Isis International co-organizes1994 women and media confenrence in Bangkok, Thailand

by Eliz Reyes-Martinez

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) will co-sponsor with Isis International Manila and the International Women's Tribune Center (IWTC) in New York, a women and media conference titled "Women Empowering Communication." The conference will be held at the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) in Nonthaburi, Thailand from 12-19 February 1994.

Preparations for the conference are now taking place. After initial discussions with the co-organizers, the first planning committee meeting was held at the WACC office in London from 3-5 September 1992. Chairing the meeting was Teresita Hennano, Director for Communication Education of WACC. The co-organizers were represented by Marilee Karl and Elizabeth Martinez (Isis International Manila) and Vicki Semler of IWTC. Also invited to the meeting were; Marilyn Carr of UNIFEM; Margaret Gallagher, media consultant; Julienne Munyanesa of WACC Africa; Doris Hess, WACC consultant; and WACC staff Mary Luz Rivera and Ann Shakespeare.

The discussion included substantive input on the four main conference themes: Women, Mass Media and Power; Women and Communication Alternatives, Women, Communication and Development; and Women, Communication and Sociocultural Identity. Specific subthemes on the four topics were finalized.

The committee agreed on the following conference objectives:

to reassess media-related strategies adopted during the end of the Women's Decade in 1985, and plan new directions for the next decade;
to stimulate ideas and resolutions related to women in communication to feed into the next UN Women's Conference and the second WACC Congress, both to be held in 1995;
to bring together women working in communication groups, particularly active grassroots organizations and networks to share insights and learn from each other's experiences;
to highlight various critical areas related to the themes, in particular those which have not been sufficiently explored in studies and conferences on women and media;
to encourage and facilitate networking and solidarity among women's groups working in related fields;
to explore areas of research which have not been done on the themes.

In selecting participants, it was agreed that priority will be given to Third World Women who work with women's networks, feature services, newsletters and magazines, drama groups, radio or TV groups, film makers, collectives or similar groups dedicated to communication activities in support of the women's cause.

Interested participants should write or call:
Teresita Hermano
WACC Director for Communication Education
3547 Kennington Lane
London, SEII5QY England
Tel.: (01)5829139
Fax: (01) 7350340.