Changing the world begins from home - something our community reporters have proven time and again.
Gulf News recognises readers who took a stand and raised their voices on issues that they felt were important, relevant and required immediate attention.
Today we acknowledge and award those who shared their experiences and brought significant matters to the fore during October.
Over the past few months, the Your Turn page's Community Report section has highlighted myriad subjects that concerned residents and helped alert the authorities to matters that required urgent attention.
Topics of concern ranged from littered beaches to the nuisance of abandoned vehicles. Readers have found it to be the right platform to create awareness and turn the spotlight on situations that generate interest and truly impact their lives.
Raising important questions, seeking answers from the relevant authorities and highlighting social issues take effort. But community reporters do not shy away from taking the leap, if it has a chance of making a real difference.
The community reports published in October were judged by Deputy Managing Editor Mick O'Reilly. The criteria for selection included content, issue, impact on community, responsibility and the quality of contribution.
Here are the winners:
FIRST PRIZE
Stop wasting books
October 2
By: Sarwat Rizwan
Reason for selection:
The careless disposal of unwanted books - often brand new or used just once - irked the community reporter, who suggested starting up a ‘book bank'.
Deputy Managing Editor Mick O'Reilly said: "[The community report] is well-written; a simple idea and one which all schools and educational institutions can use to save money."
Commending the reader for finding simple solutions, O'Reilly compared the concept's effectiveness to Gulf News' recent Wipe Out Waste (WoW) campaign.
He added: "[This is] community journalism serving everyone with a simple idea. Well done!"
Profile: Sarwat Rizwan is an English teacher based in Dubai.
She said she believed her community report has helped start the wheels of change.
"Some of my friends have spoken to public libraries to give them a chance to donate books, while some of my students have returned their old books to school as they no longer need them."
Optimistic about the difference made by writing about such issues, Rizwan added: "Showers of rain start with a few droplets… we shall continue our work and the rest is in God's hands."
SECOND PRIZE
Springing a nasty surprise on residents
October 25
By: Tony Martin
Reason for selection:
The reader's community report on the hassles caused by roadwork in his neighbourhood was chosen for providing a unique perspective - that of a concerned parent's.
O'Reilly said: "We're all accustomed to seeing holes dug in footpaths and the work seems to go for eons…"
"Martin's well-written and smart report highlights the dangers for pedestrians - particularly children."
The issue of safety raised by the community reporter also "raises a concern we're all too familiar with", according to our judge.
Profile: Tony Martin is a resident of the Springs community in Dubai.
He acknowledged that in a continually developing city like Dubai "residents must be ready to accept disruption and take it with a pinch of salt".
However, he was encouraged to write about the on-going road works in Springs after 15 months of waiting.
Unremitting construction has become a nuisance and safety hazard for residents in the area, and the community reporter urged those responsible to complete the projects at the earliest.
THIRD PRIZE
Garbage piles make residents miserable
October 19
By: Fatima Suhail
Reason for selection:
While incorrectly disposed garbage is a popular issue among readers around the UAE, O'Reilly said the community reporter had "a new take on an old story, not just complaining but offering solutions as well".
A key component for change is recycling, which the reader thought was worth highlighting.
Our judge agreed and added: "The community reporter takes the issue one step further, by arguing that restaurants should have their own dumpsters, and not rely solely on public ones."
Profile: Fatima Suhail is a university student, residing in Dubai.
On the effectiveness of community reports, Suhail said: "[It] helps voice our perspectives, issues, problems, … it also creates or spreads awareness in the society to a large extent."
Voicing her appreciation, Suhail said: "I thank Gulf News for providing an opportunity to residents, to express their views, concerns and problems."
She is optimistic that high-lighting the problem of excessive garbage in Deira would usher in positive results.
