Sharing Our Future will utilize relatively inexpensive microtechnology - grassroots communications tools already in the community in most cases and readily affordable in others. The purpose of the tools is to share learning and promote networking within the community, between communities locally and within the Atlantic region, as well as establishing communication with expatriate Newfoundlanders.

The tools are small format video and community television; community radio; computer communications using e-mail; web sites; web discussion boards; video conferencing, and webcasts - television and radio.

The project is to be implemented by local facilitators working with teams of youth (or any interested community members). Each community project is controlled by a local committee.

The design promotes peer learning at the local, regional and national levels. It utilizes technological skill development to further the ability of ordinary people to reflect, analyse and plan for the future of their communities.

The proposed partners have been using local grassroots communications (principally community television forums) both to inform and discuss for more than a decade. We want to increase the geographic parameters of the discussion using internet tools such as discussion boards and webcasts.

We will use and further develop a popular education/experential approach to learning participatory communication skills in television, radio and computer communications. This is enhanced by the personal development which occurs when ordinary people take control of communications technology and find a voice. Integral to the initiative is the sharing of information on sustainable rural communities s well as developing the survival skills of people who are forced to leave.

As exemplified in the history of the Community Education Network, sou'west Newfoundland has a long history of communities and groups working together for development. This initiative builds on prior experiences, such as the 1993 Port au Port forums Communication for Survival, Communities in Schools and Long Range Regional Economic Development Board's public consultation.

The community development model of local sharing, discussing and learning through community television forums has proven successful in sou'west Newfoundland. We are now seeking to use emerging internet techology to increase the geographic scope of the model. If it is successful, it could most certainly be replicated in other places. The prospective partners would support replication.

Download Free Communication Tools

	REAL VIDEO AND AUDIO
	PORTABLE DOCUMENT FILES
	VIVOACTIVE VIDEO AND AUDIO
	NETSCAPE BROWSER
	MICROSOFT EXPLORER
	QT MULTIMEDIA

SHARING OUR FUTURE