Media and political education – seminar in Nowy Sącz

The first seminar-training in Nowy Sącz (07-12.09.2009), Poland focused on new media and political education. Participants (representatives of NGOs, civil society institutions, further education and community media centres) learnt how to use new media as attractive tools for political education (interview, internet video streaming, vidcasts). They have also shared their opinion on social and economical problems in Europe.

Objectives of the first seminar in Poland were:

• discussing current social and economic problems in Europe
• exploring innovative strategies and creative tools for civil society organizations
• raising awareness about common European identity and the need for consolidating sense of European citizenship
• debating with European policy makers about the future of common Europe.

They were fullfiled during a six days seminar on new media and political education. First two days of the seminar were devoted to the integration of the participants and exploration of the community media and new media tools (internet TV, production of vidcasts, TV-interviews, working in a web-TV team). There were presentations and discussions on how to use new media and interactive methods in political education and civil society actions. Participants had also possibility to work in a web-TV team. There were roles, such as: camera operators, director, producer, graphic designer, technicians. David Balmas from the Citizens Media Centre Bennohaus explained what roles do the participants have and what is the meaning of the concrete role. Creative media workshops gave the participants an opportunity to practice and integrate within the web-TV team.

Another group of participants led by Malte Koppe from Nowy Staw Foundation were preparing to the citizen’s debate. Malte Koppe explained how should a debate look like, what is the scenario, how and where to research topics for the debate. Participants of that group discussed and chose the topic of education (Is it worth to go to the university, or not?). The debate were held on 08th of September 2009. It was a classic Pro-Contra debate, which was filmed and broadcasted live to the europeanweb.tv (internet television). Participants got not only skills in debating and expressing their opinion on current social problems, but also skills in creative media work. They prepared and conducted a debate and at the same time prepared media coverage of it.

During the next four days of the seminar participants took part in the 4th Economic Forum of Young Leaders, which was held in Nowy Sącz. During the Forum they had a chance to discuss with European politicians, economists, entrepreneurs, and the heads of states and corporations on important European issues.

Guests speakers and panelists during that Forum were: Waldemar Pawlak (Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Minister of Economy), José María Aznar (former Prime Minister of Spain), Dick Roche (Minister of State for European Affairs, Ireland), Leszek Balcerowicz (Polish economist), Radosław Sikorski (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poland), Aleksander Kwaśniewski (President of the Republic of Poland 1995- 2005), Janusz Lewandowski, (Member of the European Parliament), Borys Tarasiuk (former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine), Peter Semneby (EU-Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Sweden), Janez Jansa (former Prime Minister of Slovenia), Alexandre Soares dos Santos (Chairman, Jerónimo Martins), Mark Allen (Senior Regional Representative, International Monetary Fund), John O’Sullivan (Executive Editor of the Radio Free Europe), Vitalino Canas (Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee, Parliament of Portugal). All of them came to Nowy Sacz to discuss with young people topics, such as: Central and Eastern Europe – 20 years of the transformation experiences, corporate social responsibility, challenges for European economy in the globalized world, Europe and the world facing the crisis – which reforms should be reinforced to overcome the crisis?, in which direction will the EU head in the 21st century?, Eastern Partnership, Europe in the 21st century – how to make a European project more attractive for young people?

Participants of the seminar could not only listen to the speeches and panel discussions, but also ask questions and debate with gues speakers. Moreover, they prepared whole media coverage of the Forum. All panel discussions and lectures were filmed by their team of internet television and streamed on-line to the europeanweb.tv. They did also short interviews with politicians, experts, economists and with participants of the Forum. Those interviews were published in aform of vidcasts and podcasts on the Forum’s web-site (http://www.forum-leaders.eu).

Participants of the seminar were also working in a team, which prepared an open web-TV studio at the Market Square in the Old Town of Nowy Sącz. The idea of the open studio was to promote the Forum among citizens of Nowy Sącz. There were TV-debates of participants of the Forum and TV-interviews with politicians and Forum’s organizers as well as local authorities in the open studio. Both web-TV teams (in the conference centre and in the open studio) were supervised by media trainers from partner organizations: Bennohaus, Nowy Staw Foundation and Javi.TV from Belgium.