The Role of Community Radio in Youth and Youth Women Participation and their empowerment in line with Unleashing the Power of Human Capital

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) accredited with World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of the United Nations and UN WSIS prize winner 2016 and Champion 2017 and 2019 . BNNRC's outreach extends to local, national and international forums for communicating Knowledge for Media.

BNNRC’s approach to media development is both knowledge-driven and context-sensitive, and it takes into account the challenges and opportunities created by the rapidly changing media environment in Bangladesh including community radio development giving voices for the voiceless.

BNNRC now strives for the following core interventions to contribute in achieving 7th five Years Plan of Government of Bangladesh, UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan, and UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through: Community Media Development (Community Radio & Community TV Community Film) for amplifying voices for the voiceless, Right to Information (RTI) for ensuring improved livelihood of the marginalized, ICT for Development for Bridging the Digital Divide in rural areas, Amateur Radio or HAM Radio for Disaster Risk Reduction, Community Film for Social Transformation. BNNRC is actively working to improve recognition of the community electronic media sector (Community Radio, Community TV, Community Film) & its work in and involvement with the communities.

BNNRC represent the community electronic media sector to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media, Academia and Development Partners from 2000. BNNRC is supported by contributions from different development organizations worldwide who share a commitment in building a free, independent and pluralistic community media of voices for the voiceless.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio Communication (BNNRC) has been in dialogue with the government since 2000 pursuing to launch community radio (CR) across the country in a bid to establish right to information, good governance and to ensure human rights.

After more than ten years of such persuasion with the policy makers the concept of Community Radio came into limelight.

Impact of the Community Radios in Bangladesh

·        As a result of the CR the very poor and the marginalized people now have a platform to directly express their concerns in public. The platform has created opportunities for the voiceless to make their voices heard.

·        This new media has given rural population information on issues related to social, cultural, political, economic and environmental issues. It has also facilitated the community to pursue their rights to through professional communication.

·        In regard to creating enabling environment for good governance, CRs have facilitated dialogues between public and local public representatives and government and NGO officials.

·        The CRs have created opportunities for direct communication with the local community with regard to sustainable development, special development initiatives of the Prime Minister and the 7th five-year plan of the government.

·        The CRs in the coastal regions during the recent cyclone seasons have played a crucial role in advance warnings during cyclones - Mohsena and Rowanu. Their roles in keeping the vulnerable population well informed on safety precautions during cyclones without power supply were greatly appreciated.

Community radios by now have earned its great reputation and has a separate identity among all other media in Bangladesh. Currently there are 32 registered community radio, 17 of them are on air. Over 1000 youth are working in these CRs. Among the youth, 54 % are male and the rest are female. On average the CRs altogether broadcast 144 hours of various programmes everyday. The CRs are playing important roles in sensitizing local community on issues like reducing poverty, conservation of the environment, gender disparity, upholding human rights, and rights of the societies having dalit, neglected and marginalized population, physically and addressing problems of mentally challenged people and confronting natural disasters.

Remarkable empowerment of youth and their participation in the community radio

Community Radio is popularly known as the mouthpiece of the youth. A recent radio audience survey done at the initiative of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) shows that among the broadcasters and volunteers working in the community radios are local college students and youth from marginalized societies. The broadcasters and volunteers themselves collect information for news and programmes, edit them in panels and finally present them for broadcasting. It is also learnt that among the community radio audience 52 percent are in the age group of 18-30. The survey also shows that majorities of the listeners are students (43%).

Space for social Inclusive

As a result of their direct participation in the community radio programmes the following have been ensured;

The mainstream media rarely focuses on dalit community and the neglected group of the people in the society. Their social, cultural or even economic problems are rarely reflected in the mainstream media. In such a situation community radios are playing a positive role in highlighting the problems of such neglected people of the society, especially transgender and physically and mentally challenged people. Since majority of the community radio broadcasters and volunteers represent such groups of people, so they understand and hence produce news or programmes based on the interest of such segment of the population. They are able to use the talents and the experiences of the society and highlight the cultural and social problems, aspirations and other issues. The youth broadcasters are facilitating dialogues in addressing such problems.

Speed up the momentum of youth empowerment process of the neglected societies;

The dalit youth, apart from working as broadcasters in the community radios, are increasingly earning social recognition in their respective communities. Through their working experiences in the community radio many of the youth have been able to find professional work with the mainstream media. Many of them are now working in TV channels, newspapers and radio stations in the capital Dhaka. Currently a total of 34 such community radio broadcasters and volunteers are working with various media organisations in Dhaka. Some of them have been rewarded by the state and even international organisations for their contributions in highlighting problems shared in local dialect. All these respected awardees one day started their career in one of the 17 community radios.

Influence local level empowerment and ensuring right to social security programme.

The CR broadcasters produce programmes on the information of available public services and opportunities offered by the government and the non-government organization. The programme are targeted mainly for the development of livelihood of the people like transgender, disabled, dalit and poor women and children. They also broadcast information on various allowances allocated from the government for the elderly, widow, separated women, disabled, transgender, fishermen, nomad and other neglected group of people. Besides, the CRs also disseminate information on available services of the state like, vulnerable group feeding card and vulnerable group development card, maternity leave allowance and many more. Not only disseminate information but the broadcasters also ensure linking the beneficiaries of the public services to the relevant government and non-government offices so that they can demand their rights to the services.

Below are two such cases in which beneficiaries successfully for the services;

Rucharita Rani Robidas, a broadcaster of Radio Sarabela said she arranged elderly allowances and stipend for students in Palashbari upazila in Gaibandha district. A total of 26 families from nine unions and 09 students got the allowances after Rani established a formal link with the local government officials like the UNO or upazila nirbahi officer. “I visited every house in the upazila where I identified the families and the students who I thought were eligible for the allowances and stipend. I filled up applications, paid the application fees from my own pocket and submitted them in the appropriate places,” said Rani. In the next ten years the elderly people who have registered for the elderly allowance, would receive Tk 15.60 lakh at the rate of Tk 5ooo each every month.

In a similar manner Subrato Halder of Radio Borendro of Naogaon district said he had successfully drawn attention of an assistant director of the local social welfare department about a disable person. He said that a feature was broadcast in Radio Borendro which drew the officer’s attention. The officer had later called Subrato to know more in details about the deprived disable person. After that the person concerned was given his allowance of Tk 500 per month. “I am so proud today that I was able to pursue this for a person who would otherwise remain neglected if we did not broadcast his story,” said a smiling Subrato.

Through their continuous efforts, Subrato and Rani who also represent marginalized society, are ensuring social security services for the marginalized groups of people.

Ensuring gender equality

The rural youth women working in the community radios are making good progress. Such youth women are working as staff members or even volunteers. They are working side by side with their counterparts building their career. There are many instances of youth women holding key positions where they are taking vital decisions in the affairs of programme/news broadcasting. Currently six CR stations are headed by female station managers. The same youth women are now managing such sophisticated radio transmission technology who once had phobia. They are now operating mixture machines, computers, operating console panels, taking photos on digital cameras etc. such practice is in fact, reducing dependency on men and hence also helping in gender balance.

Youth benefits from information technology

Community Radio is highly dependent on information technology where transmitters, antenna, microphone, voice recorders, digital mixing machine, computers and other studio-based equipment are regularly used. Not only technology but the respective broadcasters are also getting hands-on training on the use of the sophisticated equipment. In such way the community radios are actually becoming places where experienced youth broadcasters are gaining skills on modern technologies.

Youths showing increasing trends in learning English language

In last one-decade use of internet, mobile phones and computers has considerably grown. At the same time the trends for travel abroad in particular for higher education, working overseas, business and other similar reasons have also increased to a great extent. As a result of such foreign interactions the trends of learning English has also grown. However due to weak facilities the rural population are deprived from the conveniences of learning communicative English. In the face of such problem the CRs have introduced broadcasting specially designed English learning programmes for the rural population. To facilitate off line learning, every radio station has allocated specific area in their station compound where all interested people can sit together to listen to the programmes already broadcast and practice English conversation. Currently, 17 radio station have about 13 lakh registered English learners. A survey by BNNRC among the radio listeners showed that 54 percent have gained knowledge on English language.

Challenges and recommendations

Reaching multi generation audience through various programmes is still a major challenge as the community radios do not yet have wider use of more popular social media like facebook, twitter, youtube or have the multiplatform presence. Besides, broadcasting latest information on the social Safety Net programmes of the government is also a problem as radio stations lack capacity.

About 50/60 more such community radios, once on air, may fulfil the gaps of the community radios in addressing the remaining population of the country. Such initiative would allow giving space for the voice of the voiceless. Everyone in the rural community would have platforms to raise their voices. The policy makers would be able to hear the voices of the voiceless. The local administration would know the demands of the rural population.