Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) strives for the following core interventions to contribute in achieving the SDGs, the 7th five Years Plan of Government of Bangladesh, and the UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan through:

• Community Broadcasting (Community Radio & Community TV Community Film) for amplifying voices for the voiceless
• Right to Information (RTI) for ensuring improved livelihood of the marginalized
• ICT for Development for Bridging the Digital Divide in rural areas
• Community Film for Social Transformation

In particular, it is implementing its Community Media Fellowship Program for Dalit youth & youth women in Media and Journalism aiming to ensure the access of Dalit communities to the mass media with support from Free Press Unlimited.

The objective of the program is to facilitate in creating an enabling environment for the Dalits youth and youth women and enrolled in the media and journalism for developing as professional community media journalist in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG10).

The duration of the Fellowship Program is three months. This is the sixth batch of the program engaging the rural marginalized youth communities in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited. Total of 16 fellows has been working at 10 community radio stations in the country under the program.   Already they have produced and broadcasted altogether 160 audio programs (news bulletin/case study/life sketch etc.)  and prepared 32 reports and feature for the local newspaper. These programs and reports covered the issues like education of girl and children, women empowerment, their rights, child marriage, mother & child’s health, adolescent health, disability, transgender, ethnic and Dalits news and some success story.

To enhance these fellows’ understanding, knowledge and skills on community mobilization and  journalism in line with Women-Child and Dalit issues a two-day long training workshop on “Fellowship for Youth and Youth Women in Community Media and Journalism” was organized on 17 August 2017 at YWCA Conference Room, Mohammadpur in Dhaka.

During the workshop the Dalits youth and youth women fellows learned about  basic journalism, news source, techniques of interview, challenges and way forward during interview, overview of  Dalit Communities in Bangladesh, scope  of radio  reporting on Dalit Communities, radio news and program formatting, writing features in line with women, child and Dalit issues for newspaper, investigative reporting, technique and scope of investigative reporting for community media, process and technic of community mobilization and appropriate use of social media and  promoting  issue based radio programs through social media.

A total of 26 participants from 10 Community Radio Stations participated in the program. Among the participants, there were 16 Fellows and 10 Mentors attending in this course. It is to be mentioned here that since 2013 there were 87 youth women from 16 Community Radio Stations who have received this Fellowship on Journalism under the fellowship program.

The Community Radios are becoming an active ground for organizing dialogues at rural level. These dialogues will help the rural mass to find out their own voice and ensure leverage their free opinion in respect of social, economic, political , cultural and environmental issues.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) www.bnnrc.net