Community Engagement on the Internet for Social Change
The arena of community media has become much broader with the addition of the Internet.
The medium is a great source to increase outreach through converging technology and trans-
forming the content into a ’multimedia’ format. We find fine instances of civil society and
non-governmental organizations leading community-based newspapers and participatory video
practices going for their online editions. For example, the newspaper Khabar Lahariya is pub-
lished by the rural communities of Bundelkhand. This newspaper is also published on a portal
in a multimedia format, including YouTube videos. This is being widely appreciated for being
an ’alternative voice,’ sensitizing, and mainstreaming the people. All of Khabar Lahariya’s
reporters are women who draw from their own experiences to share stories often ignored by the
mainstream media. Similarly, with the local engagement of children in the age group of 15-18
years from marginalized tribal communities of northern Chhattisgarh, a UNICEF initiative -
Sangwari Khabariya uses the medium of participatory videos to bring about social change in
society. These children run their YouTube channel to post short news stories.