Citizen portal for Trige, Ølsted and Spørring

”We know that there are lots of things happening in Trige, Ølsted and Spørring, but where can we read about them?” This question has been asked many times. With the new citizen portal www.8380.dk, there is finally an answer to the question.

5.000 people live in the area with post code 8380, and seven of them have been trained as citizen journalists. Concurrently, they have attended to their studies and jobs. After finishing their training, they have all started working as citizen journalists on the new citizen portal. The citizen journalists are responsible for writing news items and personality profiles on the citizen portal.

Citizen journalism exists in a number of other countries, but apparently, there has never before been a thorough training of them.  
The project is managed by journalist Birger Agergaard. He is certain that citizen journalists can create better means of communication in a district than the established media can.

Closer to realities
”The citizen journalists are closer to realities. Therefore, they can dig out unconventional stories. And most importantly, they help create a more universal image when they write about their own neighbourhood. Naturally, they will also write about the negative sides which are inevitable in exposed districts,” Birger Agergaard says.

The portal has not only been set up to improve the image of Trige, Ølsted and Spørring. The citizen journalists will also help give an overview of the various activities in the district. Therefore, the citizen journalists will keep a database of organizations, houses and resource persons, so that all users can find precisely the activities that are relevant for them.  

The citizen journalists hope that many people will contribute to the portal by sending in pictures or maybe a tip for a story. It is also possible to have discussions on the portal and there is even a market place where people can sell and buy items and make inquiries. It is intended that the communication should be two-sided rather than only coming FROM the portal TO the citizens.

First stage of a rocket
Trige is only the third stage of a rocket which will keep on going for three and a half years. The project is co-ordinated by The Public Housing Unified Secretariat (www.bydele.dk) that will co-ordinate many different beneficial projects in all the exposed districts of Aarhus.

The training of citizen journalists lasts approximately four months, after which the project manager will start a new project in a different district.

Contributors
The housing associations of Aarhus are the main contributors to the project with DKR 2,350,000, while The Danish Urban Programme (which now is closed down) has contributed DKR 100,000 and The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs (www.inm.dk) has supported the project with DKR 250,000.

For more information, please contact project manager Birger Agergaard birger-fjern@bydele-fjern.dk