This is a short description of various Participatory Video initiatives across India.

1. Who is shooting what?
PV practice in India
Created by Namita Singh

2. The first organization to start PV in india(?)
Organization SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association)
• It is based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India)
• It registered as a Trade Union in 1972.
• Its main goal is to organize women workers for full employment. It has
many associated organizations, including Video SEWA, the one
involved with PV.
Website www.sewa.org
www.videosewa.org
PV Project Video SEWA
• It was established on 1984
• It was started to provide video training to the members of SEWA
• It is now registered as a cooperative
Focus "Video is an authentic, powerful and honest mass communication media
which should be in the hands of common people in a country like ours". -
Smt. Ela Bhatt, Founder, SEWA
• The members of SEWA are trained in video making. These
women then make videos with various purposes. These can
range from peer to peer learning, advocacy or just
documenting certain processes in SEWA.
Practice • The videos are produced by a team of women trained in video making
• There is a professional team which overlooks and supports the whole
production process
• These videos are usually shown to other women involved in various
programmes of SEWA for peer to peer learning
• In certain cases there have been advocacy video made for specific
conferences, meets etc.
• Video SEWA allows other NGOs to use these videos as well, which can
be bought.
• They also make video for other organizations i.e. use this skill as a
livelihood option and rent out their services
Scale • SEWA is one of the biggest Trade Unions in India, especially of women.
Its membership is approx. 966,139. So, Video SEWA has directly got a
huge available audience
Created by Namita Singh

3. Working with women from all the states!
Organization WAVE (Women Aloud: Video Blogging for Empowerment)
• Recently began in September 2009
• A core group of three working on it, besides freelance editors
Website www.waveindia.org
PV Project WAVE
• Around 30 women in India, from all the states, have been trained in
making videos and creating video blogs.
• It pitches itself as a citizen journalism project
• It is definitely a very innovative project in India, something like this has
not been tried before
Focus • The main aim is to develop women video bloggers from across the
country, mostly from semi-urban areas
• It aims to put out diverse perspectives on development issues, and
encourage women to voice their opinions
Practice • Women were trained for a period of 11 days in video making and
uploading to the web
• They were handed over the video equipment to take back to their regions
and make videos
• There are suggested themes every month such as health, education, etc.
The women shoot these stories. The final edit is done centrally, based on
scripts sent by the women. The videos are then put up on their website
• So someone who follows the blog can get a news story on a particular
issue, from all the states of India. Something that even a mainstream
news media channel can’t achieve!
• It doesn’t involve the ‘larger community’ per se
• They also hope that women get economic empowerment as well, as they
develop video making skills, others can hire them
Scale • In terms of geographical scale, it is probably the only media
organization, with such a wide (and equitable) scale.
• Since it has just started, it needs to be seen how many people they can
reach out to.
Funding • First year’s budget funded by the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media
and Learning competition in 2009
• Approximate funding required for 2010 and 2011 is $100,000 each year
Created by Namita Singh

4. Initiating various forms of PV
Organization Video Volunteers
• It started in 2003, an organization based in India and the US
• Video Volunteers (VV) envisions a world in which all disadvantaged
communities have their own locally relevant and locally produced media
that celebrates their culture, voices grassroots concerns, and stimulates
dialog to find solutions to endemic problems
Website www.videovolunteers.org
www.ch19.org
PV Project CVU (Community Video Unit)
• Set in partnership with local NGOs, 6-8 community members are chosen
and then trained.
• A cluster of 25 community areas are selected as the field area of the
CVU
Videoshala – an Education Community Video project
• A similar organizational model as the CVU
• Videos made on subject areas for certain selected standards in the school
• Videos then showed in classrooms to students as assistance to the subject
• The sessions in classrooms are facilitated by specially trained staff
IndiaUnheard – Community News Service
• 31 social activists from all over India trained as community journalists
• These correspondents belong to some of the most marginalized
backgrounds including caste, relgion, gender etc.
• The vision is to be the grassroots Reuters – a news agency
• Has just taken off – first videos have begun to come in from the 24 states
VCU.br (CVUs in Brazil)
• Communities members trained with a focus on earning a livelihood as
community video producers
• 9 youths from favelas in Sao Paulo trained
• Each youth has made 3 videos each and in the last project they found
clients for their work
Video Active Girls
• Around 20 girls in India, trained in video production in two cities-
Kolkata and Hyderabad, with two local organizations
• It is a ‘Girls’ Media’ project with adolescent girls
• The main aim is to help girls express themselves and tell their stories
through the means of video
• The local organizations in Kolkata and Hyderabad have set other focus
as well, for themselves, like turning this into an empowerment and
livelihood tool or making girls community leaders through this
Created by Namita Singh

5. Focus • Training community members to be able to produce their own media, so
that they can voice their own issues, organize themselves and be
empowered to solve their own local social issues
• Making community video a livelihood option
• Sustainability of these projects – there is an ongoing research project on
sustainability with Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
• To increase the scale – have 100s and 1000s of trained community
members
• Develop low-cost scalable models
Practice • Community members are trained that can range from few weeks to over
a period of 12-18 months by a professional video trainer
• Training includes not just video production, but also public speaking,
community organization etc.
• Editorial Boards consisting of community members are set up to give
feedback on videos and suggest issues
• Production of videos on a regular basis, which are screened in select
community areas
Scale • There are around 6-8 CVUs across India including all-Dalit team, an all-
women team and all-tribal team
• Almost 100 community members have been trained till now
• Reaches out to more than 250 different villages/slums through the local
CVUs
Funding • Sources of Funding: Knight Foundation, Echoing Green, NGO partner’s
contribution, UNDP, personal donations
• Approximate funding required per year: $400,000
Created by Namita Singh

6. The first and only community TV in rural India
Organization Byrraju Foundation & Media Lab Asia (DIT, MCIT, Govt. of India)
• The Foundation started in 2001 and since then has been working in 200
adopted villages in Andhra Pradesh
• It works on several issues like health, education, livelihood, disability,
women empowerment etc.
Website www.byrrajufoundation.org
PV Project Project Chetana
• This started as a pilot project in 2006, in collaboration with UNESCO’s
‘Finding a Voice’ project in three villages in AP
• In 2007, the project was extended to 8 villages, in collaboration with
Media Lab Asia of Department of Information Technology
• It is pitched as a ‘Community TV’ project
Focus • They want to turn the ‘erstwhile media consumers’ into media
producers, hence the focus is on training community members
• Community issues form the center of all the videos, and community
action is also planned based on these videos. However, they mostly act
as informational media.
• It is also an attempt to contribute to holistic and sustainable rural
transformation.
Practice • During the pilot project, ‘video club members’, i.e. villagers who
volunteered to be a part of this project were trained in video making
skills
• There are 3 professionals with the project as well, for critical technical
and management support (2 Community producers per centre)
• They partnered with Video Volunteers to receive training, as they went
ahead to train other community members and VV is their Knowledge
Partner
• Small units consisting a team of 2 people in each village is set up, who
make short video programmes, which are eventually shown through
local Cable TVs and through ‘laptop screenings’. There is a special
focus on the role played by women and student volunteers.
• They make a 10-15 minute videos, which are shown both through cable
TV and laptop screenings to women in groups
Scale • It is working in 2 Districts in Andhra Pradesh, in 8 different villages
• It is reaching out to around 3500 community members
• A total of 510 women and students have been trained in digital
photography, video making, story board writing, Editing and Photoshop
• 230 volunteers have been trained in different aspects of production as
well.
Funding • Source of Funding: Byrraju Foundation and Media Lab Asia
• Funding requirements per year: Approx, $18,000
Created by Namita Singh

7. The project with women and farmers
Organization Deccan Development Society
• The organization was started in 1980s
• It works in Andhra Pradesh with different women groups all in a
particular District.
• Its focus is mostly around farming
Website www.ddsindia.com
PV Project Community Media Trust
• This project started in 2000-01
• 10 Dalit women were trained in video by professional trainers
Focus • These women produce videos mostly on local farming issues.
• They call themselves ‘alternative media’
• They want to present the voices of the grassroots women, in their own
local language, and in the way the community wants to represent
themselves rather than the mainstream media
• These videos are also pitched for advocacy purposes and have had
impact in the past
Practice • A group of 8-10 women have been trained in video making and they
make videos, not with any fixed frequency though
• These videos are shown around in villages, in film festivals, to
government officials
• Not sure, if they have a planned way of distributing/screening their
videos
Scale • It works in one district of Andhra Pradesh
• The films reach the 500 members of the organization
Created by Namita Singh

8. Youth media – a fun PV project in schools
Organization The Modern Story
• The Modern Story started work in India 2 years back
• It is a core group of 4-5 people and several volunteers
• It works in Andhra Pradesh with different schools around Hyderabad
Website themodernstory.wordpress.com
PV Project • It uses video-making for educational purposes
“TMS is an educational program that bridges the technological divide by
introducing digital skills and storytelling practices to youth and educators around
the world”
Focus • The idea is to encourage and empower students through developing their
critical and creative voices
• Encourage activism in the students through interaction with the
communities and engaging in solution-based videos
Practice • Workshops are conducted with school students
• Usually these workshops are incorporated as an integral part of the
curriculum by the schools TMS partners with
• The students are trained in digital storytelling and video making by
professionals, who usually volunteer.
• Video shooting and editing equipment is provided to the schools and
stays with them.
• Students make videos on subjects of their choice. These can be on
anything that interests students. They do not encourage the school
administration deciding the subjects for videos.
• They encourage students to go out in the community to shoot and
provide information on several community issues as well
• Though, the website mentions they want public screenings of films made
by students, to affect change, there is no instance provided if it actually
happens
Scale • Currently, they are working with 6-7 schools in and around Hyderabad
• They have also partnered with 3 more organizations in Hyderabad
invested in ICT for education
Funding • After receiving seed money from a partner foundation, and from a
family foundation, The Modern Story's revenue model is currently
centered on individual donors, and donations from organizations and
institutions that we collaborate with. After being fiscally sponsored by
registered 501c(3)'s since its inception, TMS is now in the process of
securing its own 510c(3) status and will continue to diversify its revenue
model.
Created by Namita Singh

9. youth media project by adobe
Organization Adobe Foundation
• Adobe Youth Voices is Adobe Foundation's global signature
philanthropy program designed to provide youth in underserved
communities with the critical skills they need to become active and
engaged members of their communities and the world at large.
Website http://youthvoices.adobe.com/
PV Project Adobe Youth Voices
“Create with Purpose”
• This project was launched in 2006, to engage youth with tools of the
21st century, to be able to communicate, gain critical skills and bring
changes in their societies
Focus • They work with underserved youth in using technology, which varies
from video, animation, photoessays, music etc.
• These pieces mostly focus on critical and topical issues of the youth
and the youth are encouraged to find creative solutions to these
Practice • There are sites (schools) in which Adobe Youth Voices work, and
young people can get training in different skills by professionals
• These are one-year long trainings
• They also work with several partner organizations, or organizations
they have given grants to conduct their programme
•
Scale • The global network consists of 557 sites, grantees and organizations
• The network is spread over 32 countries
• The Adobe Youth Voices sites are in 102 sites in 4 countries,
including 31 in India
Created by Namita Singh