100 Target Rural CSOs Activity Areas Analysis
Regarding the areas of activity 37% of target rural CSOs work on community social issues, 33% –
on youth issues, 22% – on ecological issues and 19% – on women and gender equality issues. The
other areas that rural CSOs are involved in: culture and education, veteran's issues, working with
people with disabilities, rural CSO development and human rights. (See the table below.)
4. Trainings and technical assistance provided to Level-1 CSOs
a) Media Skills Development Training
Media Skills Development training took place in four locations on the following dates:
Karaganda – November 18-19, 2015 – 26
participants, trainer – Olga Volkova
Kokshetau – November 25-26, 2015 – 17 participants, trainer – Olga Volkova
Shymkent – November 24-25, 2015 – 24 participants, trainer – Aliya Sharipbayeva
Taraz – November 26-27, 2015 – 18 participants, trainer – Aliya Sharipbayeva
The objectives of the training were to:
-
define the importance of collaboration
with mass media;
-
train CSOs on how to effectively cooperate with mass media;
-
develop an understanding amongst CSO workers of newsworthiness and what journalists look
for in a news story;
-
develop practical skills
of writing press releases;
-
introduce CSO workers to basic media interviewing skills;
-
learn how to properly carry out a press conference;
-
provide participants with an overview of how
to develop a media strategy;
-
learn how to use New Media.
The training was very interactive; a wide range of training techniques was utilized.
If to compare training participants in four
locations, in Taraz and Karaganda they were
more experienced in dealing with Mass Media.
Anyway, most of CSO representatives did not
fully understand the importance of Public
Relations and
collaboration with Mass Media,
which is probably caused by the fact that in
some rayons Mass Media is represented only by
one rayon level newspaper and there are no any other media outlets. There were some
representatives from the southern region who had never used e-mail and social media, it can be
explained by the fact that compared to other oblasts more elderly people lead CSOs in the southern
region.
Utilization of various training techniques, ways of presenting information, revision of training
material at each subsequent stage allowed participants to learn more efficiently, practice media
skills, which, in turn, made it possible to achieve training objectives.
The participants:
- gained an insight into current journalistic
principles and practice;
- improved their skills of writing press releases;
- developed a greater understanding of social
issues
journalism;
- gained basic media interviewing skills;
- learned strategies to design and deliver a media
strategy;
- engaged with fellow CSOs, making important
contacts in their field.
Thus, acquired skills and knowledge will
strengthen partner rural CSOs' capacity to
improve activities and strategies already being
used by them when dealing with the media. Better collaboration with Mass Media will help them to
increase public awareness on raised issues, promote ideas, projects and new initiatives, gain support
and recognition
from their communities, LG and businesses.
Due to the knowledge and skills obtained at the training CSOs started to focus greater on
transparency and visibility of their organizations.
"Participation in the training provided an
opportunity to better understand the i mportance
of detailed and proper coverage of our activity.
Unfortunately, the press media and television are
not always open for cooperation and are not
ready to highlight all raised issues. In the context
of this issue, the opportunity to highlight our
activities via social media is becoming very
important. In the course of the training I
understood that the publications for general
public should be interesting; we should not just
state the activity but it would be better if we
provide more information about participants,
good photos, download videos and etc. Currently,
our page is being filled with interesting content
and is quite popular." Kurymet Kerimbekov, Chairperson of PA "Zhalyn"
Attachment 1 –
Media Skills Development training
Agenda (for CR and SR)
Attachment 2 – List of
Media Skills Development training
Participants
b) Community Mobilization Training
Thus, Community Mobilization training took place in four locations on the following dates:
Karaganda – January
20-22
, 2016 – 23 participants, trainer – Lyudmila Kurtavtseva
Kokshetau – January 27-29, 2016 – 17 participants, trainer – Lyudmila Kurtavtseva
Shymkent – January 25-27, 2016 – 23 participants, trainer – Gulmira Beketova
Taraz – January 28-30, 2016 – 18 participants, trainer – Gulmira Beketova
Both trainers have extensive experience, knowledge
and skills in community needs assessment as well as
in mobilization of community for solving socially
significant issues.
The training, based on
PLA/PCA/PRA
approaches,
aimed at developing understanding of the importance
of enhancing community participation in decision-making processes and providing training
participants with certain effective community mobilization tools.