The long common history between Hungary and Austria was renewed when the polycollege team from Vienna came to visit Civil Radio in Budapest.
Interested listeners and guests flew in from Ireland and Germany.

See the story of the meeting.


from left to right: Martin Mikulik and Susanne Schaefer-Wiery, Austria; Adam Magyar from Hungary; Herbert Depner from Austria.

The day before one could see a hard working poly-team (from left to right: Martin Mikulik, Sylvia Braunsteiner, Susanne Schaefer-Wiery):


whilst project leader (and projector carrier) Herbert Depner had a good time signing The Irish-Austrian Cooperation Treaty of Budapest with Jim Doherty from Inishowen Community Radio (watched by Mura from ICR):




All too soon the departure came closer: See now the last official photo of the poly-delegation.



Bye, Bye Budapest: Thank you very much, Adam for your work! and Ferenc as well!
And: Welcome Freudenstadt in May!

After being able to getting to know each other in Carndonagh and the situation there, the next step in the learning partnership had to be taken in Budapest.
The main task of the meeting was to plan a Grundtvig project proposal together in which we would be able to get deeper into our work and create long-lasting results.
The most impressive aspect to it, to see the joint effort to really want to create a teaching method according to the principles of adult education for the use of the most modern aspects of radio journalism for the older generation. We agreed, for instance, on the use of digital recording and editing methods. Concepts have to be made, to be able to translate the mostly analog thinking of this generation into the new digital procedures.

Another important role of community media was shown to us by a hungarian pensioner who uses his own life history to create a history of the last 60 years in Hungary via Civil community radio. He cooperates with young people as age correspondent speakers of each historical period.
In this case we were shown again that innovative uses of media can result, when people with experience, no matter in which way, get the opportunity to get access to the media, not as objects but subjects. One step further was being made to get a clearer picture in what kind of way senior citizens could be part of the media landscape and how we have to teach them to be able to do it – it has to be based on their longlasting experiences.

The international meeting of teams involved in the „Socrates 2-projekt” in Budapest was a big step ahead for the work with the participants in Freudenstadt Germany. The well-organized meeting was a good basis for productive and informative discussion. Through the presentation of the local community radio in Budapest “Civil Radio”, the partners received information on all aspects of the development and administration of a community broadcasting station in Hungary. Many of these aspects, especially the mixture of generations and the work with disabled people, where very impressive. Witnessing successful practice and becoming familiar with the “how-to’s” is always the best way to learn and be inspired. The meetings of the “Learning Partnership” are the perfect way to achieve this.



Regarding a follow-up “Grundtvig I” project, the partners succeeded in fixing the basic starting points for every working team involved, including budget, content, timetable, dissemination and evaluation. Answering some open questions was only possible in face to face conversation, which is another important aspect of these meetings.

Our visit in the broadcasting station “Civil Radio” was very inspiring for our work in Germany. A project like this helps by exchange of experience and makes it possible to develop solutions together.

Local radios are no longer operating as locally in digital times as they used to in analog days. The internet provides us the opportunity to take part in global movements, some of which are coming from or are based on local grounds. In the case of urban community radios, like Orange 94.0, it´s allready common to keep in touch with other local radios or initiatives in other cities. But there´s one big point missing in these digital forms of communication – the face to face interaction.
In this learning partnership real people tell each other about their specific way of working in their specific local circumstances in their own community radio, or training institution. The best thing about differences is, when you get to know them, and why they are there, you can only learn from them.
In our first meeting the main interests were to find out about the daily life of a community radio station in this very rural area of Inishowen.
How is the older generation being integrated into radio life and work?
How is training being organised and done?
How are interactions between people living in a continuously changing borderland?
When you expect to find differences, it´s likely to encounter similarities.
In our first meeting, the area of Inishowen reminded me a lot to the Austrian/ Hungarian/ Slowakian border situation. There´s a lot of development happening and people begin to orientate themselves in a cross border situation – orientating to the nearest big cities, no matter if they are in the same country or not.
The radio station sees itself in the same way, although it is not being heard on the other side of the border, it aims to integrate people from both sides. The older generation gets an important role in this aspect, as they can provide the younger with living history, on and off air. There are no particular trainings being offered at Inishowen Community Radio for older people, because in their integrative approach, they offer training for everybody. Here´s one big difference we could recognise, because in urban areas, most people are used to sticking to themselves and appreciate being taught in a more closed setting. Youngsters among youngsters, seniors among seniors – although there´s allways a certain point of disappointment involved with the situation. In Carndonagh we met some ex-trainees, who are still involved actively in the radio, with a long lifetime experience, who told us about their experiences with the radio training.
In this partnership we found out in the first meeting, that we can learn from each other especially in terms of empowerment, different strategies to achieve it and the will to offer the older generation involvment in actual processes, work that´s being done on a community based level – an experience that they know from their younger days, were we can learn from again.

Frank Hagen, frank.hagen@orange.or.at
http://www.orange.or.at