Projects

Television Documentary Making

Created on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 07:40

The television documentary is a powerful educational tool and the art of documentary making is an important medium of story-telling. Documentaries are not merely a medium of television broadcasting, but it could also play a crucial role in classroom education both for children and adults. Production and exchange of good documentaries among Buddhist countries could play a very important role in cross-cultural communications and promotion of greater understanding between Buddhist countries and communities.

This project will include training, production and networking components. Initially a one week training program will be conducted in Bangkok in collaboration with the ThaiPBS or in Colombo in collaboration with the Centre for Media Development of the Department of Information of Sri Lanka. It will be followed by documentary makers from different Buddhist countries (who attended the workshop) making a documentary after returning home with LCN packaging these productions into a series for broadcast by partner channels.

The first series in 2014 is expected to cover the topic of economics and social business from a Buddhist perspective. The second series in 2015 may cover environmental issues including climatic change again using Buddhist perspectives in presenting the issues from different countries.

LCN is seeking sponsors for this project who may fund the project components as given below:

· One-Week Workshop for 10 participants - USD 20,000

· Commissioning of Documentary Series (10 episodes @ $ 500 each) – USD 5,000

Capacity Building for Community Radio

Created on Wednesday, 30 July 2014 07:41

FieldExrcise2

Community radio is beginning to take root across Asia, but most grassroots Buddhist communities are in a comparative disadvantaged situation as compared to other religious groups in this field.

If concerted capacity building is not undertaken within Buddhist communities in Asia, community radio itself could become a threat to survival of Buddhist communities, especially in poor rural areas.

Thus, it is important that a well structured community radio training (capacity building) program is introduced in Buddhist countries where community radio is taking shape – such as Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. There is also a need to build capacity within minority Buddhist communities in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal as well.

LCN is working with a well-known Buddhist NGO in Cambodia to set up Asia’s first Buddhist Development Communication Community Radio. Both the Cambodian government and UNESCO have expressed its support for the idea. If all goes well we plan to launch the radio in mid-2015.

It is envisaged that we use the community radio training curriculum and resource material developed for UNESCO by LCN convenor Dr Kalinga Seneviratne.

Buddhist Pop Music Album

Created on Tuesday, 12 January 2016 23:11

Lotus Communication Network is working with a group of Sri Lankan composers and musicians to produce a Sinhalese pop music album that conveys Buddhists ideas on alcoholism, social behaviour and cultivating good friends. It is targeted mainly at young people. Six songs have already been composed and recorded. An album will be released once two more songs are completed. It is expected to come out by July 2016.

Community Cultural Tourism

Created on Wednesday, 30 July 2014 07:46

Cultural Tourism

With air travel becoming cheaper and with the middle class increasing in numbers there is much scope to develop cultural tourism between Buddhist countries of Asia. LCN is exploring ways of promoting cultural tourism within Buddhist Asia by producing a regional cultural tourism guidebook and an electronic database.

In addition, in collaboration with the Yunus Centre at AIT in Bangkok LCN will seek to develop community cultural tourism projects with a social business focus in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Bhutan and India.

LCN is currently looking for a funding agency to fund two pilot projects in Pollonnaruwa in Sri Lanka and Bagan in Myanmar or Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Mindful Communication

Created on Tuesday, 30 July 2013 07:44

Feature Writing

Lotus Communication Network is working with a leading university in Thailand to develop a journalism training program for the Asian region under the title of “Mindful Communication for Sustainable Development”.

This project will use Buddhist principles and communication theories to redefine Development Communications in Asia. We hope to get UNESCO endorsement for the project.

We plan to launch the project in mid-2015.