From: "jbfox" <jbfox@is.com.fj>

To: <jbfox@is.com.fj>

Subject: 'austraLasia' #414

Date: Tuesday, 29 August 2000 8:01 AM

EDUCATORS SEARCH FOR RELEVANCE IN A MEDIA WORLD

Suesan Lobo, FSP

MUMBAI: 28th August -- A three-day seminar sponsored by UNDA-OCIC, India

(UOI), entitled, “Relevance in a Media Culture”, was held to address the

need for media education as an important ministry in India today. Fr. Peter

Gonsalves, author of the training manual Exercises in Media Education and

Director of Tej-Prasarini was the organiser and chief resource person of the

residential course that began August 21.

In his inaugural address, Fr. C. M. Paul, President of UOI, stated the

purpose of the seminar: “The rules of the game keep changing. If we are to

be relevant in our contexts we must stop following old rules blindly. The

present Information Age has brought about a revolution in which we are left

to discover meaning and relevance for us and our children. If we are to

begin our search, it is important to understand the media climate within

which we work. We have to learn the skills of media discernment so that we

can be more discriminating consumers of the media."  He went on to explain

that the present seminar was one of the four similar seminars being

conducted throughout the country by UOI this year.

Through thought-provoking questions, selected video-clippings, poignant

films, group discussions, role plays and games the power and weakness of

each medium such as print, films, TV, advertisements, music, electronic

media and the Internet, was highlighted. The manual Exercises in Media

Education formed the foundation of the course and the participants were

encouraged to familiarize themselves with the book for later use in their

places of implementation.

Gradually, the participants realized for themselves the absolute need of

media education in the pervasive media culture of today. Many participants

expressed their enthusiasm about the relevance of the course through their

alertness, comments and queries. For instance, on seeing media issues

conflict with his belief in Christ, Gerson James, one of the participants,

remarked: "If this is how the ad-man sees the world. I, because of my

Christian belief, would have to make a conscious choice to see it

differently."

The seminar was attended by 30 participants. Most were residents of Mumbai,

one from Vasai and three from Goa. Others on the resource team were Sr.

Phyllis Fernandez, FMA, (Media Education Implementation), Pascal D’Souza,

(Film Production),  Anthony Deign (Film Editing) and Shavito Correia

(Information Technology). Registration and accommodation was ably attended

to by Mrs. Marie Alvares, the programme coordinator at Tej-Prasarini.