OurMedia 9 Organizing Committee has made the decision to postpone the annual conference that had to take place next October 4-9 at the University of Sindh, in Pakistan.


The main reason for this postponement is the humanitarian crisis that has ravaged the North of Pakistan, which may also affect the Southern part of the country within the next few weeks.


The organizing committee hasn’t yet decided when or where OurMedia 9 will take place. As it has happened in the past, the OM International Committee will analyze institutional proposals to host the next conference and the main criteria will be the potential for funding and the leadership of a strong Local Committee to organize the meeting.


Any news about the next OurMedia conference will be circulated to the entire OM list and posted at  Our media website: http://www.ourmedianetwork.org

Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum seeks talented drama writers, story liners, producers and directors for its upcoming Radio drama project on ‘Radio Drama for Empowering Women and Children’, which is to be aired through Jaffna Service.

Radio drama is a powerful medium of art to empower the vulnerable communities specially women and children. It acts as a catalyst for social change and contributes to uplift the life standard of communities. People are given the opportunity to witness the realities of their life through radio dramas. Most of the developing countries use radio drama targeting various social segments such as war victims, IDPs, economically vulnerable, people who are under custody and jailed, voiceless women and so on. Radio drama is a medium, which directly influences the mindset of the target audience. Because Radio drama itself has a power than other media to grabs and attracts the mindset of people, in order to realize the issues that the target group is facing.

Our Radio drama will focus the vulnerable women and children who were badly affected by the war and counter attack in the north.

Writers are expected to work fulltime at SDJF head office until the successful completion of the project. Other applicants can work in part –time basis. SDJF has an attractive remuneration scheme for these posts.

Objectives of this drama project are,

• To encourage women and children with hopes, confidents, trust and interest on their future, through a series of human stories
• To encourage the preparedness of children and women to meet brightest future with strong psychological strength
• To facilitate the children and women toward strengthen self-esteem, through real human characters and strong stories
• To focus how the emotional, attitudinal, behavioral changes that needs to be happen among the women and children in order to succeed the challenges in the post conflict social context
• To Fostering awareness on domestic violations, sexual harassment and gender discriminations and make them stand on their own
• To create an equal social status to the effected, vulnerable, disable children and women through the radio drama
• To create a conceptual world, where gender equality is been practiced, respected and patriarchal is broken and men and women enjoy equal rights, equal social status and equal role
• To Share inspirational thoughts through the dramatic characters which help them to improves their enthusiasm and engagement on education and capacity building
• Encouraging women to be self motivated and empowered in economic, politics, decision making and strengthen enough to be broken down the conventional ideology about the women and establish strong role models through the radio drama

E-Mail your CV with a small write-up stating your professional background to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Deadline for receiving applications is 30th of August 2010.

After a decade, a new effort to start a community radio, targeting the fishery community in Sri Lanka is triggered by the Sri Lanka development journalist forum. An official meeting was taken place between the deputy Minister of fishery ,Susantha Punchi Nilame and the SDJf delegates, last week at the his resident.

A proposed concept note was handed over to the deputy minister of fishery, Susantha Punchi Nilame by SDJF chief executive officer M. C Rasmin and senior broadcaster Bandula saman vaturegama, who was the first producer of the fishery radio show produced by the ministry of fishery and explain the potential of the community radio for fishery community.

Sharing his view about the concept paper, “the major concern of the Government is build north and east and enhances a platform for multiple opportunities. The primary income source of the north and east community is fishery. Fishing industry plays a key role on their economical establishment. In this context, a community radio would be an ideal tool to cater our fishery community” pointed deputy minister.

“Communication is a core factor for the development. It‘s a powerful tool that can be used in the form of community radio in order to facilitate the development needs of the fishing community. I would extend my fullest support to succeed this initiative which will further enrich the ‘Mahinda chinthana development goals’. - Further added deputy minister.

The proposed fishery community radio is to be operated from Trincomalee. According to the initial plane given to the minister, an OB live programme for daily three hours, in the evening has been recommended. OB will be linked with the PRIFM which is a regional broadcasting station, functioning form the eastern part of the Sri Lanka.

The proposed community radio will focus the development needs of the fishery community. Special emphasize on education, health, culture, sports, sanitation, integrity, reconciliation and so on are to be given in the programmes. A new set of strategies for participatory awareness programmes on democracy, fishery rights, fishery law and regulations, health, new opportunities and peace are also included in the concept note.

Explaining his view about this proposed initiative DR. WADP wanigasundara, the chairperson of the borad of director of SDJF “SDJF is very keen to take this proposed initiative forward with our community radio experts and local resource pool. We would continuously discus the possibilities and end up with strong work plane. I am sure, a new chapter for local community radio history is to be begin with this initiatives”

A Three-day workshop was organized by the Peace Education team of the NPC in the context of ongoing efforts to improve and expand the knowledge and understanding of the National Pluralism Committee on pluralism; to independently identify and address the obstacles to pluralism and to apply the principles of pluralism in their communities and in the political arena. The workshop was held at Ecumenical Center, Colombo 6, recently.

15 of the 20 members that form the Pluralism Committee from nine districts (Ampara, Galle, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, Nuwaraeliya, Puttlam , Ratnapura and Trincomalee) attended the workshop. The 15 comprised nine Sinhalese, four Tamils and two Muslims, of which were 12 males, 2 females and 1 Buddhist monk.

Sydney Marcus Dias, Director, Thothenna -Children & Youth Development Center and M.C Rasmin – CEO/ Director, Sri Lanka Development Journalism Forum conducted the workshop.

At the workshop, the participants identified the differences and the key characteristics in "pluralistic” and “single dimensional” societies. This categorization helped them to understand the advantages of a “pluralistic” society over a “single dimensional” society and further enabled them to recognize the essential factors required within a society that accepts a “pluralistic” culture. This was achieved through the exchange of ideas and dialogue amongst the participants. The workshop also helped them to identify the social structures necessary for the development of a “pluralistic culture" and essential skills needed to adopt “pluralistic” values using components of the social structure such as education, art and literature, media and culture. Components such as art, literature and music, highlighted how each shapes an individual’s thoughts, emotions, attitudes and behavior while also influencing gender, religion and language. This helped them to grasp a better understanding of pluralistic values through art, literature and music and in doing so the participants grasped the importance of gender, democracy and moral values for the existence of a “pluralistic culture” while acknowledging the conditions necessary within a democracy.

As observed during the post workshop comments made by the participants and the evaluations, the workshop had exceeded their expectations. The participants claimed that the workshop enhanced their understanding and knowledge about pluralism and had also helped them identify the necessary tools required in implementing their action plans to address the issues in their specific districts to good effect. The participants also praised the trainer’s methods of using a discussion based forum, songs, video clips, films and meditative activities as they helped bring a wealth of ideas to the table.

Source: http://www.peace-srilanka.org