Journalismi-opintojeni päätteeksi pääsin mukaan Kansainvälisyyskasvatuksen kesäkoulun viestintätiimiin. Suunnittelin tiedotusmateriaaleja ja visuaalista ilmettä tapahtumalle sekä pääsin taittamaan työryhmien tarvitsemia työkirjoja. Taitoin myös seminaariohjelman. Lisäksi pääsin tekemään viikon ajan ilmestyvää englanninkielistä uutiskirjettä.
Kirjoitin myös englanniksi pätkän tästä kokemuksesta.
I had the chance to participate to the Development Education Summer School in June. It had over 70 participants coming from Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Europe. The training event was organized by the project DEEEP Developing Europeans Engagement For the Eradiction of Global Poverty, in cooperation with the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU. So, the aim of this project and event was to improve and increase capacities of development education workers.
This year’s summer school focused on Quality and Impact in development education work, and It was also an opportunity for networking and sharing information.
What I found the most interesting part of the seminar on 16th June was the workshop sessions, that aimed at sharing and discussing on new perspectives for Quality and Impact from outside the usual field of development education and awareness-raising, including businesses, marketing, media and the field of behavioural sciences.
The workshop number 1 was about creating a message. Timo Berry, Designer at BOTH Creative Design Agency gave tips about how to create a message and achieve your goal.
Berry’s work field varies from environmental art to posters and branding. His experiences show how important it is to give the right message at the right time.
What you also need to have is volume when your aim is social change. Berry also gave some small-scale NGO-tips : you should not just stay in the office but instead hit the streets, not focus on your peers but on those who disagree with you, and try to find ways to make your message acceptable or understandable for them. It’s also important to talk positive, so that your message will more easily go through. One of the most important things is to analyse out what tickles the buyer/receiver. This means you have to get out of your own head and start to analyse the values and emotions of your "buyer" to really be able to create a message that works for them using their rhetoric, not yours. « There’s no reason to preach for the converted », Berry said, and explained, that it means nothing you’re right, if you’re not heard, for all that matters are the results. When you need to communicate something, make a plan and stick to it, because consistency is what matters.
Opiskeluajalta on jäänyt mieleen parhaiten aktiivinen toiminta, projektit, joihin olen osallistunut, kuten tämäkin Kansainvälisyyskasvatuksen kesäkoulu jonka kautta on myös oppinut paljon. Kun on mukana erilaisissa projekteissa, niin samalla oppii paljon sellaista mitä ei koskaan lukemalla ja pänttäämällä oppisi. Alla pieni kooste tekemisistäni opiskeluvuosina. Tosin tuohon pitäisi lisätä vielä monta muutakin juttua, mutta tiivistin nyt olennaisimmat. Lisäksi olen osallistunut kansainvälisiin projekteihin kuten mm. AEGEE:n järjestämään MediaSchooliin Rotterdamissa vuonna 2007 ja European Journalism Centren kansainvälisiin blogikilpailuihin vuosina 2009-2011.
