Community Radio Social Benefits
The definition of Community Radio Social Benefits is: “Benefits to individuals or collective actors in the community that enhance their lives socially, culturally or economically, or in terms of development, empowerment and/or well-being, that otherwise would not have come about”
Community Radio Delivering Social Benefit, Seán O Siochrú, Nexus Research Cooperative, June 19th 2020
After more than two years of research looking in depth at the Community Radio Sector and how it delivers Social Benefit to communities these six key benefits were outlined. They are the benchmark Community Radio Stations use to judge the success of projects and programming – some activities will capture one or two benefits, while all six might be covered by everything the station does in total.
SB 1: Individuals, especially minorities and those marginalised, are growing in confidence and creativity and/or reinforcing a sense of belonging, directly from engaging with the Station.
SB 2: Individuals are enhancing their employment prospects, through gaining skills and confidence.
SB 3: Community members are informed and aware of what is happening around their community.
SB 4: Community members are responding more effectively to issues – local to global, because they have access to diverse viewpoints and to more and better information.
SB 5: Collective actors (CBOs, NGOs* etc.) are facilitated, and reinforced in their capacity, to achieve their goals. (*Community-based Organisations, and Non-governmental Organisations)
SB 6: The community sense of identity and cohesiveness is enhanced.
You can download the full report here from the Coimisiún na Meán website.