UPS president and Social Communication director spoke at the III Ecuadorian University Radios Network meeting

The III meeting of Ecuadorian University Radios Network organized by the Ecuadorian University Radios Network (RRUE, in Spanish) was held on June 19th and 20th in order to discuss academia and experience. This event was attended by students, teachers, and professionals in the communication field. Javier Herràn Gomez, UPS president, and Maria del Carmen Ramirez, director of the Social Communication major, were the guest speakers.

Father Herràn spoke about the role of communication for development and referred to his experience during 25 years in Radio Mensaje in Cayambe; a job he considers to have been "a real challenge that is worth thinking over". He said that communication for development is a strategy that favors the participation of the population and strengthens the community's autonomy and identity.

He said that the use of radio for development constructs collective thought and that in the case of Radio Mensaje de Cayambe they achieved a process of self-reflection, awareness and the search of new actions to solve problems.

Father Herràn explained that Radio Mensaje is going through a new period because it is currently being managed by the Social Communication major of UPS- Quito under a process that focuses on three approaches:

• As a live production laboratory where students complete their pre professional and community involvement practicums, and turn communication for development and interculturality into reality.
• As a place where students and teachers produce from the classroom and generate products that meet the communication needs of listeners. And finally,
• A place to developfinal graduationprojects. 

Virtual Media Center

Maria del Carmen Ramirez presented a project created by the Social Communication major's Virtual Media Center called INDI which stands for: in-radio, in-television- in-vestigation- in-magazine, and an institutional blog. The major's aim is to promote quality communication projects developed by teachers and students.

Ramirez referred to the progress that has been made since the proposal of Radio Pirata, then to Radio Parlante, and finally Fonola online; communication projects that started with the support of the communication major and that will soon be in the Virtual Media Center.

The Virtual Media Center is controlled by teachers and students who work under these three parameters:

• Ensure the production of content in the classroom by working on communicative products.
• Invite students to create communicative products which may be presented as final graduation projects.
• Community involvement with a focus on communication for development.

Other projects that were presented at this event are: CEO Spanish Music Public Media by Roberto Ramírez; and Community communication and university radios by Valeria Moscoso, a student from Universidad del Azuay.

Redacción web: Rosa Elena Procel y Catherine Peralta