Media IST 2019
The 2019 Media In-Service Training (IST) was facilitated by James Dillon, Caitlyn Winders, Harry Dwinell and myself for eleven PCV attendees. The 3rd annual Media IST had a diverse group of participants, who shared their previous media experiences, and helped each other develop new skills.
The first day of the workshop was spent in the classroom covering the topics of social media ethics, storytelling techniques, still photography, and video production. At the end of the first day the eleven PCVs were divided into four groups, and selected a topic to make a short video about. The second day the teams traveled to different parts of the Kombo region to take photos and video footage of their subjects, develop their stories, and begin the editing process. All agreed that the editing process was very time consuming, but also the most educational. At the end of the third day each team presented their finished products to the group.
Two of the teams interviewed female entrepreneurs who have created successful businesses – Kai Lekka restaurant and The Sweet Box bakery. The other two teams had very different locations to explore – the annual Gambia Trade Fair and Abuko Nature Reserve. All the teams worked collaboratively to produce outstanding videos and still photographs to complete their assignments.
Abuko Nature Reserve Team
The Abuko Nature Reserve team consisted of Hallie Brown from the 2018-20 Education sector, Breana Chavez from the 2018-20 Health sector, and Sarud Abdennabi from the 2017-19 Agriculture sector. Abuko Nature Reserve is the most visited tourist attraction in The Gambia.
Gambia Trade Fair Team
Estelle Crimmins is from the 2018-20 Health sector and Marianna Mead is from the 2018-20 Agriculture sector, and they visited the Gambia Trade Fair for their assignment. This event is held yearly and has products from many West African countries, outstanding musical performances and delicious regional foods.
Kai Lekka Team
Kai Lekka restaurant is popular with PCVs, and fondly referred to as the “chicken & waffle” place. Nik Keirstead is from the 2018-20 Health sector, Matt Sosa is from the 2018-20 Agriculture sector, and Corey Bruecker is from the 2017-19 Agriculture sector. Kai Lekka owner Sabelle lived in the US for a long time, and wanted to serve some of the foods she enjoyed in America, when she returned to The Gambia and opened her restaurant.
The Sweet Box Team
Alexis Jones is from the 2018-20 Health sector, Helena Oldenbourg is from the 2018-20 Agriculture sector, and Jessica Watson is from the 2017-19 Health sector. The Sweet Box owner Marianna is commonly referred to as the “cupcake lady”, and her delicious western bakery items are a welcome treats for PCVs wanting a break from the local diet.
I enjoyed being a facilitator for the 2019 Media IST, and look forward to seeing how they will use their new skills. All of the participants were encouraged to work with their local communities to document events, assist other PCVs to create content for distribution on social media, and spread the word about the great work PCVs are doing in The Gambia.
One purpose of the Media Team is to encourage all PCVs to fulfill the 3rd Peace Corps goal:
“To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.”
