The fala Canoa! (Speak out) Newspaper was an initiative that stood out when the Vilas Canoas population detected the lack of community mass media that may facilitate the communication between the communities living in this low income neighbourhood. Under these circumstances, a group of youth decided to start a new venture which gave origin to the Fala Canoa! Newspaper. This was configured as the first initiative towards the creation of a local medium of information and communication in this community.
A socio-environmental survey of Vila Canoas was initiated, in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary center of environment of PUC-Rio (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro) , to identify the cultural and historical roots of the community. Four workshops were developed to strategically discuss community issues raised by the residents themselves. The most interesting subjects were:
- Memory and History Workshop
- Tourism Workshop
- Environment Workshop
- Media and Communication Workshop
One of the most interesting results of the Media and Communication Workshop was that the community did not have any form of mass media and had never had a local newspaper.
The lack of community mass media that may facilitate the communication between the communities, together with the need and the desire to start a new venture gave origin to the Fala Canoa! newspaper. This was configured as the first initiative towards the creation of a local medium of information and communication.
After the Fala Canoa! newspaper was launched in August 2005, the group continued to be supported and guided by a PUC-Rio’s student of Social Communication who had as main role the strengthening of the group and the improvement of the springing media.
The group initially had six members that participated in the newspaper launch. The receptiveness of the community for this initiative was very positive and as a result, in less than five months the group had already duplicated the number of collaborators.
In the beginning of 2006 the group had eleven participants that presented the following characteristics:
Age:
Particiapnts between 14 and 24 years old: 9
Participants between 40 and 50 yerars old: 2
Level of study:
Participants with university degree: 0
Participants taking Social Communication courses: 4
Participants taking Social Services courses: 2
Participants with elementary degree: 1
Participants with high school degree: 4
After two years from its launch, in august 2007 the Fala Canoa! Newspaper is extending its activities to an on-line newspaper as well as services in media segments (photos and videos).
Throughout this period of two years the newspaper developed and improved its visual identity. It is important to highlight that despite the incubator provides certain support that allows the solidification of the enterprise, all the production work is thought and developed by the Fala Canoa group.
As a strategy of project sustainability, the group started to sell spaces in the newspaper. Through the creation of especial section for classified advertisements, the newspaper can generate resources to print and acquire tools that make easier for the initiative to grow. With the development of the business plan, it was perceived that the project needed to develop further services to achieve full self-sustainability. Therefore, the group acquired a video camera that, together with a training editing, encouraged the group to make community videos.
To collaborate in the business development process in a sustainable form, an intern trainee of engineering was hired to systematize, improve and optimize the media productive process. As regards the business plan, a coach supports the development of the business plan together with the group.
It is also important to highlight how the groups struggled during the development of the Fala Canoa! business plan. This was due to the fact that the entrepreneurs foresaw in the newspaper’s idea an opportunity of a professional career, but though their role as technicians in the newspaper productions was clear, their lack of business management training brought about problems in the development of commercial and administrative areas.
The importance that the initiative achieved inside the community gave autonomy to the group and made the elaboration of the newspaper easier, and made it possible for them to gain society recognition.
At present, Fala Canoa! is a printed newspaper with 1000 copies made by a group of teenagers of Vila Canoas and it is distributed at no cost in the community and surroundings. Its publications include community daily facts, as well as information on controversial issues that are of interest to the community, also articles related to community history and events that occurred in the city are published.