Communication at the Heart of Change - Video

"Poor and marginalised people need to have their voices heard, because change can happen when they're listened to."

According to this animated video from Panos London, information and communication play an essential role in development. The key message is that sustainable development demands that people participate in the debates and decisions that affect their lives. They need to be able to receive information but also to make their voices heard. However, the economically poor are often excluded from these processes by geography and lack of resources or skills.

The video explores what can happen when all people - including those economically poor and marginalised - are listened to and given access to the information they need. For example, when governments are open, a free, diverse, dynamic, and informed media can ensure that people can exercise their right to hold them to account, monitor performance, and participate in decisions being made by giving them the opportunity to have their voices heard. Panos has found that this had led to not only social development but also economic development, in that people know what opportunities are available to them and where their skills can be used. Information and communication technology (ICT) such as mobile phones and the internet also gives economically poor people a place to tell their story to a broad audience - dialoguing about climate change, poverty, and any number of issues - but this depends on information that can be understood at every level and the affordability and accessibility of those technologies.

In short: "Change can happen when people are involved in discussing the issues that affect them."

Credits:

Animation: Sebastian Camilleri and James Finch
Voice over: Christina Dixon and Laurence Grissell