This Intermedia project aims to utilize the reach and influence of radio in Pakistan to provide a forum for moderate and constructive voices. It aims to expose listeners at risk of radicalization to collaborative, non-adversarial ways of approaching disenchantment with policies, political reform, increasing militarization of society, socio-economic inequalities and other factors that lead some high-risk individuals to embrace extremism and violence.
This initiative will provide access for Pakistani radio stations to world standard methodologies, best practices, success stories and technical resources on raising professional standards, becoming sector leaders, improving community profiles of the stations.
The first phase of the project (May 2010 to November 2010) has the following activities:
• Establish a nation-wide Radio Partnership for Peace with licensed stations from Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as partner members. These will be independent, govt-owned, campus and community stations.
• In the first phase of trainings, train 60 FM stations from across Pakistan on themes including radio and conflict transformation , conflict theory and practice, identifying and targeting audience and employing radio to use dialogue as a way of addressing local issues and to promote peace in their respective communities.
• In the second phase of trainings, build technical capacities of 40 FM stations from across Pakistan to design and produce 120 unique radio talk shows to engage local communities and hold dialogues on promoting peaceful resolution of all types of conflicts.
• Establish a dedicated web portal to showcase the richness and diversity of the Pakistani FM radio sector to principally serve as a platform to share the success stories, various radio programs, ideas and various developments in the sector to a nationwide as well as an international audience.
Implemented by Intermedia, this project is funded by United States-based based Search For Common Ground (SFCG).
