“It’s the best thing you could do as a citizen of a democratic country” is how James Taylor, a volunteer at VoicePrint Canada, describes volunteering for the charity.
On September 14, VoicePrint officially opened its Toronto Local Broadcast Centre, where its volunteers will work to bring local news to the visually impaired.
“The biggest problem for the blind has been access to information,” said Peter Tesar, a blind user of VoicePrint’s website. The charity focuses on print news and works by having volunteers read and record newspaper articles. It has been providing national news for several years over digital cable, but is now using its website to offer listeners content from local community papers.
VoicePrint’s communications officer Pamela Muñoz explains that the Centre is meant to give listeners more community-oriented news. Therefore, articles are chosen from local papers, like the Scarborough Mirror and Metro. As Tesar explains, the programming will provide more in-depth analysis and detailed information than the radio currently provides. Tesar says radio programming is more limited and focused on national events, as opposed to the local focus of the Toronto Centre.
The 20 volunteers at the Toronto location are responsible for programming, recording and uploading the articles. Volunteers go through an audition process in which they are tested on their vocal skills. Over 50 percent of people who audition become volunteers.
As a charity, VoicePrint relies heavily on its volunteers. “Giving back to the community is what appeals most to volunteers,” said Muñoz, and with the active community the centre is in, it hasn’t been hard to find them.
Many volunteers, she added, are journalism students looking to gain work experience. For Taylor, the motivation for volunteering was that he “wanted to be a good citizen” Having to be responsible for the programming and uploading onto the Internet, Taylor also enjoys learning how to be more computer-savvy and being his own boss. “The program’s also taught me to have a little more empathy for the visually impaired,” he said.
MP John Godfrey, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, was also at the opening. Godfrey sees the services of the centre, increasing access to information, as integral to democracy. He adds that many people only think of “infrastructure” in a physical sense, but he spoke about what he called “communication infrastructure,” which he said “ends our isolation.” VoicePrint Canada’s demographic, he added, is one which needs this type of infrastructure the most.
Along with news, the site also covers entertainment, sports and grocery specials. As part of an ambitious expansion, VoicePrint plans on creating 100 Local Broadcast Centres across Canada over the next seven years.
