For students, the field trip was a practical learning experience as well as an opportunity to gain insights into what could be a future profession. Nariss Mekuma, a student of Lideta Selam School, was ‘delighted by the opportunity to see and understand how radio stations disseminate messages to their audiences’.

Mategbosh Adamtie of Yekatit 23 School was ‘astonished at the digital and computerized sound studio’, which provided additional inspiration for her to pursue a career in journalism and to become even more involved in school mini-media.

The half-day visit to Fana radio was facilitated by various departmental staff, who did their best to keep up with the stream of questions from the eager students. During their tour students were able to see and learn about the live studio, production rooms, archives as well as Radio Fana’s Internet radio broadcasts.

The remainder of the weekend training programme was spent indoors at the National Hotel with media professionals and development workers, who helped students to sharpen their journalistic skills as well as to increase their knowledge of development issues that impact their daily lives. At the end of the training students received a certificate of participation.

Teachers responsible for the various mini-media clubs also attended the two-day training event. They used the opportunity to explore with their peers how they could better collaborate to share and expand the role of high school mini-media, as well as to share experiences and find solutions to common challenges. Much interest was expressed in the role that windows such as UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) could play in strengthening their unique form of community media.

Over the coming months more activities to support the capacity of the students and to strengthen inter-school collaboration between mini-media clubs are expected to be carried out.