On 4th -5th July 2017 the training on Citizen Journalist Writing Skill and Strategic Communication Planning for Policy Influencing was conducted at The NGO Forum on Cambodia Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The course was coordinated by The NGO Forum on Cambodia which funding supported by Right to Food project of Oxfam. There were total 44 participants (19 females) from Network for Development of Food Security and Safety in Cambodia (NDF-C) of The NGO Forum on Cambodia and farmer representatives came from Kratie, Kampong Speu, Pursat, Battambang, Siem Reap, Bantey Meanchey, Takeo, Kampong Thom, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kampot, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, and Phnom Penh joined the training on “Citizen Journalist Writing Skill and Strategic Communication Planning for Policy Influencing”. The aims of the training workshop were (I) To strengthen capacity of NDF-C members and farmer representatives on media writing skills for effective communication and Program Report (PR) to influence law enforcement and policy change (II) To raise basic knowledge on how to effectively and consistently communicate environmental issues to right audience at right time, and (III) To support the development of Effective Communications Plan for environmental advocacy campaign and policy influencing.
In welcome session, Mr. Ouk Vannara Deputy Executive Director of The NGO Forum on Cambodia encourage NDF-C members to pay well attention to learn the skill so that they would become good citizen journalist and able to transfer their knowledge and skill to their colleague.
The results of the training workshop: The participants have increased knowledge and improve article writing skill for their progress reports on policy influencing and advocacy. They also learn new tips and tools for effective communication on environmental issues and they also expressed that they have improved good understanding and knowledge of how to develop effective communication plan to do policy influencing and advocacy.
The knowledge and skills they have received from the training and will be able to apply it and share with other network members, community members. A few participants say that they will need to get more training to build their confident.
The Challenges of the training workshop:Level of knowledge of participants is different. At least seven of them from the community have limited ability to understand training concept and contents lower than those NGO workers. However, this was well managed by the trainer to engage them fully involved in practice of article writing by application of participatory approaches giving them more chance to get clarifications from trainer to improve article writing skill and to approach them to do clarification for them.
The two day training workshop is not enough because majority of participants who attended this training on the first time. They have limited knowledge on media writing skills but they have good experience in reporting writing skills and experience in writing case studies. Regarding the use of photos, all participants wish to do practices in the field but the training does not cover on this area. It has a lot of technical issues to learn in the field of photography.
In closing session, Mr. Tek Vannara Executive Director of The NGO Forum on Cambodia expressed great thank to all participants and trainer who has spent their time and energy to make the successful training completed on time as plan and motivate them to use their media writing skill to satisfy the donor with good article and case study.
