Workshops + Roundtables

Roundtable 1: How can the media sector better share power with underrepresented or misrepresented communities?

1:30pm – 2:45pm ALMA VANDUSEN room

Often the perspectives of people who don’t fit dominant cultural narratives are unheard, unseen or misrepresented in media. This roundtable explores how media makers can use their social capital to tell more just and equitable stories.

Participants: Samaah Jaffer (rabble.ca), Kathryn Gretsinger (UBC), Tsēma Igharas, Denver Lynxleg and Jeneen Frei Njootli (ReMatriate Collective), Derrick O’Keefe (Ricochet)

Facilitator: Am Johal, Director of SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement

Roundtable 2: What is solutions media?

3:00pm – 4:15pm in the ALMA VANDUSEN room

Solutions Media is a two-word phrase loaded with fascinating questions about the role of media makers, ideology vs. pragmatism, power relations, theories of social change and more. This roundtable asks emerging practitioners and thinkers to share their perspectives on the meaning and potential of solutions media.

Participants: Brielle Morgan (Discourse Media), Alejandra Lopez (Fresh Voices), Kai Nagata (Dogwood Initiative), Shane Gunster (SFU School of Communication), Abeer Yusuf (Roundhouse Radio)

Facilitator: David Beers, Founder, Tyee

Roundtable 3: How do we rebuild a sustainable media sector in the era of unreliable funding and an erosion of public trust?

4:30pm – 5:45pm in the ALMA VANDUSEN room

The traditional, ad-focused model for media funding has been under strain for decades, but in the past five years of community papers folding, newsroom cuts and buy-outs, it has become acutely obvious that we need to rethink how our industry is supported. This roundtable explores examples of successful, original funding platforms—both in the media industry and beyond.

Participants: Phillip Smith (Uncharted Journalism Fund), Jennifer Moreau (reporter and secretary-treasurer for Unifor Local 2000), Taylor Owen (UBC and OpenCanada), Stefania Seccia (Managing Editor, Megaphone Magazine), Jagdeesh Mann (South Asian Post, Asian Pacific Post, and Filipino Post)

Facilitator: Erin Millar, CEO, Discourse Media

Roundtable 4: Making the Case for Community Broadband

4:30pm – 5:45pm in the PETER KAYE room

Community (or municipal) broadband is a public alternative to the privately-owned Internet services sold by Bell, Rogers, Telus, and other Internet service providers. Because it is not market-driven, community broadband can help bridge the “digital divide” by providing cheaper and more accessible Internet access to those who experience barriers to getting connected. This panel will explore what community broadband is, why it matters now and how communities across Canada can take their digital future into their own hands.

Participants: Laura Tribe (Executive Director, OpenMedia); Denise Williams (Executive Director, First Nations Technology Council); and Andrea Reimer (Vancouver City Councillor); Tracey Axelsson (Executive Director, Vancouver Community Network); Howard Randell (Executive Director – Network BC, Ministry of Citizens’ Services)

Facilitator: Dr. Stuart Poyntz, SFU School of Communication

Workshop 1: From Digital Currencies to E-democracy

Happening 1:30pm – 2:45pm in the PETER KAYE room

How do we engage with the transformative potential of blockchain technology? Blockchain is a vast, global distributed database that runs on millions of devices and is open to anyone. Some claim it is a revolutionary solution to growing political and economic inequality, where mass collaboration can take the place of powerful intermediaries like governments and banks. This workshop will give a brief overview of the unique promise of blockchain technology and guide participants through setting up a digital currency wallet.

Workshop lead: Chelsea Palmer, dctrl community commons

Workshop 2: Civic Engagement Campaigns 101

Happening 3:00PM – 4:15pm in the PETER KAYE room

Learn five simple steps for launching an effective DIY digital advocacy campaign! In today’s digital world, a strong digital advocacy strategy for your cause is crucial. Come join this crash course in engagement strategy, learn new tools and explore the many ways in which you too can influence decision-makers and win. This workshop will explore how every citizen can utilize digital tools to impact how decisions are being made and how stories are being framed.

Workshop lead: Petra Klupková and Dammy Ogunseitan, New Mode

Workshop 3: Not your average Muslim

Happening 4:30pm – 5:45pm in the ALICE MACKAY room

Learn tools for challenging your well-meaning assumptions! This workshop will explore narratives and problematic misrepresentations of Muslims in the well-meaning liberal discourse. Participants will walk away with tools to identify as well as complicate narratives of marginalized voices.

Workshop lead: Rabia Mir, Global Reporting Centre at University of British Columbia