Academics at Edge Hill University will launch a new, community-led television station in Wavertree with the aim of empowering local people to take action against climate change.
TV and Media expert Dr Elke Weissman will work with researchers at the University of Liverpool’s Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place and community group Love Wavertree CIC to promote simple lifestyle changes to live more sustainably.
This will be followed by the launch of an ultra-local public broadcast TV Station, Wavertree TV, thanks to a grant from the British Academy’s Shared Understandings of a Sustainable Future, which funds projects examining a people-centred transition to Net Zero and sustainability.
Dr Elke Weissman said: “Here at Edge Hill we recognise that climate change is such an important topic. Put simply, we’re running out of time. I think it’s important to talk to communities about this topic and bring it down to a local and individual level.
“The series of ‘Citizens Assemblies’ we are planning will cover everything, from improving housing and food choices to managing traffic in the area and changing daily habits. The talks will be very informative and fun for local people, and eventually we’ll transform them into local television content for their very own Wavertree TV channel.”
The project will examine how communities and individuals learn about and are motivated to tackle climate change by participating in events made for them and by them. The aim of the project is to give local people in Wavertree a stake in the fight against climate change and amplify local voices to inspire change.
“This will be a bottom-up process, hopefully it’s more in tune with what communities want and need and will bring about lasting change as a result.” Dr Weissman added. “It’s not just about TV, it’s about local politics and policy, working with the council and empowering communities.”
Research Associate Belinda Tyrrell from the Heseltine Institute added: “We are excited to be part of a project which brings together academics, practitioners and citizens to exchange knowledge and develop creative local responses to a shared global problem”
To find out more about the Television Studies Research Group, please visit their web pages. Further detail about the work of the Heseltine Institute can be found on the University of Liverpool web pages.
If you would like to study at Edge Hill there are a number of film and television courses available, for the full list visit https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/subject/undergraduate/film-media-and-broadcast-production/.
March 24, 2022
