Building local power and connection through community media
You are invited to join a small group of funders for a visit and discussion at the Greater Govanhill Community Newsroom in Glasgow, where they have been pioneering a new internationally recognised approach to community journalism.
Trusted local information and shared stories are the foundations of strong communities. But over the past few decades, they have been eroded, as traditional news outlets have declined, and misinformation and social media have filled the void.
Lack of trust, shared understanding and connection is contributing to the fraying of the fabric of community and democratic life in Scotland.
Community media is part of the answer to that problem: it connects people to their neighbours, provides a safe space for dialogue and understanding, provides vital information that helps people navigate their lives, and has the power to amplify otherwise marginalised voices and communities.
Greater Govanhill is one of the leaders of a new movement of independent community-centred media – rooted in listening and care.
This is an opportunity to learn about how community-centred media works, discuss its role in place making and as social infrastructure, and how its development might be supported in communities across Scotland.
We will be joined by:
Rhiannon Davies, founder of Greater Govanhill, the Scottish Beacon, and Greater Community Media.
Carolyn Sawers, Chief Executive of the Corra Foundation, which is co-hosting this event.
Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of the Public Interest News Foundation, which has been galvanising support for community-centred local news from government, philanthropy and social investment.
Lucas Batt, co-founder of Greater Community Media and lead author of Funding the Future of Local News.
And a small group of others from Scottish funders.