July 27, 2020 – Organized in partnership with Global NGO Executive Committee, the UN Civil Society Communications Workshop Series will consist of several workshops taking place online during the period of July – September 2020.
Srećko Mavrek, a Croatian international educational expert based in New York, participated in the UN Civil Society Communications Workshop: Communication Challenges and Opportunities in the COVID-19 Era on Thursday, July 23, 2020. This workshop was organized in partnership with American Counseling Association, International Council of Nurses, Medical Women’s International Association, NGO Committee on Education, Learning and Literacy, and Akshar Foundation.
“The first session Tools and Techniques of Effective Communication for NGOs addressed civil society communication challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 era and some contemporary issues related to disparities and discrimination. Participants were exploring the role of effective communication strategies and resources. The second session Transforming NGO Communications: From Conversation to Advocacy, Action and Social Policy addressed the issues of communications regarding complex, global, contemporary societal issues resulting in disparities and discrimination. Both sessions focused on intersectionality as the main cause of all disparities and inequalities,” said Mavrek.
He gave his opinion on the matter: “For nearly 30 years, a flawed theoretical concept of intersectionality has been one of the standard categories in over exaggerated discussions of race in American life, but its proponents sometimes have difficulties with their subjective biases. Identity politics, group identification and tribalism have not led to the social progress and inclusion, but to more divisions by ignoring individualism, character, achievements, and talents. More important questions are how to overcome fake news and social media censorship, how to improve civic culture in communication, and how to protect the right to free speech in the COVID-19 era?”
