Religious aim to speak out more forcefully on social issues after media training
Full house for the inaugural session at the CoR office in Ealing
Religious have responded in their droves to the inaugural sessions of media training being offered by CoR. In the first three weeks of sessions being laid on, thirty-five Religious have attended the one day of training, in both Ealing and Manchester. Twenty more Religious are booked in for training days in February and March but there are still plenty of spaces available for anyone who’d like to sign up.
The next workshop is taking place on February 19th and then every Tuesday in March – all in Ealing. The same training is on offer during each session; it is being repeated to maximise the number of people who can attend. Further regional sessions are being arranged for March/April; the dates will be confirmed shortly. The training covers:
Sr MaryAnne Francalanza & Sr Brenda Makokha in Manchester
1) Creating engaging content for websites (editorial, visual, audio).
2) Best use of social media - the risks and the opportunities
3) How to get noticed – press releases & publicity
4) Media relations
5) Practical training in preparation for broadcast interviews
The inaugural session resulted in some particularly strong video clips which can now be viewed on the CoR website.
Some of the answers given to the evaluation feedback have included:
Q: Why did you come today? A: “I wanted to know advantages and disadvantages of social media.” / “Because I wanted to learn more about Twitter in order to raise awareness about certain issues eg., refugees and asylum seekers, people who are trafficked and also climate change.” / “To learn about new ways to communicate.”
Q; What were you most interested in? A: “To find out that many Religious have embraced new technology & social media to reach a much wider audience than has been possible previously.” / “All the new ways of communicating. I am on Facebook a bit – but the other social media channels not at all.”
Q: Have you learned new things? A: “Yes – how social media can be used effectively, to spread the word of God in an interesting and more engaging way. Also the Church’s recognition that there is a necessity to move with the times and embrace the digital world.” / “Yes the use of media as a way of hearing of the love of God – to reach the end of the world.” / “Yes, not to feel so scared of the thought of using Twitter & Instagram.” / “Yes, understanding Twitter. How to make ourselves, as Religious, more visible.”
Details for all three days. From 1030 to 1600. £15 to include lunch. Booking essential to secure a place – by sending an email to: communications@corew.org