”We know that there are lots of things happening in western Aarhus, but where can we read about them?” This question has been asked many times. With the new citizen portal www.aarhusvest.dk, there is finally an answer to the question.

30,000 people live in western Aarhus, and ten of them have been trained as citizen journalists. Concurrently, they have attended to their studies and jobs. After finishing their training, they have all started working as citizen journalists on the new citizen portal. The ten citizen journalists are responsible for writing news items and personality profiles on the citizen portal.

Presumably, this is the first time that training of citizen journalists has taken place in Denmark. Citizen journalism exists in a number of other countries, but apparently, there has never before been a thorough training of them.  
The project is managed by journalist Birger Agergaard. He is certain that citizen journalists can create better means of communication in a district than the established media can.

Closer to realities
”The citizen journalists are closer to realities. Therefore, they can dig out unconventional stories. And most importantly, they help create a more universal image when they write about their own neighbourhood. Naturally, they will also write about the negative sides which are inevitable in exposed districts” Birger Agergaard says.

The portal has not only been set up to improve the image of western Aarhus. The citizen journalists will also help give an overview of the various activities in the district. Therefore, the citizen journalists will keep a database of organizations, houses and resource persons, so that all users can find precisely the activities that are relevant for them.  

The citizen journalists hope that many people will contribute to the portal by sending in pictures or maybe a tip for a story. It is also possible to have discussions on the portal and there is even a market place where people can sell and buy items and make inquiries. It is intended that the communication should be two-sided rather than only coming FROM the portal TO the citizens.

First stage of a rocket
Western Aarhus is only the first stage of a great rocket which will keep on going for the next three and a half years. The project is co-ordinated by The Public Housing Unified Secretariat (www.bydele.dk) that will co-ordinate many different beneficial projects in all the exposed districts of Aarhus.

The training of citizen journalists lasts approximately four months, after which the project manager will start a new project in a different district.

Contributors
The housing associations of Aarhus are the main contributors to the project with DKR 2,350,000, while The Danish Urban Programme (www.urbanbydel.dk) has contributed DKR 100,000 and The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs (www.inm.dk) has supported the project with DKR 250,000.

At the turn of the year, The Danish Urban Programme (www.urbanbydel.dk) will be closed down, and the citizen portal will take over the task of informing about projects, meetings etc. relating to integration and the exposed districts. 
For more information, please contact project manager Birger Agergaard birger-fjern@bydele-fjern.dk