Promote conservation in 15 Caribbean islands!

Happy Holiday season!  We have had an amazing year thanks to the support of each and every one of our partners, including you!

Some of the major milestones of the year have included:

• Callaloo ON-AIR in 10 countries and 11 radio stations
• The launch of the Callaloo Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CallalooRadioDrama) as well as released Posters, Banners, and other marketing and promotions campaigns
• Callaloo Smartphone advertising (thanks to InMobi)
• Callaloo is now ONLINE! at http://mediaimpact.org/ as well as cross-posted to the Callaloo and PCI-Media Impact Facebook pages – make sure you are listening in!
• Callaloo launch events held in New York and the Caribbean.
• We have welcomed a range of partners to the program allowing us to broaden the base of our technical expertise, delve into trans-media Entertainment Education as well as secure financial resources.
• We have expanded our team! Welcoming Will Banham, Tyrone Buckmire, Jessica Robbins and Della Ashby to join Alleyne Regis, Brenda Campos and Sean Southey as part of the Media Impact My Island family
• We have started the My Island Coalition Building workshops.

Welcome Will Banham

We are thrilled to announce that Will Banham (wbanham@mediaimpact.org) has joined the team as Programs Director based in New York.  Will will support the coordination and management of the My Island program as well as Media Impact’s work in Africa.  Will comes to the team from the Wildlife Conservation Society. 

Production of Callaloo, the radio drama ‘made wit Caribbean flava’

The production and airing Callaloo is going strong.  The eleven radio stations are broadcasting between episodes 18 to 23.  Negotiations are continuing to get Callaloo on-air in Trinidad, Barbados, Belize, St, Martin and Abaco, Bahamas.  You can now listen to Callaloo online from the Callaloo Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CallalooRadioDrama and http://mediaimpact.org/. 

Please LIKE our Facebook page and SHARE with your friends http://www.facebook.com/CallalooRadioDrama 

My Community Action Campaign Workshops complete

Tyrone and Alleyne were joined by 14 persons representing 13 organizations in Grenada for the My Island Coalition Building workshop.  The workshop resulted in:

• Establishment of a diverse, engaged and motivated coalition in Grenada;
• Strengthened capacity of Grenada coalition members to effectively use communications and community mobilization strategies; and,
• Identification of priority issues and potential campaign ideas as well as a clear workplan to articulate the My Community Action Campaign.

Throughout the two days the participants were upbeat and participated actively in discussion, they were all fully in support of the coalition and expressed enthusiastic commitment to working together to take on the problems identified and discussed.

Tyrone is working closely with coalition members in Tobago, St. Vincent & Grenadines and Jamaica to host coalition building workshops in early 2012.  Media Impact will also explore hosting workshops in other countries on demand.  The Jamaica coalition building workshop is tentatively scheduled for 6 to 10 February 2012.

Integrating HIV/AIDS into TV and other Radio Dramas in Caribbean

As part of the CARISMA grant, Media Impact’s Christine Bailey has been supporting the My Island team in integrating HIV/AIDS messaging into existing television and radio dramas across the Caribbean. There are some exciting opportunities that are being explored. We will keep you up to date on progress.

CANARI – Bush Melee and Bush Talk

Fire, drama and passion are pulled together in a bush melee that will hit the St. Vincent airwaves soon.

Bush Melee is a new local radio mini drama about love, life and livelihoods around St. Vincent.  Tune in to meet Mavis, a jewelry maker who is struggling to single handedly look after her six children to Mr. Pappyshow who is known by all for his bad attitude and taste for rum. 

Bush Melee will be aired as part of a broader radio magazine, Bush Talk, that discusses issues of how to use the forests and its resources in a ways that will make sure we can continue to get food and clean water for our children’s generations.

Bush Talk and Bush Melee have been developed as part of a workshop that was facilitated by St. Vincent Department of Forestry, CANARI and PCI-Media Impact held in early October 2011 in Kingstown, St. Vincent that involved representatives of local civil society organizations and state agencies that work in areas related to forest management. 

Bush Talk and Bush Melee were both written and produced during this workshop to focus on local values and issues in St. Vincent.  These efforts are part of overall public education and outreach effort funded by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO) to promote community involvement in forest management to benefit local livelihoods. Participants in the programme also gained hands-on experience in how to use Entertainment-Education that they can use later in their individual organisations for their public education activities.

Plans for 2012

A major focus of 2012 will be continuing the radio drama as well as working with our coalitions to design and implement My Community Action Campaigns.  The Action Campaigns provide an exciting opportunity to mobilize the community around their local issues for on the ground results. We are looking forward to seeing many campaigns launched in 2012 from mangrove replanting to street theatre to promote awareness in HIV/AIDS.

Thank you once again to our amazing partners for all of your input, dedication, and patients throughout the year!  We are looking forward to working with you in 2012. 

Links:

• Callaloo on Facebook
• Media Impact Website