A one-day workshop to promote ‘Home as a learning space’ through mass media was organized by the Room to Read India Trust at Hotel Madhuban, Dehradun. Room to Read has been working for foundational literacy, the habit of reading, and life skill education for girls, with gender perspective for over a decade in the region. To focus on the issues each year campaign is run to reach multiple stakeholders of the ecosystem. In view of pandemics, enhanced efforts were made to reach parents and caregivers. In this momentous task collaboration developed with community radio stations, print media, DD, and AIR. The workshop was an initiative to reflect on this journey and future ways of collaboration.
A participant from Mandakini Ki Awaaz, a community radio station based in Rudraprayag suggested developing a character that can be related by the children at grassroot level. Mr. Laxmi Prasad Badoni from print media appreciated the positive approach of room to read at ground level and In the program, litterateur Mukesh Nautiyal said that making the home the center of learning has become a necessity after the experiences of the transition period of the pandemic. This workshop of Room to Read has been successful in starting a meaningful dialogue in this direction.
Participants from AIR said to fill the learning gap it is necessary to make programs that give infotainment to the children at home with learning. Mr. Sanjay Singh Communication head of Room to Read has acknowledged the participants and he appreciated the community radio stations for involving their reporters with the aim and mission of Room to Read at grassroot level. He also talked about the nuances of reading and communication methodologies.
Room to reading’s state head Pushplata Rawat said “inclusion of grassroots media and mainstream media in promoting literacy among children and parents is the need of the hour and it is important to fill learning gap emerged due to covid-19”. She adds room to read in the few past years has developed some reading materials, radio episodes, Tv episodes, reading modules etc. and we look forward to collaborating with grassroots media and mainstream media to develop a home as a learning space. The aim of the workshop is to make the grassroots dissemination strategy to develop a home as a learning space under the expertise of Room to reading’s literacy and girl’s education program run by the Room to Read India in Uttarakhand
The workshop was concluded with suggestions and feedback by the professionals of community radio stations and other mainstream media people with the way forwards of doing programs related to the aim of the workshop. The collaboration with grassroot and mainstream media to develop the home as a learning space was also agreed upon during the workshop.