admin | February 20, 2023
Farm Radio has a library of thousands of information resources, dozens of Broadcaster how-to guides, and 10 self-guided learning modules (with more to come!). For a radio broadcaster new to our network, it can be difficult to know where to start. When your radio station joins our network, you are signed up to receive emails from us, and that includes a welcome series that provides key information on the different types of resources we offer and where to find them. But sometimes, the best way to learn is by doing, not just reading.
That is why we recently offered an online Radio Resource Orientation workshop to some of our radio partners. Our Anglophone networking coordinator, Busi Ngcebetsha, and Malawi networking officer, Patrick Mphaka, organized an online workshop with more than 50 radio broadcasters from six countries participating. The group included representatives from 30 radio stations in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia. Ultimately, 16 broadcasters completed the two phases of the workshop.
This workshop took place in two phases: the first week, in December, addressed our information resources; the second week, in January, introduced our training resources. The goal was to enable participating radio broadcasters to learn about the different resources we offer, and give them opportunities to think about how to adapt and use them, as well as offer some feedback on how to improve them.
Francophone networking coordinator Mawulikplimi Affognon also organized an Orientation workshop for 20+ radio broadcasters in Guinea-Conakry who are new to the Farm Radio network. The first half of the training took place in December and gave an introduction to the many formats of information resources we have, particularly those on topics relevant to partners in Guinea-Conakry. The second session will be organized in the first half of March, to focus on several (new!) learning resources, particularly how to access and use our learning modules.
The Orientation workshops took place through a WhatsApp group and Google Meet. An initial virtual meeting provides an opportunity to introduce Barza Wire and our Farm Radio Resource Pack items, including interview and drama scripts, backgrounders, radio spots, suggested interview questions, and more. Broadcasters were shown how to access the resources online and how to search for resources they are interested in. This was followed by a discussion in the WhatsApp group, giving participants the opportunity to share how they use our resources and their experiences using the resources. Groups were formed and broadcasters asked to read one of four resources, then share their feedback on using and adapting it.
Most participants did more than just enjoy the sessions—they gained knowledge on how to access resources and learned how to adapt them for radio broadcast. Some broadcasters said they often ignore radio resources or Barza Wire stories from other countries because they feel they are irrelevant to their audience, but the workshop showed them how to adapt the information in the resource so that it’s relevant to their audience. Want to learn more about how to adapt our radio resources? Follow our online learning module, available at www.farmradiotraining.org.
Username: Your email address
Password: Farmradio8!
The second session of the Radio Resource Orientation workshop focuses on our learning resources, including written Broadcaster how-to guides and online learning modules. A Google Meet session shows broadcasters how to login and navigate the website for the online learning modules. But for those who have trouble accessing the interactive modules, our written Broadcaster how-to guides cover the same topics, and more! We hope that broadcasters can now benefit from these learning resources, and contribute to them by producing their own episode of the This is How I… podcast!
Would you like to participate in an online Radio Resource Orientation workshop? This workshop is typically two weeks long, and combines some WhatsApp group discussion, Google Meet presentations by the facilitator, a self-guided module, and reading our resources. If you are interested in being notified the next time we offer this workshop, sign up here: https://forms.gle/KyeGoKby8y4Z9t6k6