Sharing Our Future community communications facilitators meet in Stephenville Thursday for the first networking workshops of the two year pilot project.

The facilitators are working in communities all over southwestern Newfoundland to encourage discussion of local issues and cultural celebration using participant controlled media, such as local television.

In addition, they will support networking between communities utilizing internet technologies as found in, for example, Community Access Program sites.

Also they will attempt to establish contact with Newfoundlanders who have moved away through email, web discussion boards and webcasting of local media events.

The facilitators are Sandra Barter and Mary barter of the Port au Port Peninsula; Beverley Kirby (interim) of Bay St. George; Sim Priddle of Bay St. George South; Angela King of Port aux Basques; Maxine Stewart of Ramea, and Marie Rose of Burgeo.

The workshops at the Stephenville Lions Club will be facilitated by Bruce Gilbert, executive director of the Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador.

The facilitators will also participate in the Youth, the Environment and the Economy conference on Friday.

Sharing Our Future welcomes new partners; to date the coalition includes the Community Education Network; the Long Range Regional Economic Development Board; the Community Access Program; Sir Wilfred Grenfell College; College of the North Atlantic; Ramea Broadcasting; Port au Port Economic Development Association; Bay St. George South Development Association; Association Regionale du Cote Ouest; Cormack Trail School Board; Ramea Economic Development Association; Stephenville Lions; Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador; Burgeo Broadcasting; Communities In Schools Newfoundland, and Ryakuga Grassroots Communications.

The pilot project is coordinated by the Community Education Network and Ryakuga. Sharing Our Future is funded by the Office of Learning Technologies, Community Learning Networks with inkind contributions from local partners.

Sharing Our Future is on the web at ryakuga.org/share with links to a web chat board.