DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION

The images and messages used to portray Africans and people from the ‘developing’ world can have an enormous impact on people’s perceptions and attitudes. People have different opinions on what constitutes “acceptable” in relation to images and messages in development. 

The use of colonial and dependency images continue to extensively inform the public’s notion of Africa and its people.  Images of African people usually depict poverty, economic dependency and starvation.  All these factors are key drivers to inequality of opportunity, discrimination, poor race relations, and misconceptions about people from the Afro community and the African continent.   

The core aim of ACSONI’s Development Education Programme is to utilise positive messages and images of Africa and Africans in raising awareness of development issues, especially the factors fuelling the migration of Africans to Europe and the impact that this migration has on Africans in Europe.  

It aims to anchor development policy on the use of images and messages in the three partner states; Ireland, Slovenia and Northern Ireland.   The programme will mobilise public support for action on fairer relations between the three partner states and African countries by challenging the Media and the Development sectors in their use of negative images and encourage the development of policy or Codes of Practice on the use of media messages. 

The programme’s awareness raising strand aims to promote greater cooperation among all nations with special concern for fairer deals for poor countries with a particular focus on Africa.   The Development Education Programme operates under the values underpinning the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s): equality, tolerance and shared responsibility. 

Overall objective(s)

• Raising awareness on development issues in Northern Ireland from an African perspective through the development and promotion of positive images of Africans and African countries.

• Building the capacity of African people living in Northern Ireland to deliver development education programmes focused on positive images of Africans and Africa.

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CAPACITY BUILDING

ACSONI’s capacity building programme is one of the three strands of the Development Education programme and directly supports the successful achievement of ACSONI’s strategic plans with specific focus on its projects and initiatives.  We will seek to proactively source and provide training and development opportunities geared towards achieving the following objectives:

• To build the capacity of members of Northern Ireland’s Afro Community

• Build the capacity of Africans to produce a range of development education material/ resources

•  Improve ACSONI’s image and influence within society

• To build individual self esteem and confidence especially among young people who are particularly vulnerable to hostile attitudes and behaviours

• To assist our members in achieving their personal objectives thereby feeling a great sense of well being

• To equip our members with the competences and skills required for the local job market

• To build a cadre of individuals who are willing to give back what they have learnt to others within the community

 

Policy – on Images and Messages of Africa and Africans from An African Perspective.

The Development Education programme is particularly focused on creating a more enabling policy environment both at national and EU level. The programme aims to change policy to ensure there is more funding for ethnic minority development education initiatives, and that development education at EU level better reflects its development partnership with developing countries. At national level it focuses on developing national Codes of Practice on Images which will have a multiplier effect as national agencies sign up to such Codes. This Action will therefore have a highly leveraged effect and will positively impact on the perceptions of Africa and Africans living in Northern Ireland. 

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PUBLIC AWARENESS

Strand 2: Public Awareness

• Promote positive images of Africa and African people through the promotion of young African peoples work in the print or other media

• Impact on key media outlets in their delivery of positives images of Africa and African people

• Have accessible African development education and development material for usage by the Development, Development Education and media sector.

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