Video is an attractive tool, which gives immediate results.

A rigorous but fun process giving participants control over a project.

Participants find their voices and focus on local issues of concern.

Participants share their voices with other groups or communities, including decision-makers, donors and general public.

Participants become a community, which takes further action.

InsightShare have worked with a wide range of groups internationally, from farmers to street children, in the UK and abroad.

Living stories are captured by communities themselves; projects can be documented and evaluated; policy information and decisions can also be transferred back to the community level through PV.

Group-working and listening skills, self-esteem building and motivation techniques; PV develops an active role for participants in improving their quality of life.

A range of impressive initiatives and suggestions can be documented by those directly involved, cheaply and effectively, and shared across the country and even further abroad; policymakers can be deeply affected by powerful stories and images captured at, and by, the grassroots.

Helping us identify issues/changes we may not be aware of.

Decision-makers, scientists, other diverse stakeholders and the public can connect with PV films and learn from communities or groups who are marginalised. Web 2.0 enables videos to be streamed and downloaded freely and shared across boundaries. Thus PV has the potential to bridge the digital divide!

For more information about Participatory Video, as practiced and developed by InsightShare, download our FREE handbook

Participatory Video (PV) is a set of techniques to involve a group or community in shaping and creating their own film. The idea behind this is that making a video is easy and accessible, and is a great way of bringing people together to explore issues, voice concerns or simply to be creative and tell stories.

This process can be very empowering, enabling a group or community to take action to solve their own problems and also to communicate their needs and ideas to decision-makers and/or other groups and communities. As such, PV can be a highly effective tool to engage and mobilise marginalised people and to help them implement their own forms of sustainable development based on local needs.

• Participants rapidly learn video skills through games & exercises.
• Facilitators help groups identify & analyze their important issues
• Short videos & messages are directed & filmed by participants.
• Footage is shared with the wider community at daily screenings.
• A dynamic process of community-led learning & exchange is set in motion.
• Communities always have full editorial control.