Community Radio Empowering Unheard Voices - COMM UNITY is a project co-funded by
the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme.
It originated from an idea by Roscommon Integrated Development Co. Ltd t/a Roscommon
LEADER Partnership from Ireland, the project coordinator, who, accomplishing their local
mission of welcoming Ukrainian refugees, realized “We do not want to just provide basic
physical needs for these families. They need to know their voices will be heard; they have
stories to tell.” It started a fruitful collaboration with community radio and saw the vital role
they play, representing a powerful tool for community voices to be heard and learning to
be exchanged.
With their passion to fast-forward innovation in adult education, in February 2022, together
with MOMENTUM MARKETING SERVICES LIMITED - an Irish organization with a
successful history of implementing inclusion initiatives and projects aimed at adult
education and civic participation, they have committed to design this cross European
initiative and boost inclusion and participation of diverse, vulnerable communities through
radio and podcast media.
The COMM UNITY project European network of partners has been extended to: Outside
Media & Knowledge UG (haftungsbeschränkt) from Germany, with their experience in
communicating with hard-to-reach youth about equality, diversity, promoting positive
narratives about any differences and no discrimination via their online community, their
Outside Multicultural Magazine, video campaigns and podcast production; Uniamoci from
Italy, who hosts the web radio channel Radio Senza Barriere, managed by adults with
disabilities; the European Elearning Institute from Denmark, involved in adult education
and inclusion projects, delivering effective technical solutions in non-formal and informal
education, platforms, and toolkits.
A few months later, in September 2022, COMM UNITY became reality and its mission to
empower community radio organizations and volunteers to become an influential pillar of
adult education in civic engagement of diverse and vulnerable groups, started to guide the
path of the 5 partners.
A path towards the creation and free distribution of valuable tools and opportunities as an
open-source training for adult learners to build civic, personal and interpersonal, and digital
capacity; a digital credentials system to recognise the learning outcomes; a community
placement guide for adult educators and community radios; a podcast series that elevates
diverse, marginalized voices as an applied learning approach.
Accessing skills and resources to facilitate inclusion will no longer be so hard, thanks to
COMM UNITY.
It brings together all the diverse groups of people, while giving them a voice and a sense
of belonging in the community; it upskills adult educators, with a pedagogical program in
community radio management and podcasting; it boosts cause and community
organizations and radios to a new level of social impact; it promotes inclusive attitudes in
the society.
