AMECEA: To Train Catholic Media Producers on Creative Peace Building Techniques
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The department of Social Communications for the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) in collaboration with Loyola Centre for Media and Communications (LCMC) are set to have an online training for over 150 Catholic media producers from AMECEA region on peace building techniques.
The 10-week workshop slated to commence this Tuesday June 8, is meant to equip radio and television journalists with techniques on creative story telling approaches for peace building using the People First Impact Method (PFIM) that will be of significance in various media organizations within the region where hostility, war and socio-political conflicts have been a challenge.
So far, registered participants are from almost all AMECEA conferences including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Sudan and South Sudan, Uganda and Zambia.
During the online training, journalist will be enlightened on conflict analysis tools which is a process of examining data in a bid to understand the extent and types of conflict as well as the actors in the community. This will help participants to “understand the conflict process, the importance of conflict analysis and actors mapping as well as the violence triangle among others.”
According to the course outline which has been developed, the Catholic media producers will be empowered on innovative community-based methods for transforming conflicts using the People First Impact Method (PFIM) to enable them listen to the people on the ground who are often the most affected, understand their concerns, and together with them identify the most effective approaches to conflict resolution and peace building.
The concept underlying the PFIM is to put the people affected at the centre of resolving and preventing social conflicts hence the importance of engaging in community dialogue in the process of facilitating communication.
Additionally, within the ten weeks, participants will be instructed on “working on conflict through restorative justice for victims of violence using radio, television and social media,” so they can know how to connect peace and justice.
The training shall be given with support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) pastoral solidarity fund.
