Louis D’Amore, Founder/President, International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT),

Louis D’Amore, Founder/President, International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), the man who branded Jamaica ‘THE HOME OF COMMUNITY TOURISM’ – returns to Jamaica on the invitation of Diana McIntyre-Pike, President Countrystyle Community Tourism Network/IIPT Caribbean to participate for the first four days of the Jamaica – Home of Community Tourism Study Tour which runs from February 16 -26, 2012.  This presents the perfect opportunity to welcome IIPT’s newest satellite member – Countrystyle Community Tourism Network South Africa (CCTNSA) during their Community Tourism study tour across the island and to participate in the Marcus Garvey Fair.  D’Amore recognized the newest members into the IIPT Family with these words “The IIPT is proud to announce the formation of the South African Chapter of International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT-SA). A group of private professionals ranging from academic, legal, tourism and entrepreneurs who have committed to developing impoverished communities in a true spirit of UBUNTU.”

The purpose of the study tour is to learn about the internationally-recognized ‘Villages as Businesses’ Model of Community Tourism, which highlights the village lifestyle built on unique natural, cultural and human capital. Nikki De Pina, Lead Partner and Consultant, South Africa, in anticipation of the trip said “It is our intention to learn about the successful Jamaican Model and to apply it to a South African context… Video clips of the Jamaican Study Tour will be showcased at South Africa’s Tourism Indaba later this year”.

Diana McIntyre-Pike, President Countrystyle Community Tourism Network

The Marcus Garvey Fair is showcased by the Resource Village in Manchester and promises to share with audiences the life work and philosophy of Garvey, the second largest Taino settlement location, cultural presentations and entertainment from South Africa, Drumming for Peace with Hugh Shim and much more. Valerie Dixon President, International Community Tourism Institute (ICTI) and Marketing Consultant, Resource Village Manchester and the Resource Citizens Association are responsible for producing the event. For his contribution to sustainable tourism development in Africa and other regions of the world, D’Amore was recently appointed Chancellor of LIUTEBM by the Senate/Board of Trustees of Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business Management (LIUTEBM). LIUTEBM Vice Chancellor, Dr. Patrick Kaligungwa stated, “Louis is an outstanding World personality, with international reputation and character befitting
the appointment. He has contributed immensely to sustainable tourism development in Africa and other regions of the world and is a World renowned ambassador for Peace through Tourism.”

For more information on the tour and Garvey Fair please contact  Diana McIntyre-Pike at 876-507-6326 or email: villagesasbusinesses@yahoo.com

ABOUT IIPT:
The International Institute For Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering and facilitating tourism initiatives which contribute to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality of environment, the preservation of heritage, and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world.([LINK: http://www.iipt.org/] www.iipt.org)

ABOUT CCTNSA:
CCTNSA is a non-profit association and satellite of Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN) Caribbean, which is endorsed by IIPT (International Institute for Peace through Tourism). The association invites sponsors, donors and community tourism stakeholders to contribute to its research projects via email to [LINK: Email :info@dixiebay.co.za or info@dixiebay.co.za

ABOUT VILLAGES AS BUSINESSES:
CCTN developed the Villages as Businesses Programme in collaboration with the National Best Community Foundation (NBCF) as an investment programme to offer Opportunities for visitors to experience and support Jamaica’s unique community culture; to develop community tourism products that build on unique natural, cultural and human capital,  for communities to benefit directly from their assets and emerging tourism trends; and for Jamaicans, friends of Jamaica, businesses, agencies and institutions to invest in a coordinated, practical and continuing community development programme. ([LINK: http://www.villagesasbusinesses.com/] WWW.VILLAGESASBUSINESSES.COM)

You must either cover or have an interest in development/climate change/environmental/agricultural issues.

DETAILS:

In line with IFAD’s commitment to amplify the debate on sustainable small holder agriculture and how to achieve global food security this workshop, will focus on the journalistic skills needed to cover the rural world and bring rural poverty issues into urban households.  Journalists will attend IFAD’s General Council (GC) in Rome.

Sessions to include the involvement of:  President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Bill Gates, Ms Tina Joemat-Petterson, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa and a number of other guest speakers.  Workshops before and after the GC will look at issues such as basic economics of food production, competition for resources, population movements and access to water.

Eligibility

All applicants for Thomson Reuters Foundation training courses must currently be working as journalists or regular contributors to either a print or broadcast media organisations. They must be able to demonstrate a commitment to a career in journalism in their country, must have at least two years’ professional experience and have a good level in spoken and written English.

Funding

Thomson Reuters Foundation, through IFAD funding and support, offers full bursaries for journalists from the developing world/countries in political transition working for established media organisations. Bursaries would include air travel expenses (economy class), accommodation, transfers and meals. Please note that visa costs or any other additional costs will be the responsibility of the participant. This arrangement is subject to variation.

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Phone: +44 (0) 20 7542 7015

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7542 8599

foundation@thomsonreuters.com

www.trust.org/trustmedia

The training had two components; young people from Jacmel, Haiti were trained in Photovoice techniques and practising journalists from Port au Prince were also trained in the same discipline.

Delroy Whyte-Hall, a Jamaican freelance photographer and communications specialist, attended the training as part of a GAP funded media fellowship and took the following photographs of the journalist training.

It was part of a larger project which included similar activities by three other Panos Institutes in Africa and Asia under Panos Global AIDS Programme.

The aims of the project were to give voice to these children in order to ensure that policies and services become responsive to their needs, and to empower these young people to set the policy agenda. To work towards this aim, the project worked with young and out of school people in Jacmel by educating them on reproductive and sexual health issues, and further empowers them to voice their concerns using Panos’ tool box of innovative communication methodologies, and in this particular case the PhotoVoice technique was used.

The PhotoVoice training was facilitated by Pieter de Vos of Panos Canada.

Jamaican freelance photographer and communications consultant, Delroy Whyte-Hall participated in the training under a media fellowship funded by the Panos Global AIDS Programme and the photos below are among the many photos he took as part of the fellowship.

They are sometimes mistreated by their clients but they cannot report abuse to the police. The sex workers in this video claim that they are even abused by the police.

Sex workers are among the vulnerable populations in Jamaica and the nature of their work makes them vulnerable to contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Because the trade they are involved in is illegal, they have very little recourse available to them to seek redress when they are exploited or otherwise wronged.

It sometimes also prevents them from seeking medical attention if they become hurt or ill while plying their trade as they fear retribution and the violation of their trust if they divulge to medical practitioners what they do for a living.

This video was developed under a media fellowship awarded to Jamaican journalist, Carol Francis of Jamaica News Network, a cable television subsidiary of Television Jamaica and is based on the publication, “Oral Testimony of Jamaican Sex Workers” which was published by Panos Caribbean in November 2010.

Andrea Downer - As Panos continues its year-long observation of it’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the organisation kicked off its three-month focus on Health Communication with the launch of a short video on the experiences and challenges of Jamaican Sex Workers. The release of the video which was produced by Carol Francis of Jamaica News Network coincided with the global annual observation of World AIDS Day on December 1, 2011.

This video, which was developed under a media fellowship, is based on the publication, “Oral Testimony of Jamaican Sex Workers” which was published by Panos Caribbean in November 2010.

Panos Caribbean kicked off it’s year-long 25th anniversary celebrations in June 2011 with a three month focus on our environment programme. (June – August 2011). From September – November the focus was on Children and Youth. The year-long observation will culminate with a focus on our Gender programme from March – May 2012.

Through our Health Communication programme and project activities, Panos Caribbean works to support participatory, inclusive and transparent decision-making on health at the national and regional levels.

In order to tackle the epidemic and guide the organization’s response, Panos Caribbean has developed a regional Health Communication programme within the scope of the Panos Global AIDS Programme (GAP).  Our Health Communication Programme includes all areas of public health with special focus on HIV&AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The Panos Global AIDS Programme (GAP), is a thematic programme across the network of eight autonomous Panos Institutes.

Over the next few years Panos Caribbean will continue to work to improve awareness, increase debate and spark action on public health issues by;

1. Building the communication capacity of people living with HIV, youth and other groups affected by HIV & AIDS and Tuberculosis;
2. Strengthening the capacity in the Caribbean media to encourage public dialogue and debate around health issues;
3. Making policy makers and decision makers accountable to the priorities of the most affected;
4. Providing stakeholders from grassroots to the global level with factual, relevant information on Public Health issues which reflect the perspectives of youth and other people directly affected by HIV & AIDS in the region.

Since its inception in 1985, Panos Caribbean has facilitated the creation of 16 journalism groups in the Caribbean in Haiti, Jamaica and more recently in St. Lucia.

Young people in St. Lucia were trained about the rights of children and young people and produced two compelling Public Service Announcements that are based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Youth Journalism training was funded by the Commonwealth Foundation and Panos Global AIDS Programme (GAP). The PSAs can be viewed on Panos Caribbean’s Youtube Channel Here: Part 1 & Part 2 Below are some photographs taken during the training.

One of the issues being debated at the meeting is whether a second commitment period would be agreed upon for the Kyoto Protocol or whether a new agreement would be formulated to replace the existing one.

Under the Climate Change Media Partnership, Internews, Panos and the International Institute for Environment and Development, IIEP Journalists from Asia, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America have are attending and reporting from the conference as part of the climate change media partnership fellowship programme  designed to improve media coverage of climate change issues in developing countries.

Here are pictorial highlights from the conference.