There are lots of ways to get involved in the project.
For students
• Keep yourself informed. Look out for articles written by Open Minds students in newspapers and on TV, and read the discussions on the online forums. Sign in as a guest and write up your own opinions.
• Act! What problems or stories are there in your school, your family or your community that you would like to write about? Look at the course materials on this website to get some ideas for getting started, and write your own story. Ask someone in your nearest newspaper or newsletter if they will publish it. You can even send it to Open Minds to see if we can publish it.
• You can also start a newspaper or newsletter in your school. You just need a few people who want to write and are committed to being tolerant and balanced (look at our course materials to find out what this means). Give people different jobs according to their skills, and decide between you when you will aim to finish your work and make your first issue. Then you can give copies to all your classmates, and they can give them to their friends…and soon hundreds of children could be reading your words!
• If you want to talk not write, start a discussion club instead. Get a group together and set a date and a topic, and try to find out something about the topic in advance so you have something to talk about! Try to find out everybody’s opinion at the start, see if anyone disagrees over any points, and then try to find out WHY people think what they think and why they disagree.
• Open Minds will be looking for new schools for 2010-2011, and we want to start training in some new schools in April 2010. If you think enough people in your school would be interested, please email Ella Rolfe, Open Minds Pakistan Programme Courdinator, at ellar@iwpr.net stating the name and location of your school, contact phone number, and tell us why want Open Minds to come to your school.
For media and NGOs
If you would be interested in becoming a trainer in Open Minds 2010-2011 (provisionally starting April 2010), please send your CV to Sherzad Ali Khan (ellar@iwpr.net).
Media organisations NGOs and civil society groups wanting to get involved in the project should email Sherzad or phone the IWPR office in Islamabad: 051 220 4236. We always welcome and consider new ideas, and would be pleased to hear any proposals you might have to extend the reach and impact of this project.