A major conference on media diversity, being hosted by Nessa Childers MEP, will take place on 6 February in the Radisson Blu Hotel which is located in Dublin’s Golden Lane. The conference, Media Diversity: Why Does it Matter?, is open to all members of the public but is being particularly aimed at political activists, students, journalists, other media workers, academics and anyone interested in the role of media and society.

The purpose of the conference is to explore the implications for traditional notions of democratic accountability and journalistic independence of the emergence and dominance of multi-national media corporations.

It’s important to note that while the conference is open to the public and free-of-charge advance registration is necessary. This can be done by emailing mediadiversity2012@gmail.com and including your name, organisation (if any – including position held), phone number and address. For latest news on the conference visit Nessa Childers MEP

The conference will be structured around the following sub-themes:

· Regulating for media diversity: how effective is it? – Examination of the effectiveness of international policies for regulating the media;

· Media ownership in Ireland – a review of the extent to which the Irish media is diverse and a discussion on the balance that needs to be struck between diversity/economic viability in order to have a strong media to hold authority to account;

· Is media diversity a condition of democracy? – a discussion on how important, or otherwise, media diversity is to a thriving democracy;

· Murdoch Unmasked: Are the Moguls in Decline? – a presentation on the evolving situation in relation to News International and what this situation reveals, if anything, about the future for media conglomerates;

· New Media, New Voices? – a discussion on the extent to which new media presents an alternative forum to traditional media for new voices to emerge, or just an additional strand to the traditional media mix.

The exploration of these themes now is particularly timely given that Minister Rabbitte has said that he intends to publish legislation to regulate consolidation in the media industry early this year. The conference agenda also reflects various debates and much policy work that is taking place within the EU as well as the issues being raised by the UK parliamentary enquiry into phone hacking.

Some of the other key speakers will include:

· Dr. Alison Harcourt – who will look at the regulation of traditional and new media markets at European and EU Member State levels;

· Dr Roddy Flynn, School of Communications, Dublin City University; project director, Media Ownership Monitor – who will be reporting on up-to-date data on media ownership trends in Ireland.

In addition, Michael O’Keeffe, CEO, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and Alan Crosbie, Chairman of Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd and Examiner Publications Ltd, have been confirmed as speakers. More information on speakers and the material that will be addressed at the conference will be revealed over the coming weeks.

The city of Dublin has been placed 4th out of 35 cities in the Intercultural Cities project – a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission.  Dublin only received formal status as an Intercutural city on the 23rd September 2011 but the Office for Integration (OFI) has been working with the Intercultural Cities project for a number of years.  Congratulations to all involved, a lot of work has been undertaken to bring this about.  See Intercultural Cities for more information.

‘The Political Brain, the role of emotion in deciding the fate of the nation’ by Drew Weston, is a must read for political communicators and campaign managers.  It analyses and explains how voters actually process information.  The book links political technique, political conviction and how to win votes by appealing to the heart and mind.   Drew Weston designed communications for Obama’s presidential win, and applying psychology and cognitive neuroscience shows how the human mind processes political communications and what actually compels us to vote.

You can sign up for this course by returning the attached application form by Friday June 24^th to Dorothee@near.ie. We will allocate places on a first come (send application form) first serve basis. As there is a number of community radio stations in Dublin City, we are primarily encouraging volunteers living in our catchment area in Dublin North. CRAOL, the national network support group for Irish Community Radio stations has all community radio stations listed on their website: www.craol.ie and can direct you to another station in case you live outside of Dublin, Dublin South or Dublin West.

This course is an inter-active course and we are asking participants to involve yourself during the course and afterwards. We would encourage you to take on an active role as a community media activist through presenting your own programme after completing the course. This can be on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Or through producing inserts for existing programmes. We are looking in particular for volunteers who would like to present a radio programme in the field of ‘Irish Language’, ‘Current Affairs’ and any programme with a focus on community organisations. During/after the course we will be here to facilitate you to develop your own radio programme. You may also find that you share similar interests with someone else on the course and that you may develop a programme together. This is often helpful as you can share the roles involved for developing a programme but not necessary.

Dates:             Wednesday 20^th July and Wednesday 27^th July

Time:             10.00am to approximately 4.30pm

Venue:            Nearfm, Northside Civic Centre, Bunratty Road, Coolock, Dublin 17

Modules: 

• ·        Introduction to Community Radio
• ·        media Literacy
• ·        Law and Media
• ·        How to use the studios
• ·        How to use portable recorders
• ·        Research and Interviewing
• ·        Production Values
• ·        How to apply for your own programme

Fee:                 €50 waged/€25 unwaged

Invitation to attend a seminar hosted by Nessa Childers MEP, 17th June 2011, in association with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. The event will be of interest to organisations and individuals involved in policy design, advocacy and services. See full programme here.

“This one-day seminar will examine the impact of dementia policy and planning in European and Ireland. Speakers will address themes of living with Alzheimer’s disease including support for families, legislative issues, government policy and research. The aim of the seminar is to highlight the key issues in dementia policy and programmes within EU initiatives, in light of the proposed development of a National Dementia Strategy and Mental Capacity legislation for Ireland”

No admission fee & limited places available. Please reserve place by 10th June 2011 by calling 01 296 2263 or email: nessa.childers@votelabour.ie

This is an opportunity to join Friends of the Earth and shape the future of environmental campaigning and activism throughout the island, taking place on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 June 2011, at the Tollymore Outdoor Centre, in the heart of the Mourne Mountains.

Friends of the Earth are asking people to join in: “Your ideas about how activism can be embedded into Friends of the Earth’s national campaigns on planning, green economics, and climate change, and how we can support the campaigns you are running in your communities. Everyone attending will be encouraged to get active in campaigning, and will be offered assistance and advice from Friends of the Earth staff in doing this. Political blogger Mick Fealty, aka Slugger O’Toole, will be with the event throughout the weekend.

This year’s guest of honour will be Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland Executive Director, Andy Atkins. There will also be plenty of opportunity to socialise with other supporters and activists, including a table quiz on Saturday night . We have lined up some fantastic outdoor activities for those of you that would like to explore and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Tollymore . The weekend officially kicks off on Saturday morning but we will be hosting a barbeque and film screening on Friday evening for those of you who want to join us a night early.

If you would like to book, or just get more information, please email niall.bakewell@foe.co.uk or phone 028 90897 592 in Belfast or email info@foe.ie or phone 01 639 4652 in Dublin We are also offering free places to five young activists (18 – 25 years old). To put yourself forward as a candidate for one of these places, please email or phone using details above”

Young Community Leaders !

Are you aged between 16 and 25 years of age? Do you live in:Belcamp, Bonnybrook, Darndale, Donaghmede, Donneycarney, Edenmore, Harmonstown, Kilbarrack, Kilmore or Priorswood? Would you like to take part in a new Leadership Programme meeting weekly from May 2011 – June 2012? Would you like to expand your leadership skills and your horizons? While gaining a FETAC qualification in leadership?
Would you like to be more actively involved as a leader in your community? Apply now: Closing Date for Applications: Friday 15th April

Dublin’s historic City Hall will be transformed into a book lover’s paradise for the third annual Dublin Book Festival. Come along and meet some of Ireland’s greatest writers, poets, children’s authors thinkers and media personalities in a relaxed atmosphere; immerse yourself in dozens of free readings, interviews, debates and book launches, or just gra a book from the festival’s bookshop. For more information on the festival see here

Described as ‘one of the last great fundraising opportunities’, organisations should not be reticent about legacy giving. Recent research in Ireland shows that 12% of adults surveyed had included a charity in their will, compared to 16% in the UK. Traditionally dominated by the major charities in the UK, most of the growth in legacy giving is now taking place within the smaller charities.

MyLegacy.ie provides information on legacy giving, and is the work of a partnership between Irish charities emphasising the positive impact ordinary people can make by including a favourite charity in their will. The Daily Mirror quoted Nichola Mullen making this point when she spoke at the launch of their national campaign last September: “Many people believe you have to be rich to leave a bequest. But that’s not the case. Small donations….can allow charities to do a lot”.

Dublin City Council will consider applications from artists from all arts disciplines – architecture, circus, dance, literature, film, music, opera, theatre, visual arts, traditional arts and animation – to work in a range of different settings in all areas of the city which will include once off and medium term projects with people of all ages in many different contexts. See here for more information.