Co-operating To Build a Better Nova Scotia

Co-operating To Build a Better Nova Scotia is a provincial conference being held Nov. 22nd - 24th, 2012 at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, N.S to mark the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives in Nova Scotia.  The conference aims to bring together co-operatives, credit unions, social enterprise, researchers, academics, government, students, youth, and business service providers.

Three core themes animate Co-operating to Build a Better Nova Scotia, a dynamic, informative, and forward looking event in Halifax November 22 – 24:

• Living the Co-operative Principles – Preserving and strengthening the co-op difference 
• NS Co-operatives and the Global Context- International Year of Co-op and beyond
• Policy - Co-operation to foster a healthy and diverse co-operative eco-system contributing to well-being, innovation and development 

These themes will be addressed via four parallel streams:

• Conference Workshops – Plenaries, paper sessions, and interactive workshops
• Visioning – Action framework and commitments for the NS co-op sector 
• Co-op Radio - Programming, webcast, & social media conversations 
• Co-op Fair and Poster Presentations - NS co-ops showcasing community connections; social, economic, environmental impacts; products & services 

To connect this conference to provincial NS Co-op members, the larger Canadian Co-op community, and citizens at large, Ryakuga will be broadcasting LIVE from Mount Saint Vincent University, locally on 106.9FM in Halifax, with a simultaneous webcast at www.ryakuga.ca. 

The broadcast will begin Thursday, November 22 at 12pm and run for 49 hours straight until Saturday, November 24 at 1 pm.  Programming will come from the conference floor as it is happening, with additional cultural and community content focused around the theme of “Co-operating to Build a Better Nova Scotia”

Ryakuga’s temporary community radio station will be set up in the mezzanine of the Rosaria Student Centre at Mount Saint Vincent University and all are invited to participate in this unique participatory communications project.

www.ryakuga.ca – Broadcast info page where the webcast will be hosted
www.ryakuga.blogspot.com - the Ryakuga blog
www.facebook.com/ryakuga - the Ryakuga Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/nscoopcouncil - the NS Co-op Council Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/groups/coopradio- Coop Radio Facebook Group
@ryakuga - to communicate with Ryakuga on Twitter
@NSCoopCouncil - to communicate with the NS Coop Council on Twitter
#coopradio #NSCoop

What's on #CoOpRadio This Week?

#CoOpRadio 

A Participatory Communications Event for the 

Co-operating to Build a Better Nova Scotia Conference

Hosted by the NS Co-op Council

In Celebration of the International Year of the Co-Op

Listen at 106.9FM in Halifax, or online at www.ryakuga.ca

Interact with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/coopradio 

and on Twitter @ryakuga or @NSCoopCouncil or using the hastag #coopradio 

***UPDATED NOVEMBER 21*******

Thursday, November 22, 2012

12pm - 12:30pm - Sign-On LIVE!
1:15pm - 1:30pm - Prerecorded - A Walk Around Plan B Merchants Co-op 
1:30pm - 2:00pm - LIVE! Show & Tell with Bob Chaisson, President of Plan B Merchant Co-Op
2:00pm - 2:15pm - Prerecorded chat with John Hartling, a local activist and volunteer with Common Roots Urban Farm about the social enterprise model
2:15pm - 2:30pm - Pre-recorded interview with Claudia Jahn from NS Housing and Homelessness Network
2:30pm - 3:30pm LIVE! "Get 'er Done" interactive show hosted by Rene Ross (aka @firecatkitty) Executive Director at Stepping Stone, Dr. Alan Brown (SOAN, Women's and Gender Studies, MSVU) and Charlene Gagnon (Pilot Research, CCPA-NS, NS Housing and Homelessness Network) on social justice in Nova Scotia 
4:00pm - 4:15pm - Prerecorded interview with Don Clairmont (Pilot Research, Atlantic Institute of Criminology) about restorative justice in Nova Scotia
5:30pm - 6:00pm - LIVE! Interviews with Members of the NS Co-op Council Youth Committee
6:00pm - 6:30pm Prerecorded - Dan Anderson - The Disturbing Truth - A project for the Co-operative Enterprise Council of New Brunswick
7:00pm - 8:30pm - LIVE! Keynote Address - Co-operatives and the Canadian Journey - Alain Roy, Manager of Programs and Partnerships, Rural and Co-operative Secretariat
8:30pm - 9:00pm LIVE! Interview with Alain Roy and conference delegates, broadcast of Conference Reception
9:30pm - 10:30pm - Co-opoloy Networking Event LIVE! from Vinnie's Pub
11:00pm - 2am - Howard Beye from CKDU LIVE! with Attention Deficit Disorder music show

Friday, November 23, 2012

2:00am - 5:00am - Kesley Iceton (MSVU Student) LIVE! late night programming
5:00am - 8:45am - The Early Shift
8:45am -10:30am - LIVE! Conference Opening Plenary: International Year of Co-operatives in Review - Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going, A Global Perspective
11:00am - 11:30am - LIVE! Miles Howe from the Halifax Media Co-Op
11:45am - 12:00pm - Prerecorded interview with Christine Saulnier about the CCPA-NS Alternative Budget and the role of co-ops in progressive economic development
12:30pm - 1:00pm -  LIVE! Panel discussion with participants and attendees of Education for Co-operation: Curriculum and the Cooperative Model in Nova Scotia's Secondary and Post-Secondary Educational Institutions
1:00pm - 1:30pm - LIVE! Interview with Katherine Kitching about Co-ops and Credit Unions Poster Project.
1:30pm - 3:30pm - LIVE! The Co-Op Skype-In show - Hear from people in the Co-Op Movement across, NS, Canada and globe
6:00pm - 7:00pm - LIVE! Conference Meet and Greet - with light piano music from Mollie Thompson
7:00pm - 9:00pm - LIVE! Conference Keynote Address & Banquet - Simon d'Entremont, Deputy Minister of Nova Scotia Economic and Rural Development and Tourism; Interview with Simon d'Entremont
9:00pm - 12:00am - Pub Night Open Mic Hosted by David Bradshaw; LIVE! Music from Vinnie's Pub
12:00am - 2:30am - Late Night Programming with Jesse Webber and Ben Manuel from Dartmouth punk rock band The Scoop Outs
2:30am - 5:00am - Late Night Programming with Josh Teasdale from 99One Cafe

Saturday, November 24, 2012

5:00am - 8:45am - The Early Shift
 8:45am - 10:30am - LIVE! Conference Opening Plenary: Co-operating to Foster a Healthy and Diverse Co-operative Eco-system Contributing to Well-being, Innovation and Development
10:30am - 12:30pm - LIVE! Conference Visioning Session: Action framework and Specific Commitments for the Nova Scotia Co-operative Sector into the Coming Decade
12:30pm - 1:00pm - LIVE! Closing remarks/next steps
1:00pm - Sign-off

#coop Radio Pub Night!

THIS IS ALSO A VIRTUAL EVENT!

Come join us in Real-Life

or 

Listen from the comfort of your own home!

Tune in 

Friday November 23

9pm and 12am

106.9FM in Halifax

or online at 

www.ryakuga.ca

A showcase of local talent LIVE from Vinnie's Pub at MSVU!

 

Hosted by David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw - www.davidbradshawmusic.com
Joe MacNeill
Stephen Terry from The Repercussionists - http://www.therepercussionists.com/
Jake DeCoste - http://www.reverbnation.com/jakedecoste
Adam Townsend - http://www.townsendinstrumentcases.com/ 
Grant Mitchell and Charlene Gagnon from Ceti Alpha - http://www.projectcetialpha.com/
Jesse Webber and Ben Manuel from The Scoop Outs - https://www.facebook.com/scoopouts
Heartbreak A Stranger - http://heartbreakastranger.com/
Willie Stratton - http://williestratton.bandcamp.com/

Link here to join the Facebook Event!!

 

Virtual Participation in #coopradio

The following blog is intended to assist in virtual participation with the Co-Operating to Build a Better Nova Scotia Conference and Participatory Media event being held from November 22 to November 24, 2012 at Mount Saint Vincent University.   

First of all, you can make note of the following websites and social media platforms we will be using for the event.

www.ryakuga.ca - The page where the webcast will be hosted
www.ryakuga.blogspot.com - the Ryakuga blog
www.facebook.com/ryakuga - the Ryakuga Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/nscoopcouncil - the NS Co-op Council Facebook page
www.facebook.com/groups/403907432998265/ - Coop Radio Facebook Group
@ryakuga - to communicate with Ryakuga on Twitter
@NSCoopCouncil - to communicate with the NS Coop Council on Twitter
@charlenegagnon -  to communicate directly with me on Twitter
www.flickr.com/photos/ryakuga/ - Ryakuga on Flickr
www.youtube.com/user/RyakugaCollaborative - Ryakuga's YouTube Channel

If you have a website, a blog, a photo, a video, or anything you would like to share virtually with Coop Radio, you can either share it on Facebook or Twitter directly, or you can email it to me, and I will post it where appropriate.

We will be using the hashtag #coopradio for the event on Twitter.

Recommended content tags, in addition to the ones you are already using, could include: Coop Radio, Participatory Media, Building a Better NS, NS Co-op Council, Ryakuga

If you have any questions at all about virtual participation feel free to contact charlene.m.gagnon@gmail.com

#coopradio is coming!

The Nova Scotia Co-op Community Radio Project

#coopradio

To connect the Co-operating To Build a Better Nova Scotia Conference with local citizens, provincial NS Co-op members, the larger Canadian Co-op community, and citizens at large; Ryakuga will be broadcasting LIVE! from Mount Saint Vincent University, locally on 106.9 FM  with a simultaneous webcast at www.ryakuga.ca .  The broadcast with begin Thursday, November 22 at 12pm and run for 49 hours straight until Saturday, November 24 at 1 pm. 

Ryakuga’s temporary community radio station will be set up in the mezzanine of the Rosaria Student Centre at Mount Saint Vincent University and all are invited to participate in this unique participatory communications project.

Volunteer/Participation opportunities include:

• Be an On-Air Host – An On-Air Host maintains continuity between programming but also announces information such as station identification; invites listeners to drop by and interact with the virtual component of it; informs listeners on how to find the webcast; reads facts about co-ops; updates audience on schedule.
• Be a Guest – Sharing the story of your co-op, social enterprise or grassroots organization, your experiences, your stories and talents!  If you are a conference participant, share your conference presentation and/or experiences, best practices.
• Be a Greeter – The Greeter maintains the public space as a social environment is important. Welcomes people to hang around and go on-air. Makes sure people going on air are relaxed and present.
• Be a Tekkie – Control the audio mixer and mics.  This is the only real technical job – it’s not complicated though!
• Be a Photographer/Videographer - We will have a digital camera and camcorder available and a computer designated for photos and videos to be shared via Flickr and YouTube.
• Be a Social Networker – The Social Networker delivers messages on-air coming in from Facebook and Twitter, and broadcasts what is happening on-air to the virtual participants.  We will have a computer dedicated to Twitter and Facebook. People are also encouraged to use their own mobile devices on the wireless network
• Be a Roving Reporter – Roving Reporters will have access to a variety of communication tools. We will do live interviews with the wireless mics. In addition, we have flash recorders, camera and video camera. The reporters could also use mobiles ready to FaceBook or Twitter.

To volunteer for #coopradio contact Celina - celina.alisa.lam@gmail.com

To book a timeslot contact Jill - CoopConferenceCoordinator@msvu.ca

To talk to someone about Participatory Communications contact Fred (Broadcast) – fred@ryakuga.org or Charlene (Social Media) – charlene.m.gagnon@gmail.com

To perform at the #coopradio Open Mic at Vinnie’s Pub, on Friday November 24 contact Charlene – charlene.m.gagnon@gmail.com

To talk to someone about the NS Co-op Council or the Conference contact Mark - mark@novascotia.coop

Benefits of Community Radio: 

by Mallary McGrath

Some may say that an area such as the Cape Shore is suffering due to its dwindling population and outmigration of youth. We see the class sizes at Fatima Academy decrease year after year, the number of new homes is not what it was and there exists an obvious emptiness to those who are skeptical of the area's future. Owning a pride of place, feeling fortunate to be able to see, smell and touch the ocean and knowing that you see the same sights generations before you have seen is a special thing. Expressing these feelings of fortune to the world as one is simple with the use of modern communication but expressing pride of place together as multiple communities, as a united front of proud people can be a challenge.

However, community radio events that have become annual events on the Cape Shore allow for such expression of pride. During past broadcasts we have had children telling us on air why they like living on the Cape Shore followed by interviews with senior citizens relaying life stories of gardening, fishing and survival. Combinations such as these being broadcasted over the air waves and on the world wide web are extraordinary means of communicating our stories, our way of life and our pride of place.

Speaking from a town councillor's perspective, I believe that community radio is a particularly unique opportunity to facilitate promotion of the Cape Shore area, communication among the towns and discussion, as it not only encourages discussion but allows it to take place among interested individuals. Cooperation between communities is vital to sustainability and the sharing of ideas and initiatives can enhance council's performance as a devoted team of volunteers. A community radio event inevitably triggers thoughts of pride of place and excitement in the community for an event that will broadcast them to the world; their voices, their opinions and their way of life will be in the spotlight. In many cases, discussions lead to analyzations which can ultimately lead to strategies being implemented for betterment of the community.  

The more I learn about community radio and the more I listen, the more I realize that while I believe the Cape Shore area to be a very special place it is not alone. There are communities such as those on Bell Island and Fogo Island dealing with outmigration and other challenges faced by rural areas but while these problems exist there also exists a definite awareness of how special the community or communities are. While proud residents acknowledge the declining population we also promote the area through the use of community radio and choose to look beyond to the sustainable aspects of the community and the positive characteristics. On air discussions are venues of creativity and allow voices to be heard. 

Tip Sheet for Virtual Participation in Community Radio Events

Facebook

Pre-Event

1. Setup a Facebook Group for the event - Ideally, every community hosting a radio event would set-up their own Facebook Group, which would serve as a central online location for participants to gather virtually, share their experiences, and interact with the broadcast. 
2. Add participants to the group - Whoever creates the Facebook Group will be responsible for adding the first participants.  Note that adding a group member does not require their permission, so as a courtesy it is advised that the group administrator first contacts potential group members before they are added. 
3. Ask group members to add other group members - Administrators will only be allowed to add group members which appear on their friends list.  To broaden the network, all group members should add people from their personal friends lists to the group.
4. Add group administrators - All individuals who are physically present at the event should be made group administrators.
5. Promote the event and solicit participation from community members - Post all information people need to know about the event.  When it will be happening, what it is for, who to contact for participation, etc...

Event

1. Post in the Group - All participants who are physically present at the event should be instructed to post in the group, in addition to on their personal profiles. Posts should include photos, behind-the-scenes happenings, and personal reflections about participation.  
2. Tag the group in personal posts - Participants who use their personal Facebook profile can tag status updates by placing the @ symbol before starting to type the group name.
3. Let listeners know about the Facebook Group - Every time the station ID and website is mentioned, listeners should also be told where to find the Facebook Group for the event.  All groups will have the address facebook.com/groups/*groupname*
4. Ask for participation from listeners - Posts can also be asks for song requests, talk topic requests, shout-outs or relevant stories that can be shared on-air.
5. Monitor Facebook Group -Group administrators should be continually monitoring the interaction in the group; relaying relevant information to on-air participants, responding to posts, responding to requests to join the group.

Ryakuga Facebook Page

The Ryakuga Facebook page is another virtual place for participant interaction during a community radio event which extends networks beyond individual communities and into the broader Ryakuga Network.

1. Assign a Ryakuga Administrator - A community participant can be made administrator at the Ryakuga Page for the duration of the event.  Ideally, this administrator would also be the main administrator of the Facebook Group.  When an individual is made administrator of a Facebook Page, all posts that person makes on the page will show up as being from "Ryakuga" rather than their personal account.
2. Tag posts and photos with Ryakuga - Posts can be tagged with Ryakuga in the same way groups can be tagged; type the @ symbol before the word Ryakuga.  Photos can be tagged with Ryakuga as well in the same way that people are tagged in Facebook photos; click tag photo, click anywhere on the photo, and type Ryakuga into the box that appears.
3. Let listeners know about the Ryakuga Facebook Page - In addition to station ID, website and group name, on-air participants can let people know about the Ryakuga Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/ryakuga

Twitter

1. If Twitter is to be included as part of the campaign for the event, it can be done either by creating a Twitter account for the event itself, or through the use of hashtags. Creating an account for the event on its own is unadvised, as building a Twitter network of followers can be task that requires time and effort, and not necessarily worth the work for a one-off event. 
2. Ryakuga has a Twitter account that can be used during the event as well.  All posts to the Rykauga Facebook Page automatically update to Twitter.   
3. Many communities have official or unofficial Twitter representation (for example @Branch_NL), a better approach would be to solicit participation with the individuals behind those accounts to broadcast the event on Twitter in addition to the Ryakuga Twitter.
4. The event can be labelled using a hashtag, which is placing the pound symbol before a one character word or phrase representing the event, as in #nameofevent. Hashtags become search links, and clicking on them will produced a feed of all Tweets containing that hashtag.
5. Tweets mentioning the event with a hashtag can be retweeted by the Ryakuga page and individuals participating via Twitter.  
6. As with Facebook, someone should be monitoring Twitter at all times for mentions of the event, to respond to those tweets and share them on-air.  Also, listeners should be given the hashtag name for tweets about the event.