Citizenside participated in the annual "Connecting Communities" conference, hosted by the BBC College of Journalism, on May 24, 2012 in the new BBC building located in Salford Quays, Manchester.
Our contributor writes: "This coming together of amateur and professional media interests helped to share the feelings and problems that are felt by all and opened up many interesting and thoughtful/helpful discussions. Contacts and friends were made between people from various parts of the country and further abroad. Participants came away with many thoughts: wiser, hopeful, activated, and thankful to both Citizenside and the BBC, whose hospitality could not be faulted."
Phil Williams, a presenter for BBC Radio, chaired the conference, which included keynote speeches from Jan Schaffer, director of the Institute for Interactive Journalism in the United States, and Jon Kinsbury, the program director for Nesta, a charity organization that funds innovative ideas.
To read more about the "Connecting Communities" conference, visit the BBC's website.