Innovation for Dialogue: Creative Experiences to Encourage Participation

"These days, it's not enough to have unbiased media and well-trained journalists to overcome challenges that the digital revolution has pushed to previously unknown limits. The public is increasingly protagonist in the creation of content, as well as its flows, and although traditional media - whether print, radio or television - are still relevant, they are not the only channels through which peole inform themselves of what is happening both locally and globally," points out Rodrigo Villarzú, DW Akademie's director for Latin America and the Caribbean. "That's why it's important to initiate innovation processes that invite citizens to participate in the media, as well as to create or reinvent the channels of communication. Training, he adds, is also essential.

Debates on the most relevant public issues now take place mainly online. This presents opportunities but also challenges, including disinformation and propaganda, the polarization of ideas and information bubbles. This leads to a shrinking of the public sphere, especially in the Global South. In Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, people face barriers in participating in global debates on an equal footing. This is due to a lack of equipment or Internet access, limited technologies in native languages or the lack of digital skills.

Innovation for Dialogue (I4D) is an essential tool for overcoming these challenges and improving training and communication. However, DW Akademie, like its partner organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, is aware that designing strategies based exclusively on digital technologies in these regions is a mistake because most of the projects are held in rural areas or in suburban neighborhoods. Therefore, following the I4D framework in the region, we aimed to combine traditional media - especially community radio because of its penetration power - with newer digital information and communication technologies.

This guide compiles and systematizes four of these training and content production proposals developed by DW Akademie together with some of its Latin American partners:

• Hackatón #ConectaCulturas, together with the Coordinadora de Medios Comunitarios Populares y Educativos del Ecuador (CORAPE).
• Reporteratón, in collaboration with Asociación de Radiodifusión Comunitaria Vokaribe in Barranquilla, Colombia.
• Colaboratorio, with the Centro de Producciones Radiofónicas (CEPRA) in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
• Cabinas Espaciales, with Radio Sónica, belonging to the Asociación de Servicios Culturales y Educativos (ASEC) in Guatemala.

At a time when commerce is driving information ecosystem innovation, these participation strategies improving public dialogue are a view from the territories - spaces where the best conditions for access and infrastructure are not always available.

Learn more in this new publication (download below), which is part of the "The Power of Voice. Community Media in Latin America" series. Enjoy!