All aboard for the GMF cruise...

I have spent three days now at the Global Media Forum. I have met the other bloggers, I have made new friends and met old friends from all over the world. I have eaten and even danced during the famous GMF boat ride on the Rhine River. So besides the serious side of the conference, there is also a fun part to it.

One of my areas of interest as a trained journalist and as a trainer of people in media is the influence of the advancing digital world on journalism. That’s why I attended a workshop organized by the DW Akademie with the title: New Trainers for New Media? Challenges for Human Resources Development in Media Support in a Fast-Changing Media Landscape.

The media environment has changed rapidly and continues to change because of great technological strides being made all over the world. For example, with the growing importance of social media, how do institutions training media professionals adapt to the new challenges it presents? Or should we think of this as a completely new area of media? This, of course, has a great impact on the environment for publishers, journalists, etc. The workshop focused on questions such as: What do trainers need to provide in training to make their students fit for the future? What are the benchmarks for human resources development in media outlets?

One of the questions that came up was the relationship between media trainers that come from abroad and sustainability. In my experience, it is very common to see trainers come in from the West to developing countries with best practice methodology and high-end equipment, who conduct highly professional seminars and workshops on location. After they leave, the project that they start is either not carried through or dies off after some time. This issue set off a round of discussion during this workshop. The conclusion was that the investment in knowledge is never lost, but, nevertheless, there needs to be a greater sense of ownership from the locals when it comes to such programs and projects.

Media trainers need to keep the sustainability of their projects in mind

From my experience in offering media training to people living in slums, I find that even for me as a Kenyan from a different community, I also face this challenge. For example, I can have what I think will be a great idea for a film for my students in the slums. However, the students – as people who actually live there – may disagree with my points of view simply because I cannot relate to their situation as well as they can. The best method should perhaps be to support local filmmakers and storytellers. It is important to have understanding for the culture of the place where you are shooting  films and have a passion for storytelling.

Listening to the discussion, another thing that struck me was the question of new media and how journalistic training institutions can balance and/or adapt curricula to a changing media environment. Striking a balance between meeting the commercial needs of the media market while training journalists versus focusing on traditional journalistic skills is something that media academies need to consider. People were in agreement at the conference: Digital skills should not replace journalistic skills. Even if the curriculum changes to keep up with the pace of industry, training institutes should be careful not to lose sight of the essentials.

I particularly liked this workshop as it touched the very topics I am passionate about. Namely: storytelling, media, journalism and training. I have really enjoyed learning and discussing at the conference.

Many Kenyans depend on light from a fire to study in the evening

Last weekend and the beginning of this week have been fascinating. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, before I started to write these blogs if the work I do had anything to do with education, I would have answered with a strong no. I would have mentioned that I train youth in media skills and that I also work with an educational foundation that helps develop solar light capacity in schools. Of course, these activities have everything to do with education. Writing for this blog has highlighted this rather obvious fact to me.

This past weekend, the young people I work with at Filamujuani along with my partner and I finally launched TV Mtaani – community TV in the Kibera slums in Nairobi. This idea was born in early 2009. The community TV is a platform for youth to tell their own stories to the community and about the community they live in. Content will generally be edutainment or infotainment, consisting of local news, local features, adverts and drama among others. It was exhilarating to see the community congregate at the school grounds and watch the show projected on a wall.

Both girls and boys face educational hurdles in Masailand

No sooner had I wrapped up the show in Kibera, than I was on my way to Narok County with Givewatts. This time we were distributing solar lanterns to schools in the heart of Masailand. These communities live among the wild animals, very close to the Masai Mara Reserve Park and many other nature conservation areas. These nomadic communities definitely struggle to achieve education for all – boys and girls alike. Samuel Pere is a teacher at Tumaini Academy, one of the schools we visited. He told me that most parents do not really appreciate the value of education. Boys were expected to accompany the livestock in search of greener pastures and water, a scene we witnessed along the road. Lanky but jovial boys tending to large herds of cattle or sheep, a long stick in hand. This means they miss school a lot especially during the dry seasons when usable pasture is scarce.

Girls faced more challenges with education as they are expected to get married around the age of 14. In all of the schools we visited, the low number of girls in class was discouraging. Mr Pere mentioned that his school has 85 pupils with only 38 girls. He was quick to mention, though, that this was starting to change. The solar lanterns, he added, would make a whole lot of difference as parents who found it a burden to purchase kerosene on a daily basis would now be motivated by the use of ‘modern,’ cleaner sources of light. This would, in turn, have a ripple effect as parents copy each other when they see their neighbors’ children learning by using such lights. The Manyattas (traditional Masai houses) are pitch black with the fireplace as the only source of light, which some students use to study.

As I travel to Germany this weekend for the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (GMF) on Education and Culture, I cannot help but reflect on how many things I have taken for granted as I went through my education. I look forward to hearing from participants at the conference about their own experiences and finally meeting the other bloggers.

Participants in Filamujuani

I had a busy weekend recently. The organization that I coordinate – Filamujuani – was shooting the second episode of a TV show called Zuki. It was amazing, though, to see the students of Filamjuani finally coming of age, taking the reins and running the show completely.

The TV series is about a schoolgirl born in Kibera whose passion is music, but unfortunately, she has no avenues to learn it.  She has a talent that even she doesn’t understand. Whenever there’s music, Zuki cannot only hear it, she can see it.  But living in the slums of Kibera, there isn’t much she can do about it. One is grateful to get even a basic education in Kibera. Getting any kind of extra-curricular experience in things like music, sports, art, film or theater is a pure luxury. Unfortunately these may just be the subjects that lead to a career for many of these students. Zuki’s story is the story of many. She, however, finds her means and pursues music behind her mothers’ back.

The story of Zuki is not just familiar to learners from poor backgrounds. The majority of pupils in Kenya do not have the time and opportunity to pursue extra-curricular activities. I believe that a good education, irrespective of the subject one has studied, should result in an empowered individual: someone able to use skills acquired to find their way around the next journey of their life. Every stage of education should hand one the tools to navigate successfully to the next stage of education, or life. What happens, though, is somehow the opposite. Education here kills creativity. One is overwhelmed with theories, and at the end of it all, one walks away desolate and none the wiser.

The young people getting media training can go on to become trainers themselves

Our system of education prepares us for office jobs. Only recently a few other courses such as entrepreneurship were introduced. Since we cannot all work in the corner office with glass windows, what should the rest of us do? Besides the education system, our parents also have a hand in deciding what we study, as they are the ones who pay the fees. Most of them are keen to invest in subjects such as science and math – subjects that are considered lucrative.  After secondary school, anyone should be able to apply skills learned. This is not the case, though, particularly for students in disadvantaged societies. A post-secondary education is not very common. Parents argue that educating a child until the secondary level is enough, especially when they have other younger children. The parents feel that instead of one child using the few resources that they have, the other kids should have a chance, too.

Most of the students at Filamujuani have finished formal secondary school education after which neither they nor their parents know what they should do. Filamujuani offers those interested in media and film the chance to acquire skills in these areas, earn money and, with time, impart the same knowledge to others. Watching the students call the shots recently was fulfilling. I feel it is time they imparted the same knowledge to others.

Sometimes conditions are less than ideal...

During my studies I had several periods of teaching practice where we worked in state schools as language teachers for four to six weeks. I dealt with both a gymnasium, where mostly talented pupils study, and a typical school on the outskirts of my city. So, I can compare them and share a couple of my ideas about what I saw there.

First of all, every pupil has his own psychology: It’s natural to like some subjects more or less or to feel irritated by an inexperienced teacher (or one whose methods and techniques are forever stuck in the past). However, the pupils in the gymnasium (high school) had more motivation to learn. That may be a result of the strict discipline they followed in primary school. But were the teachers the only reason for that? Of course not – a person’s environment matters a lot! Parents who encourage their children to reach higher goals during their upbringing end up with talented and self-confident pupils, who are also able to express their opinions more clearly. And by surroundings, I don’t mean just the atmosphere in a family – even your neighborhood and city have some impact. It makes me think about the broken windows theory – maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition stimulates citizens to behave well. What I’m driving at is that we should not consider a pupil’s failures as a result of their problems or conflicts at school only.

The thing is: parents could be of great help to those children who fall behind. But most such children live with only one parent who has to work a lot as a breadwinner and can’t spare much quality time for the kids. Therefore, there should be additional lessons at school where pupils who are not as successful as their classmates gather together to go into more depth on a certain topic one more time. But here the question of payment for additional working hours for teachers arises. It’s not so seldom that local authorities refuse to spend more money from a city’s budget on education.

Kids need family support, even if it's just a question of playing together

When it comes to financial matters, the teaching staff is generally more motivated to work in a gymnasium not only because of the bright children, but due to salary levels that are usually higher than in comprehensive schools. It seems to be a bad gig for those who start their careers in a typical school, doesn’t it? Positive energy from the kids and financial support as your sources of motivation are things many probably envy in their colleagues who work in gymnasiums.

There is no ideal pupil, of course. The key is to find an approach that will motivate them to learn. In case of missteps or bad behavior, a teacher should not just look for ways to punish a pupil. I think it is better to use hints that make the pupil himself discover his mistake and correct it – just like Socrates’ maieutics.

Carolina learned a trade in order to secure some freedom

I had dinner with my boyfriend’s parents last Sunday. It’s always just the four of us. I have to admit that sometimes I lead the conversation into his mother, Carolina, telling me the story of how she started dating Horacio, Diego’s father. It’s not because of the love and romance involved, though. The story of how she met her husband touches on issues of how she secured some independence and got her first job.

Carolina is a 65-year-old Italian immigrant. She came to Argentina when she was seven, together with her six siblings, mother, father and extended family – all in an effort to escape poverty. She didn’t speak Spanish, and her parents couldn’t help her with homework since they didn’t know the language themselves. So she started first grade three years later than she was supposed to. Carolina also has an older sister, Filomena, who had to stay at home and help with the housekeeping. When Caro finished sixth grade, she was fifteen years old. She was supposed to stay at home “and do all the silly things there were for us women to do,” she told me, “Like ironing overalls and other stuff.”

Filo begged her to stay home since there were a lot of men to take care of, and she needed help. Instead, Carolina learned a skill. She went to beauty school for a year and then found a job at a salon in the neighborhood. Her family wouldn’t have allowed her to work, so nobody but her mother knew about the job – after all, jobs were something only men were supposed to have back then. Carolina gave the money she earned to her mother and helped with family expenses. Even though they worked a lot, they were still very poor.

When she thinks back on herself and Filo in those days, Carolina says, “I was able to choose, and I married a good man. My sister, on the other hand, didn’t. She got out of that family house with whomever she could manage.”

Child or career? The question is still a turning point for many women

These days, things are much different. Access to higher education is determined by economic power, not gender. Middle class women not only study in universities, they also have careers. But even though over fifty years have passed since Carolina started working, change is slow. There is still a big difference in wages: A woman makes 35 percent less than a man carrying the same responsibilities. And in some circles, there are no women in positions of power (as Kathrin describes is the case for Germany).

Today, you have educated women who have careers and high ambitions, but many men and women still expect females to have kids and stay at home to take care of them. It’s the professional path and social contracts that bring the issues of inequality between boys and girls. As a woman wishing to become a mother eventually, I ask myself whether having a baby will stop me from doing what I love. Obstacles come partly from labor law in Argentina. The way I see it, it also has a lot to do with breaking mental barriers and endowing highly educated women with responsibility. Giving educated women the place they deserve takes a combination of effort from family, society and co-workers.