CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (July 19, 2016) -- Cultural Survival is pleased to announce the launch of our international Indigenous Community Radio Grant Initiative. The initiative will provide opportunities for international Indigenous community radio stations to strengthen their broadcast infrastructure and systems while providing training opportunities to their community journalists through a participatory and dynamic grants program. Overall, the initiative will enhance community efforts to establish and ensure sustainability of Indigenous community-controlled media.
This initiative is being launched with support from the Novo Foundation Fund of the Tides Foundation.
“Indigenous Peoples’ right to freedom of expression and information is the overarching goal of this initiative. The program’s intent is to ensure target Indigenous communities have a viable and community controlled medium for dissemination of local and world news, information, community events, politics, and education. Community Radio provides access to information in extremely rural areas and for these communities serves as a tool for local organizing, cultural and language revitalization, educational opportunities, information on lands and natural resources issues, women’s rights, and Indigenous rights,” said Suzanne Benally, Executive Director of Cultural Survival.
During the first phase of this initiative, some grants will be awarded in partnership with the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC). WACC General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Karin Achtelstetter, said: "WACC is delighted to partner with Cultural Survival in this way to advance communication rights in keeping with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."
Starting in the fall of 2016, Cultural Survival and WACC will select grantees from our network of international Indigenous radio stations. First year grantees will be selected from four major regions, Central America, East Africa, South America and Nepal. Projects will be selected and mentored through a program design process based on the needs of their communities, best practices in the field, community values and capacities. Grantees will be selected with the criteria of immediate need, promise for continued success, and the ability to participate fully in the initiative.
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