Patriotic volunteers may bridge the gaps which comes due to mis-concepetion from media and govt. There are so many policies and plans which are planned well, implemented well, but all such programmes need person to person communication, understanding, awareness and following at   national level. A direct people's participation is only possible after house to house , person to person, individual to group, patron to matron, nation to states  campaign which is only possible through mass participation of the people and  communication skills of volunteers which can generate eagerness, positive approach, right direction and future benefits after launching of any program. A sharing, dialogues, understanding, believe and following are key points which can be easily handled by volunteers, hence, they should spend their times for the community to encourage people for the service of the nation.

Community media normally broadcast within the intended community and Volunteers usually are taken from the same community. These volunteers spend their time contributing to their community. In some communities they include post high-school students to get experience, retired people giving back to their community, and those looking for self-esteem. Volunteering in the community is highly supported in big media house such as BBC, CNN and sometimes used as one of the criteria/added advantage during recruitment process.

The volunteers should be of proven integrity, respected by the people, and with good understanding of the sociocultural dynamics of the community. They should performed assigned roles depending on the message and their capacity to deliver it satisfactorily.

My first opinion on the participation of volunteers in community media is that this highly recommended. In addition, the involvement of volunteers in community media is vital for the success and sustainability of an effective community media.   

To begin with, community media is an umbrella word for all categories of communication channels and systems (both software and hardware accessories) commonly used for information communication (sending and receiving messages).

To explain further, community media include electronic media, print media, and popular media. For example, electronic media cover: radio, television, telephones, telefaxes, internet, videos, computers, CDs, DVDs, films, cameras, photocopiers, scanners, or printers. Similarly, print media (hard copy print outs) include a variety of formats such as: newspapers, magazines, newsletters, posters, circulars, books, or brochures.

The third category refers to popular media are direct human interactions or events which include: meetings, cultural activities, debates, religious functions, parties, story-telling, festivals, music, dance, drama, work places, campaigns, sports, or games. All these social, economic, environmental, and political activities must be driven and guided by gender equality at all levels of each activity cycle or process.

Let me single out community radio as a typical community medium. I use community radio (CR) because it can be programmed to cover and all the above issues which I have just mentioned. By definition, a community radio is a radio of the people, by the people, and for the people.

This means its planning, management; programming, operation, and financing are participatory in one way or another. Accordingly, volunteering is therefore the focus of a true community media. Volunteers are usually or largely members of the same community. They should work according to guidelines or policies which are developed and approved by the same community.

Community media such as radio, internet, television, videos, and other media may be guided by the national policy or regulations approved by the parliament and the government through the relevant ministry or national commission. There is a massive work to be done for the success and sustainability let prosperity of a community media project such community radio.

This presupposes division of labour or work based on a volunteer’s ability, skills, availability, convenience, physical condition, status, or attitude. Volunteers should be trained, facilitated, guided, and encouraged to maximize their capacity to participate in community media work.

Every aspect of a community media project must have a volunteer attached to it. Let be known that for example in a community radio, a volunteer is equally a prospective full-time staff. At the same time, volunteering is part and parcel of a normal community media management function.

Any member of a given community (retirees, students, working class, business men or women, professionals, unemployed, or uneducated person) is a potential community media volunteer. A community project should take these into account right from the project proposal stage.

Such a project should aim at turning volunteers into citizen journalists (community media citizen journalists). It is critical for community media to respect all kinds of intercultural differences such minority dialects, values, or beliefs. These are usually catered for during participation, programme design, development, and evaluation.

Volunteering is not done in a vacuum. It is guided by a very comprehensive manual or policy strategy as well as a strategic plan.   Thank you very much for raising this very crucial social, economic, environmental, and political development issue.