The national conference for the First Nations media industry, CONVERGE, began in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) last night with a social functioin.
Over 160 delegates representing 48 organisations have gathered for the conference with event co-hosts, CAAMA welcoming delegates to their Todd St hub.
The social evening kicked off with tours of the impressive new studios and a welcome to country from Traditional Owner, Dr Patricia Miller AM who shared stories of her involvement in CAAMA’s nearly 40-year history.
The theme of the conference is Meeting Together >> Moving in One Direction and a cooperative spirit was evident through each of the presentations, setting the tone for a positive and productive few days ahead of working together as a cohesive industry.
CAAMA’s CEO, Karl Hampton (pictured right) acknowledged the media organisation’s role as a pioneer in the media industry and offered support to all First Nations media with open arms.
FNMA Chair, Dot West similarly expressed strength in unity, laying the foundations for networking and sharing throughout the conference ahead.
The CONVERGE Alice Springs program includes a keynote presentation from Larry Parr, Chief Executive of Te Mangai Paho in New Zealand.
Delegates will hear panel discussions from young broadcasters, discuss truth-telling and national narratives, progress media policy positions and participate in a range of hands-on breakout sessions focused on skills development in leadership, social media content, recruitment and HR, music production, news reporting and more.
CONVERGE Alice Springs culminates in the First Nations Media Awards on Friday night featuring live performances from The Everlastings, Stuart Nuggett and the Black Rock Band.
Two key points emerging from the conference were the importance of news and the value (and double edged sword) of social media.
There was an emphasis on political listening, those who influence people or make decisions.
News is very important in influencing wider debate, but there is a missed opportunity where community voices are not always being heard. The new CBAA collaborative news service expansion is one of the ways that the community sector is working together to overcome some of the imbalance that has taken place in media.
Some of the social meda converage from the conference is below.
“Without data your idea is just another opinion” Larry Parr CEO Te Mangai Paho, talks the value of being able to measure the impact of First Nations Media #convergeas19 #ourmediamatters pic.twitter.com/6XItVFMQub
— Catherine Liddle (@CatherineLiddl4) November 28, 2019
“In an era where our voices are being homogenised the role of community media is more important than its ever been… a future without it is too horrible to imagine” Iann Hamm CBF President #convergeas19 #ourmediamatters pic.twitter.com/9ytTd21wM7
— Catherine Liddle (@CatherineLiddl4) November 28, 2019
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that we’ve had education for about 50 years and we’ve already got doctors and lawyers. We need to promote our positive stories.. and not be afraid of the hard stories too.” Lola Forrester talks Blackchat #convergeas19 #ourmediamatters pic.twitter.com/KfBGTqS7tU
— Catherine Liddle (@CatherineLiddl4) November 28, 2019