Source: http://www.amarc.org/index.php?p=montreal_symposium_2008 21st Century Key Communication Challenges at the heart of the 25th Anniversary of AMARC Celebration Montréal, November 11th, 2008. Dozens of community radio practitioners and stakeholders met in Montreal, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of AMARC and reflect on the challenges of community radio broadcasting. AMARC, in collaboration with Media@McGill, partners and stakeholders, organised the international symposium « 25th Anniversary of AMARC : Development and Empowerment through Community Radio » , November 7th, 2008 in Montreal. The symposium was covered by Radio Centre-Ville and CKUT and the podcast is available at http://www.amarc.org/montreal The participants honoured Michel Delorme, first president of AMARC and Evelyne Foy, first Secretary General, as representatives of thousands of community radio broadcasters that have contributed to AMARC successfully accompanying the development of a global sector of community radio during the last 25 years. The participants also debated the Montreal Declaration adding new points to include the changes in world context since the creation of AMARC, including the appearance of new technologies, media concentration, globalisation. The participants also decided to start a community media research network. The final version of the Montreal Declaration will be published shortly. The participants interacted on the presentations, among others of Melissa Cabana of Oxfam Quebec, of Frank LaRue, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression; Ian Pringley of the Commonwealth of Learning, on the relation between communication and human development, communication rights and on the promotion of social justice and human rights. The closing session of the Symposium was opened to all and Amy Goodman from Democracy Now, was the key note speaker. The presentations are available at http://www.amarc.org/montreal Through service to members, networking and project implementation, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC, brings together a network of more than 4,000 community radios, Federations and community media stakeholders in more than 115 countries. AMARC advocates for the right to communicate at the international, national, local and neighbourhood levels and defends and promotes the interests of the community radio movement through solidarity, networking and Cooperation.