Working Group Description
The International Youth Communications/Media group is coordinating building an internal communications network from global youth, as well, as developing a strategic communications plan and campaign for the Global Youth Climate Movement. This working group will help give a face to the youth movement externally, as well as to allow organizations and members to talk internally, share resources, and connect youth with each other. More specifically we will be working to set up a website, and to develop a media plan (incorporating new and traditional media) to highlight, support, and get stories from the great work youth are doing around the world.
Communications Working Group Preliminary Questions - Here's an experiment to see if can we use this wiki as a shared workspace. These are just some starting thoughts and questions for this working group moving forward. Please click "edit" at the top, and weigh in! Be sure to sign your name before your comments, and maybe even pick your own text color - example:
Kelly: I think this is a great idea and here's why....
Robert: I like the idea, but I think we should change this aspect...
HyunJin: Good Job!!!
1. What is the basic purpose of this working group? - in general, this group has begun to focus on helping to a) streamline internal communications b) develop a media/new media plan c) development of a website d) a newsletter
Robert: that's a lot
What's missing, or is there anything you see that should be changed?
2. Internal communications - i.e. how does the youth network communicate with each other? So far a few structures have been set up, and while it would be great to take a cue from how the network decides to "govern" itself, that may be off in the distant future for now - so let's try and figure out how to best communicate until then. There are currently two options on the table, but there may be more as well.
- Overview of what we have so far:
- A small central google group of the working group point people and a few others who are actively working on the network
- A google group for each of the five working groups
- The larger Bali google group
- The 2,500 person list of youth who signed Avaaz's youth pledge during the Bali conference
- The youth network wiki : internationalyouth.pbwiki.com
- One Option - Stay with what we have, make it clear where to get involved with each of the four working groups, offer everyone in the large bali google group the chance to be a part of a working group or the small central google group, then disband larger google group to begin building a database that we can send emails/newsletters to
- Second Option - Move all this over to Highrise, an online rolodex and shared online workspace that would allow us to share contacts, assign each other tasks, and build a list. Highrise is sleeker, but does cost money.
Robert: I really like this idea but because of the cost issue, we can either ask them to support us (they might go for that) or wait until we have some funds in place to do this. - Robert
How do you think the youth network should communicate with itself?
Other internal communications questions:
- conference calls - how often should we have conference calls? with who? how can we get an international call easily set up?
- Robert: Once Every two weeks would be good at this point - Perhaps switching things over to Skype Conference calls if possible.
- HyunJin: I would like to suggest having a meeting through skype or msn chatting. Usually I have to work during conference call time so it is not easy to join in through phone call.
- newsletter - How often? What gets included? Who wants to work on it? Do we send it out as an email, or post it on the youth climate website, like a blog that people can subscribe to?
- Robert: The idea of a blog with a RSS news feed would be a good start. It would be nice to post it on the website have it feed out to people as progress gets made on this. An email newsletter would also be great.
- Robert: Suggestion of once every months ask the point people from the various groups to put their updates in a short succinct document and then produce it.
- HyunJin: I think bimonthly base would be good and we can put following contents: International enviornment key issues, youth movement around the world (from the contribution of network members), Interview with youth coordinator (we can share the mission and activities around the world) or update on international climate youth network. Also, we can release online daily newsletters during COP like ENB.
- HyunJin: I think emailing service is better. In my case, receiving emails are easier than visiting to website regulary. Maybe we can use both things. (post to a blog and send email)
3. Media - what do we want our media strategy to look like through the year? How do we tell the story of the youth movement? How do we prepare for the media blitz of the COP?
- Robert: At this point, I feel that the focus needs to be on a internal communication strategy. We are having trouble communicating amongst ourselves already and I think that is where we need to start. However, this doesn't mean that we can start to spread the word about the network. I feel that is it develops more, this will become more important. - Robert
- HyunJin: I agree with Robert! At first, we should focus on making more strong internal communication strategy.
- HyunJin: Btw, for contaciting media group, since this is international youth group, what about nominating one contact youth from one country on media contact. Before the COP, they can share our information and action plan with local and natinoal media regulary through translated 'official press release in english' into their language. (For this need, they can translate by themselves or can formulate translating group) If we share our achivement at local, national level, more youth can ackowledge this network and will join us.
4. Website - again much of this will take a cue from how the network organizes itself
- What functionality do we want?
- What content do we want?
- What might this cost? Who might be able to help out?
- How can we tie it in with exisiting networks?
- One option for an early website: create a blog which people can subscribe to with an RSS feed - sort of a constant newsletter of what is happening with the international youth
- Robert: This is is the best idea to start with.
- what about call for volunteers for creating website such as for design or technical things?
5. Action Items - please sign up below with what you could help out with:
- International communications proposal - a few people could create this, going from the couple of options above, which we could present to the larger group to get feedback on : Robert
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- Newsletter - one or two people to be in charge of pulling together the first newsletter for the youth network, for contacting folks from different parts of the world, getting updates, and putting all the information together - HyunJin
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- Web team - a few people to begin drafting a plan for what content, functionality, budget, etc. we'd need for the international youth website
Any last thoughts?
Robert: Draft more interest in the Communications group. Right now there are just a few people involved.
HyunJin: maybe most of youth members in this group have their own organization and network. If we can be a kind of network with organization membership base, more people can acknowledge about this network and easy to release information, maybe!! Cheers for all!!
Valuable Links
Online tools
- Google Sites
- Google Groups - FREE
- PB Wiki - shared editable workspace - FREE
- Chip In - www.chipin.com - online fundraising - FREE
- Wild Apricot - http://www.wildapricot.com/ - integrated contact database, website, event management - fee-based
- Highrise HQ - http://www.highrisehq.com/home - contact database, shared workspace - fee-based
- Vertical Response - www.vertical response.com - email newsletter tool - fee-based
- Constant Contact - http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp - Survey and email blasts - fee-based
Resources
Expert List
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