Abhivyakti Media for Development

Abhivyakti draws on alternative media as part of its goal to enable people to fulfill their basic political, social, economic, and cultural goals by participating in creating the type of society they want to live in. Specifically, the strategy involves working with grassroots groups and young people to try to enhance their effectiveness as community workers by focusing on their roles as communicators and exploring uses of media to generate community learning.

Specifically, Abhivyakti links up with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social groups/activists to facilitate their collaboration in the process of development. In partnership with the Resource and Support Centre for Development (RSCD), Navi Mumbai, Abhivyakti has been active in promoting networking among 70 organisations in the Uttar Maharashtra region (comprising the districts of Dhule, Jalgoan, Nandurbar, Nasik, and Nagar). The 'Uttar Maharashtra Lok Vikas Manch' network is governed by a core group of 13 organisations whose work to strengthen the local development initiatives launched by small NGOs, community-based organisations (CBOs), and grassroot groups to the end of forming a force that pushes for people-centred developmental policies and perspectives. Various awareness-building and training activities are organised as part of this partnership process. Three central issues that these activities focus on are women's development, water management, and tribal development (especially food security issues). In addition, Abhivyakti and Anubhav Shiksha together try to strengthen the potential of youth. Abhivyakti is also part of the international network 'Videazimut, which aims to support communication processes for development purposes.

Capacity-building workshops - mostly in Nashik - are designed to help advance the knowledge and communication skills of various developmental actors. Some of these workshops are conducted at the request of organisations throughout the country. In an effort to facilitate the creation and utilisation of alternative media, these trainings and workshops are based on participatory and experiential methodology.

Abhivyakti produces and disseminates its own media, much of which is featured on the Abhivyakti website. Abhivyakti has a series of publications to promote people-centred knowledge through booklets, journals, newsletters, and posters. These and other publications aim to promote communication by providing information and instigating debate on critical issues affecting media and the cultural landscape. For example, Abhivyakti has produced eight 40-minute-long video magazines called "Satyachitra" in the local language Marathi, as well as in English. Some of the issues covered are water as a resource, tribal malnutrition, and genetically engineered food. The Womens Kit contains photos, songs, and information on gender and discrimination. Two booklets focused on media education are entitled In the World of Mass Media and Media Education In the Indian Context. Abhivyakti has also produced audio cassettes focusing on social themes like literacy, gender roles, and forest sustainability. All the cassetes are in Marathi; some are designed for use by children. A family life education module is designed for youth (particularly female students). The module covers sex education, reproduction, reproductive health, values, roles, and identity. Photokinesis is an online gallery that exhibits socially relevant images submitted by community members. According to the description on the site, "By engaging in creating meaning of the image individually and collectively..." Abhivyakti has also established a Media Resource Centre in Nashik that offers documentaries, books, journals, low-cost material like puppet shows, posters, and flip-charts.

Abhivyakti has launched a media education programme in local Nashik schools. The purpose of this programme, which now reaches 500 students in 11 schools, is to equip children with critical awareness about media. Working closely with teachers and parents to design the weekly sessions, organisers use a participatory process in an attempt to discover ways of strengthening children's response towards the media. Abhivyakti developed a media syllabus along these lines for students in various grades. As part of this programme, Abhivyakti conducts pre- and post-tests to monitor and evaluate the impact of the media education sessions. In tandem with this programme, Abhivyakti organised Khullam Khulla Madhyam Jatra, an educational fair for children based on building critical awareness about mass media. The theme was educating while entertaining. All the stalls at the fair invited participation from children in an effort to stimulated their thinking.

Other youth-focused efforts include the Developing Youth Leadership project (partner: Smile-Anubhav, Pune), which involves the fostering of leadership skills among young people through training workshops on social issues; a college campaign on media awareness, self-awareness and family life education; developing media aids on social themes; and celebrating important days on relevant themes. In addition, 'Anubhav-Shikha' (Experiential Learning) is conducted in partnership with Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), Mumbai. Finally, a recently initiated programme is the phased training on development and media for selected youth. The idea is to develop committed youth cadre who would be involved in development-related activities.

Youth, Women, Gender, Nutrition, Environment.

Abhivyakti is dedicated to people-centered development. Organisers describe this process as a major shift away from the mainstream concept of development in which large-scale projects (like the building of a large dam) are understood to have greater significance. They worry that, in those cases, people can be left in the lurch, never considered worthy enough to decide for themselves and their communities what kind of society they want to live in. Abhivyakti sees the building up of alternative media as part of the solution. Organisers say that many people are habitualised to the images and messages of mass media, and thus have not noticed that programmes focused on specific groups and issues - in local languages - are being phased out.