Document(s) 8 of 16

The group discussion focused on three significant areas:

• the special needs, barriers and opportunities in reaching out to, involving, and communicating with women;
• the knowledge base defined as "women's knowledge," which is often invisible or disparaged; and
• the needs, barriers, and opportunities for women as communicators.

Needs

• Before even beginning to think about specific needs related to women's potential as community communicators, we acknowledged that the whole needs assessment process must be participatory, and in this way be seen as part of the very process that is respectful of the community itself.
• Women's knowledge, which is "taken for granted" at best, needs to be valorized to create a community of learners. The need to recognize "women's knowledge" challenges the usual structures and processes of knowledge creation in most societies. It also forces another layer of theorizing and practice within the approach of participatory development.
• There must be confidence in women's skills and knowledge. It is more than an act of reconceptualizing knowledge. It is an act of giving power to women as leaders or true partners.
• There needs to be enough time for women to participate. And there needs to be support for those women, not only in undertaking new responsibilities, but in carrying out their other tasks.
• Women need to learn negotiation skills to communicate with men, both individually and collectively.
• More research is needed on the experience of women in communication.
• There are many existing structures for women. These are important for enhancing women's skills and potential, and there is a need for young women to learn how to integrate into these structures.

Potential

• The focus on women as community communicators was discussed in a way that was inclusive of men. The involvement of men was frequently discussed in terms of getting their permission for certain undertakings. But, in another way, the involvement of men was seen as a way of making a project credible and representative of the interests of the entire community. Seen from another angle, the focus could be on stressing, to the community, the real advantages of empowering and involving women as real partners. In other words, there is a wish to avoid sex-segregated initiatives as much as possible.
• Women are frequently involved in traditional "folk" media such as song, dance, theatre, stories, etc. There were interesting examples of how these are being adapted to contemporary circumstances. The comic relief, and spirit of play and entertainment, offer real potential in communicating certain issues, especially sexuality.
• Existing structures of women's organization and communication offer a starting point for enhancing women's roles as community communicators. Where these do not exist, new structures need to be developed.
• It is clear that women are already communicating in multiple settings: in their families, communities, nationally, and in their work and profession. This is the basis for their future potential. It may be that we need to "look again," to reexplore and redefine the current processes to appreciate and understand all dimensions of women's communication experience. This would be a first step, prior to developing enhanced ways of negotiating.

Obstacles

• Women need to develop their own vision and become conscious of their potential. They need to develop their own autocritique.
• The participation process takes time. The process we propose is not just "project-related," but one that is deeper, reexamining all our assumptions around knowledge, learning, self-concept, and participation.
• Lack of listening on the part of "outsiders" is another barrier. The outsiders could be outside the community, the culture, or more abstractly, those who are "outside the new understanding" that is being initiated.
• Differences in education between boys and girls, within the home, community, and school system, present an obstacle. The obstacle is not only in terms of literacy and "formal" knowledge, but also in terms of different aspirations and expectations for life.
• The marginalization of women by society, which is also internalized by women, is another barrier. This relates to the dynamic interaction between women's communication and the society. On the positive side, it leaves open the possibility of intervening for change at any point.

Document(s) 8 of 16