Overcoming Barriers
What's stopping emerging ethnic communities from getting involved in community radio?
• Don't know about community radio
Many new migrants don't know that community radio exists in Australia.
• Lack of English skills
Communities with low literacy rates in English are less likely to access the information needed to start a radio program.
• Radio is not a priority during the first stages of settlement
While communities are growing, a large proportion of people are newly-settled and in the process of finding employment, retraining, housing etc.
• Lack of awareness that funding and training is available
Most new migrants have no idea that funding is available for radio programs and that free training can also be arranged through the AERTP.
• Not enough people from the community wanting to get involved to sustain a weekly program
Most stations only offer weekly programs to ethnic communities. Many new and emerging communities find it difficult to gather enough people in the early stages to do the work required to sustain this kind of broadcasting.
• Lack of confidence
This is especially the case with women's groups and is linked to both to language skills but also the dislocation that is experienced after migration.
• Lack of mobility
This is one of the biggest obstacles in large cities and especially in relation to women's groups.
• Lack of resources to pay for the airtime where applicable
Some stations charge for their airtime and in many cases smaller communities cannot rely on sponsorship or donations to pay for airtime.
• Not able to sign up enough people as members in order to qualify for the hours where it is required
Some stations require ethnic communities to have a certain number of members in their group before commencing broadcasting. In some cases this involves financial membership to stations.
If community stations want to work with new and emerging communities and refugees they will need to make a genuine commitment to help them get on their feet.
Emerging communities worker, Queensland
Try the Barriers Quiz
Does your station have multicultural programs and short term projects that emerging communities can be involved in?
YES/NO
Does your station go out and recruit emerging communities to be broadcasters?
YES /NO
Can emerging communities start broadcasting without expectations of recruiting members for the station?
YES/NO
Does your station have regular contact with your local Migrant Resource Centre or other organisations that work with emerging communities?
YES/NO
Does your station have staff or volunteers who can work with new broadcasting groups to help them establish a program?
YES/NO
Is broadcasting free for emerging communities?
YES/NO
Does your station organise training for new broadcasters from emerging communities?
YES/NO
If you answered NO to any of the above you may find the following material useful as ideas for working with new and emerging communities.
Making Contact
Identifying Groups in your Broadcast Area
Regardless of whether your station is in a regional or metropolitan region, there are several places you can go to find new and emerging communities in your broadcast area.
Census Data
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has in recent years collected more information on community languages and ethnicity. This information is available from the ABS. It is even possible to access statistics relating to your broadcast area. However, some other organisation in your area may already have the information, so it is worth checking first.
Local Councils
Local Councils often have statistics on ethnic communities in their council area. Check with the community services department or community services officer for details. They may also be able to put you in contact with key people in new and emerging communities in the area.
Neighbourhood and Migrant Resource Centres
Many neighbourhood centres and all migrant resource centres offer support and settlement services for new arrivals. It is here that you will often find not only the information you are looking for, but also the people. Making contact with settlement workers will help you develop ways for new and emerging communities to participate at your station. See the working with emerging communities section.
Migrant/Ethnic Organisations
In some cases, new and emerging communities do form organisations and start community activities quickly. It is worth checking with the relevant government authorities and the Ethnic Communities Councils to see if an organisation has registered for membership or applied for funding. Some of the ECCs and state government authorities have emerging communities project officers. In other cases talking with project officers or grants officers may bring results. See organisations working with these communities for contact details.
Other Organisations
Organisations concerned with the settlement needs of new arrivals such as public housing groups, health centres and charities are also good starting points for locating new and emerging communities
Involving Emerging Communities
It is important for stations that want to involve new and emerging communities in producing programs in their own languages to develop several levels of entry to the airwaves. With larger communities, the station may just have needed to provide training and the group was given airtime. With smaller communities, radio stations need to offer more on-going support. Here are some practical strategies, which don't add too much to the workload.
Station Visits
You can start promoting community radio to new and emerging communities and refugees in the first stages of their settlement. Making contact with services delivering English language classes and discussing ways that radio could be incorporated into teaching sessions is one approach. Or you can simply invite the class to visit your radio station to find out what happens there. Perhaps you might also incorporate a mock studio session where participants can practice their language skills.
