1. Why start a Media Club?

Media clubs can help people feel more connected and active in the community, give participants more confidence to have a voice, and increase their opportunities both in and out of the workplace.

TV is a part of almost everyone's life in some form or another, whether it's a casual chat at work, the background to a family dinner or the only form of social interaction a person finds. TV viewing can however offer the chance to be a lively and stimulating experience. It can, for example, be a powerful way of building relationships, rather than a substitute for them.

TV can be a catalyst for connections between people who are watching together or who have watched the same things separately. It can help bridge physical and emotional distances between family members and friends who don't live together, but who can watch and then discuss the same programmes. And it doesn't have to stop with TV; radio, film and printed media can play a significant role too.

Understanding media and being able to deconstruct the messages around it are vital for understanding and participating in contemporary society.

Media literacy is now as important as numeracy and literacy - it is a life skill that it as important out of the workplace as in the workplace. Appropriate training - both informal and formal - should be open to all, regardless of background or location, to attain a minimum set.

Delivering Digital Inclusion, Communities and Local Government paper 2008

A media club also offers the opportunity to talk about TV using the language of television, and help people understand the media and its role. TV and films have a language of their own. They tell stories, both fiction and factual, and these have been designed for an audience to read visually. It is very important to understand the media and what it is trying to say to you, to look behind the story for the message and to know about the language that comes with it.

Media clubs are a good way for people to extend their knowledge and enjoyment of TV and film: Sharing personal thoughts, experiences and choices is a great way to have fun, discover new content and excite new interests.

For more information download our Total Guide to Media Clubs PDF here

Find out How to Start up a Media Club or head to our Hints and Tips section for advice on how to talk about TV, how to watch TV and more...

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