BNS has not achieved much in 2013 except for the networking with distinguished media houses and media persons in the US. In terms of engaging in the progressive dialogue, BNS team reached out to as many organizations and professionals as possible to increase the level of awareness to what BNS has been doing so far. 2014 will be the tenth year, a decade old BNS, with all support of the active volunteers and citizen journalists.
The most important achievement this year has been the Mission Pittsburgh, a congregation of BNS volunteers, contributing editors and community resource persons, who actually help run the engine of this all-volunteer media outlet. The three days meeting spent in the active discussion of the day and after hour sessions among the editors decided to make BNS a registered entity in the US. However, some fruitful debates among the editors to continue BNS as non-profit or for-profit has still to come of shape. The success of the training session in Pittsburgh would not have been so meaningful, if two most important friends of BNS, Lisa Napoli of KCRW, CA and Lonnie Isabel of CUNY were not available for skype conference to give their best ideas for BNS’s growth.
It was surveyed and discussed among the participants and non-participants of the Pittsburgh conference about editorial content of BNS. In many respect, for volunteer organization as BNS, it would have been impossible to deliver the professional and up-to-date flow of information. Yet whatever catered is well received and well-acclaimed. Meanwhile, the debate and dilemma is ongoing for what kind of outlook BNS should have in the future to appropriately serve the information need of Diaspora.
BNS editors are well connected to media persons, trainers, professionals and even policy makers in Bhutan. The relationship has deepened further when it comes to serving the people inside Bhutan for a common interest without being biased or harboring stereotype of prejudice. BNS is well read in higher echelons of Bhutan’s literate population.
BNS is also engaged in the campaign of suicide prevention, though not mandated and equipped with the resource. BNS team members sat for a conference with Tim Kelly of ORR for finding out the best method of awareness generation and outreach to the communities for suicide prevention. Dr.Chhabilal Timsina, a psychiatrist of Bhutanese community, agreed to contribute his professional ideas to BNS in regard to the urgent need of some intervention towards prevention. Stories of courage and perseverance like that of Bishnu Maya Karki are in demand, which BNS shall take up as rapid assignment for the year 2014.
Not the least, BNS shall be a registered non-profit organization in 2014 and shall take height to the level of other South Asian media.
