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.