Back in the summer of 2010 I was thinking of ways to increase awareness of Citizens Eye across the city and county. The Community News Cafe had just started at Kona Blue Coffees and was proving to be popular and helped give a focal point to the week every Tuesday for one hour.
The question kept coming back to the fact that the volunteers could not possibly get out to every group across the whole city and county areas. If I could not physically go to them perhaps I could find a way to get them all to try us at least one community orientated news submission around a specific point in time.
This was the moment the Community Media Day concept was born. It lasted about 3 days of planning before it became a Community Media Week. A full 7 day program of events, workshops, training, networking sessions covering the city and county.
The first one took place between Monday 7th to Friday 13th November in 2010. It was without doubt the most exhausting thing I have ever done but proved the value of a focal event to get everyone 'shouting' about their communities of faith, no faith, demographic groups or geographic location.
It quickly became clear that to span a weekend would give a chance to engage more people so the 2nd Community Media Week took place in June from Wednesday 1st to 7th including a Saturday and Sunday. Having a large event over that weekend also helped to act as an anchor for training sessions. The Building Cycling Cultures Conference at the Phoenix Square was a perfect compliment due to my involvement in the Sky Ride mass participation cycling event over the August Bank Holiday.
So here we are with 2 weeks to go till the 3rd Community Media Week between 2nd to 8th November. How do I build on the Citizens Eye brand while keeping focused on the need to offer ways for people to find their voice using social media.
Strengthening ties with other citizen journalists across the Midlands and the UK is one way. These links include members of the Media Trust, Community Media Association and the #media2012 network. The London 2012 Games gives citizen journalists anywhere an opportunity to document where they live with the Olympics and Paralympics as a backdrop. Large sporting events have a unique way of affecting people's behaviour patterns in the same way a positive uptempo song can make people happy. It will be interesting to capture the motivational elements of the Games being on our shores against the reality of the cuts protests and austerity. Will the spending needed to make any community entertainment happen be readily available, will the cost be truly felt from 2013 onwards or paid back by the next generation. Look at Greece with their 2004 Olympic stadium.
That is why this Community Media Week is so important. It's the foundation of 2012. The 4th one is planned for June next year when we will be gripped by a patriotism not felt since the Silver Jubilee. So much has taken place to erode communities since then so that particular 7 days will be happening in an artificial bubble of optimism.
If you want to find out about social media and maybe take part in a free workshop, then check out the 7 day program. If you want to find your voice and have your say then you've come to the right place.
My Games My Legacy pledge is to... find 2,012 Community Reporters to report on their local communities! Come and join us..... make your own legacy beyond 2012 ..... http://www.citizenseye.org
In 12 months Citizens Eye will be opening a Museum of Citizens Journalism. Leicester's first virtual museum spread across 10 physical locations and linked through the power of digital media, handheld mobile technology, QR codes, social media and volunteer community reporters.
Someone asked me why the other day. Why not?
The question kept coming back to the fact that the volunteers could not possibly get out to every group across the whole city and county areas. If I could not physically go to them perhaps I could find a way to get them all to try us at least one community orientated news submission around a specific point in time.
This was the moment the Community Media Day concept was born. It lasted about 3 days of planning before it became a Community Media Week. A full 7 day program of events, workshops, training, networking sessions covering the city and county.
The first one took place between Monday 7th to Friday 13th November in 2010. It was without doubt the most exhausting thing I have ever done but proved the value of a focal event to get everyone 'shouting' about their communities of faith, no faith, demographic groups or geographic location.
It quickly became clear that to span a weekend would give a chance to engage more people so the 2nd Community Media Week took place in June from Wednesday 1st to 7th including a Saturday and Sunday. Having a large event over that weekend also helped to act as an anchor for training sessions. The Building Cycling Cultures Conference at the Phoenix Square was a perfect compliment due to my involvement in the Sky Ride mass participation cycling event over the August Bank Holiday.
So here we are with 2 weeks to go till the 3rd Community Media Week between 2nd to 8th November. How do I build on the Citizens Eye brand while keeping focused on the need to offer ways for people to find their voice using social media.
Strengthening ties with other citizen journalists across the Midlands and the UK is one way. These links include members of the Media Trust, Community Media Association and the #media2012 network. The London 2012 Games gives citizen journalists anywhere an opportunity to document where they live with the Olympics and Paralympics as a backdrop. Large sporting events have a unique way of affecting people's behaviour patterns in the same way a positive uptempo song can make people happy. It will be interesting to capture the motivational elements of the Games being on our shores against the reality of the cuts protests and austerity. Will the spending needed to make any community entertainment happen be readily available, will the cost be truly felt from 2013 onwards or paid back by the next generation. Look at Greece with their 2004 Olympic stadium.
That is why this Community Media Week is so important. It's the foundation of 2012. The 4th one is planned for June next year when we will be gripped by a patriotism not felt since the Silver Jubilee. So much has taken place to erode communities since then so that particular 7 days will be happening in an artificial bubble of optimism.
If you want to find out about social media and maybe take part in a free workshop, then check out the 7 day program. If you want to find your voice and have your say then you've come to the right place.
My Games My Legacy pledge is to... find 2,012 Community Reporters to report on their local communities! Come and join us..... make your own legacy beyond 2012 ..... http://www.citizenseye.org
In 12 months Citizens Eye will be opening a Museum of Citizens Journalism. Leicester's first virtual museum spread across 10 physical locations and linked through the power of digital media, handheld mobile technology, QR codes, social media and volunteer community reporters.
Someone asked me why the other day. Why not?
