People’s Voice Media (PVM) is a charity and not-for-profit community development organisation based in Manchester, England. The organisation works in deprived areas across the UK and aims to empower local communities through the use of social media technology. PVM works in partnership with the BBC, Further and Higher Education institutions, the third sector and public sector to develop a network of community reporters and social media centres.
Contents
History
People’s Voice Media was founded in 1993 as Manchester Community Information Network (MCIN).It became a charity and a company limited by guarantee in 1995. At a time when the internet was a new phenomenon and used mostly by scientists and academics, MCIN aimed to make public information accessible to people in the most deprived areas of Manchester. The organisation formed part of a wider Mancunian movement which promoted the use of ICT for urban regeneration in the wake of the industrial downturn of the 1980s. See this paper from Manchester Metropolitan University for more information [1]
An MCIN project was TARDIS (Targeted Delivery of Information and Services). The scheme provided disadvantaged communities with access to the internet through the use of multimedia kiosks which were erected in supermarkets and other public areas. The first kiosk was launched in Crumpsall public library in 1995 which was soon followed by over a dozen more across the city.
Over the years MCIN has been involved in technological regeneration projects across Greater Manchester, working with communities to develop community websites and running ICT training inside local communities. With the development of social media, broader possibilities emerged to support local communities to have a voice. This, along with a desire to create a national network of community reporters, meant that the name MCIN was too restrictive. This led to the organisation re-branding itself as People’s Voice Media in 2009. According to Chief Executive Gary Copitch,
"The main reason for re-branding was that the old name meant we were perceived as Manchester organisation and in order for us to achieve our objectives we needed to have a national brand."
Activities
People’s Voice Media encourages members of socially excluded communities to gain new skills and have a voice by taking part in their community reporters training programme. Individuals who participate in the programme are taught to use social media technology and are sent for training with the BBC. The trainees learn camera filming techniques and are taught to create video, audio and text blogs which are published on the local community websites set up by PVM.
The community reporters programme is about empowering people to have a voice so their perspective can be heard and to support dialogue between agencies and communities. People's Voice Media is now working across a number of locations in the UK to develop community reporters.
People's Voice Media is also working on the Local Voice project which supports the development of Social Media Centres which are based at existing community centres.
Values
People’s Voice Media states it is committed to: