An overall objective of the cooperation is to promote active civic participation, democracy and development in all partner countries through high quality radio and cross-media journalism training. The training puts emphasis both on strong practical skills in radio journalism and on good theoretical understanding of the role of the media, and radio in particular, in democratic development of societies and communities. This objective will be put into action by developing cooperation between the higher education institutions (HEI) in Finland, Liberia, Namibia and Tanzania.
Project puts a specific emphasis on ideals and practices of civic journalism and on local community radios and student radios stations. This emphasis serves the goal of making media more accessible to individual citizen and various communities of the three countries where the partner institutions operate, especially in the rural areas where information technologies have been under-developed.
In the context of this project accessible has two meanings: there is a need for access to the media and information by citizen as receivers of information. But to enable the citizens to fully act as active members of the society and to participate in democratic processes there is also a need for the citizens to have access to the media as participants in the media content. This means bringing out their topics, interests, concerns, viewpoints and voices, whether through a professional journalist using citizen-based civic journalism practices, or by participating in doing community radio themselves, as volunteers.
Generally, in the project, journalism and media, particularly community media, are seen as an agent of social change, as a resource for civic participation on a local and national level, and as a means of community empowerment and development. In the project the partners from Finland, Liberia, Namibia and Tanzania will develop student and expert exchange for media students and teachers. Furthermore, the partners will organize one intensive course
focusing on running a student radio station.
The project meets a growing demand for cooperation in the educational sector in Africa. It is also very relevant and topical in respect to the principles and objectives of the Finnish Development Policy Programme (2007) which puts emphasis on socially, environmentally and economically sustainable development. In the programme, for example access to information and education, environmental protection and democratic decision-making processes are seen as prerequisites of sustainable development. All these conditions have largely to do with a free, accessible and diverse media system taking care of informing, educating and involving local citizen and communities.
Moreover, it is stated in the "Global education 2010 proposal for an action programme" of the Finnish Ministry of Education that "Global education supports young people's growth into critically thinking and media-critical citizens who have the knowledge and skills for acting as part of their own community in a globalising world. Global education comprises human rights, equality, peace and media education; education for intercultural understanding; issues relating to development and fair practice; and education for sustainable development." Many of the important aims of the future global education are also the focus of the Jocid Network II actions and objectives.
As the result of the cooperation, experiences about the training methods and pedagogical expertise in the field of media are shared between the European and African partners using teacher exchange, an intensive course, network meetings and regular communication via e-mail. All partners gain new insights and methods to their training programmes.