theatre, including the roles of costume, music, dance folklore, language and space. Two main methodologies are presented. The Inside-Out or Homestead methodology requires that the facilitator or animator (a coordinator, not an instructor) reside in the community for the period speculated for the experiment, studying lifestyles, culture and condition of living, and then jointly (with the people) finding logical resolutions to the identified problems through discussions, debate, and the creation and performance of plays. In the Outside-In or Migrant technique the community is not directly involved in the processes of play-making (a major development strategy in TFD). Though often criticised, Adeleke argues that, if well employed, this technique could still be very effective.

10. Impact Data - Adolescence: Time of Choices - Chile
Between baseline and 21-month follow-up, knowledge of sexuality, reproduction, contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, increased significantly more among youth in intervention schools versus those in comparison schools. The evaluation found that this programme resulted in a delayed initiation of sexual intercourse. Evaluators found a statistically significant increase in contraceptive use among sexually experienced female students in the intervention schools versus sexually experienced female students from comparison schools. Evaluators also found a statistically significant decline in the proportion of young women from the intervention schools who became pregnant (down from 15% to 10%). In the comparison schools, the decline was not significant.

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Please participate in our Pulse Poll

Having reviewed the data in The Drum Beat 328 and other impact data on The CI website, there is compelling evidence of the direct impact of development communication.

[Please see The Drum Beat 328]

Do you agree or disagree?

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MATERIALS

11. Successful Communication: A Toolkit for Researchers and Civil Society Organisations
This toolkit addresses the questions of how researchers and civil society organisations (CSOs) can best communicate evidence in order to inform or influence policy, to achieve their own stated development objectives, or simply to make their own knowledge accessible and understandable to a wider audience. It presents 23 tools, divided into the following categories: 'Planning', 'Packaging', 'Targeting' and 'Monitoring.'

12. How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change
This online "how-to" guide is designed to help people plan and understand a specific process behind effective and field-tested community mobilisation programmes. The guide describes community mobilisation in a series of phases, starting with the first phase ("Prepare to Mobilize") and followed by "organizing the community for action, exploring the health issues and setting priorities, planning, acting, and evaluating together, and scaling up." Country profiles focus on Bolivia, Peru, and the Philippines.

13. Perspectives on Distance Education: Emerging Trends in the Development of School Networking Initiatives
by Vis Naidoo & Heba Ramzy This 137-page publication offers policy-makers and educators a collection of research and case studies relating to school networking models from 7 regions of the world. Trends and issues to be considered in supporting learning, teaching, management and teacher training processes are described.

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Survey - Field Radio

If you were designing an audio recorder for the field, what would be the 5 most important things to keep in mind? Please share any horror stories where equipment failed at the wrong moment - what did you do to recover the recording? Send your list to Jonathan Marks [email protected]

If your contribution is used, Jonathan will send you a copy of an upcoming electronic book on this subject and will credit you in the publication.

Deadline for contributions is December 31 2005.

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UNIVERSITIES

14. Columbia University - New York, United States

• Human Rights Advocates Programme: Human Rights Advocacy & the Global Economy A 4-month programme working to enable 8 proven human rights leaders from developing countries to participate more effectively in national and international policy debates on economic globalisation.

15. University for Peace - San Jose, Costa Rica

• MA in Gender and Peace Building Designed to support women and men who participate in social, economic and political processes of change and who are interested in key issues of gender and peace building.
• MA in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes Open to students with a first degree in law, international affairs, political science or other appropriate discipline.

16. London School of Economics - London, United Kingdom

• MSc Health, Community & Development Explores the role of community participation and small-scale collective action in public health and health promotion. It pays particular attention to the psycho-social processes underlying the impact of collective action on health, and explores the mechanisms whereby social development approaches have the potential to lead not only to improved health, but also to transformatory social action.

17. University of Kwazulu Natal - Durban, South Africa

• Masters Degrees and Ph.D's in Culture, Communication & Media Creativity, strategic analysis and problem-solving skills are taught in the framework of 3 integrated fields - culture, communication, and media studies.

18. University of Leicester - Leicester, United Kingdom

• MA Globalisation & Communications Designed to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in theories, perspectives and research related to globalisation and communications.
• MSc in Media & Communication Research Designed to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in the theories, approaches and research methods necessary for studying, analysing, and understanding media and communication processes in national and global contexts.
• M.Phil & Ph.D Degrees in Mass Communications Applications are particularly welcome from graduates who would like to study in the following areas: transnational communication and globalisation, political communication, gender and ethnicity, influence and representation, or production and consumption.

19. University of the West Indies - Jamaica
Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC)

• MA in Communication for Social and Behaviour Change Designed to provide students with a foundation in theory, research methods and practice. Students are expected to be prepared to develop, deliver, and evaluate communication campaigns for social and behaviour change as well as to disseminate information to a wide variety of potential audiences.
• MA in Communication Studies At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant communication theories and their application.

20. University of Reading - Reading, United Kingdom

• MSc in Communication for Development Aims to develop participants' critical understanding of communication theory and the practical application of communication media in development contexts, as well as to strengthen professional competence in the design, planning and management of information and knowledge interventions.
• MA in Social Development & Sustainable Livelihoods Provides opportunities for developing relevant analytical and management skills through exploring the wider issues of social change and an appreciation of cultural factors in development.

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The next issue of The Drum Beat will be published on
January 23 2006. Thank you.

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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

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