Decentered Media – Media For Positive Social Change
Dear
I wanted to keep you updated on a set of free events I’m running through the summer here in Leicester.
Leicester Stories is hosting a Community Media Café, and a weekly Community Reporters Club.
As we Build Back Better from the pandemic, its essential that we support residents and citizens in Leicester to feel more confident about speaking for themselves, and using their DIY media skills for positive social change.
Leicester Stories is a platform dedicated to helping share these stories, and to help and inspire people who are often overlooked and ignored in our media, to find their voices.
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Community Media Café: Leicester Stories is hosting a regular Community Media Café during the summer, every Tuesday 10am to 12pm at the Bishop Street Chappel Café in Leicester.
It’s an informal pop-in, and a chance to meet other people and chat about blogging, podcasting, photography, social media, radio, and video – all the different ways we have of sharing stories about where we live, and the experiences that have defined us.
The sessions are open to anyone who wants to find out more about being a community reporter or contributor to community media in Leicester. We’ll even make sure you get a tea or coffee.
Leicester Stories is dedicated to supporting people to develop their communication understanding and skills by sharing their experience creating and posting community related stories and DIY media content for the benefit of Leicester residents.
If you just want to chat and find out about what it takes to use DIY media to connect with people in your neighbourhood or community locally, and you want ideas and support, then the café will be an open and safe space to come for a conversation.
What does it mean to be a community reporter? Here’s a podcast from the Leicester Stories Census reports, with some tips about how to engage with people and what kind of stories are waiting to be told.
You don’t need to sign up to the community media café events, just pop along.
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Community Reporters Club: Leicester Stories is hosting a Community Reporters Club over the summer, from Thursday 17th June to 2nd September, 10am – 12pm at the Documentary Media Centre.
Do you want to take your DIY media skills to the next level and help your community group or people in your neighbourhood improve how they tell stories about our lives, where we belong, and what will help us to build back better from the pandemic?
The club is a chance to meet like-minded people who also want to help their communities by improving their communication.
We’ll be running sessions on how to get the most from
- Blogging
- Photography
- Radio
- Reporting
- Podcasting
- Soundwalks
- Social Media
- Storytelling
The club is free, but we have a limit of twelve places each week, so it’s welcome if you can register in advance. It’s over eighteen years old only, and we will be applying social distancing measures as required.
Sign up here: Leicester Stories Community Reporters Club
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I’m planning to send regular updates and reminders of the Leicester Stories events, and to share what stories we are capturing and sharing.
If you know anyone who you think might benefit from getting involved, or if you have community-focussed communications experience and skills that you would be happy to share, it would be great to hear from you.
Leicester Stories is supported by a grant from the Audio Content Fund, and we are working in collaboration with DMU Local, Zinthya Trust and the Documentary Media Centre.
There are many stories that originate on our doorsteps and from around the world waiting to be told here in Leicester. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.
Rob
