FACTORTIERRA – Science That Inspires

This is the script prepared to be spoken before AgroRed Norte Summit in Piura City, Peru, on July 17^th, 2015.

 

By Nelson Peñaherrera Castillo

 

March 2013, the first and last time I was in an AgroRed Norte Summit. It was an important proffessional milestone to me. I thank the organization about that. A day later I presented before you, a History Latin America network’s crew picked me up early in Sullana City for working almost all that day. They wanted to record our testimonial because of a story we published on FACTORTIERRA  on 2008.

 

In July 2013, landscapes of Malingas, a rural community in Tambograndé District, Peru, entered 40 million homes along Latin America and they hold on until now by reprises.

 

On that first hearing before AgroRed Norte Summit, I went to request you for supporting the need to create scientific spreaders’ nests from schools.

I do not know if the idea was welcomed and set up –at least, I was not summoned to opine- but I come to say you today that turning science into a content for generating general audiences interest is a winner betting.

 

Recreating a concept

In January 2014, FACTORTIERRA decided to leave apart its activist treatment of reality to focus on explaining each fact of it by using the science as a tool. In simple, less opinion,  more facts.

 

We did not Discover the wheel, but we realized that we spoke about many issues, however the circle that understood our interpretations was getting reduced much more everytime, and new generations felt very excluded from those discussions because they ignored the causes. And as it is not good to opine about you ignore, FACTORTIERRA decided to supply items for those new generations in order to get included in those discussions and apply their own sightings on their own reality.

 

That is why we took off what we used to be and we adopted a new concept that became our slogan – Science That Inspires. Science is all the methodical process consistent on researching, proving, and stating how all things work for getting measurable, countable and replicable results.

 

That is how our first copy appeared: “If measurable, Probable and replicable, then it’s on FACTORTIERRA.”  But we are not looking for a sensational content. What we are looking for it’s the people feel that we say or show touch them pretty much on their life, so they can participate by forwarding it or reversing it.

 

For example, if we say them that values configurating an El Niño  event strengthen during these weeks, they have all points to design their domestic action plan or pressure the authorities for prevention works. Since science is based on truth, and truth is based on reality, then is not desirable that decisions taken by people from that information be accurate or well-informed at least?

 

In that sense, now than never before, challenge of journalists is serving as a bridge to simplify what science has to say not ignoring its rule, and also that they express people’s priorities for the science to offer real answers where sometimes there are promises,speculations and manipulation.

 

Inspiring Results

Without a budget but an Environmental Citizenship National Award experience as background, FACTORTIERRA took the first 2014-half to track issues, sources and trends. It was not about publishing without control but having impact and attract interest.

 

The first one we said many persons was ‘write for big audiences – if you wan, we can coach you.’  The response we got was quite few. Then, our crew began to produce some features those were distributed on elRegionalPiura.com.pe, catching some little interest from audience. On the process of meeting and recruiting people, we knew about young Sullana, Peru-based obstetrician Marco Paulini. If there is a science branch widely displayed, that  is human health. So we encouraged him to write and publish.

 

Paulini made by his own risk a research about knowledge and attitude of teenagers on condom use, in Bellavista de Cachiaco, a town in Pacaipampa District, Peru. With a contents editor as a guide, he spent an entire Sunday processing information that was published on July 30^th, 2014. Few hours later, the post had broke the hits average  of elregionalpiura.com.pe stories, ggot a radio interview, got the attention of a Lima-based NGO, and as weeks went on, even of the Peruvian bureau of integral welfare (SIS, as in Spanish).

 

That first article was folowed by other five ones about sexual and reproductive health, those broke more than 17,000 hits on December 31^st, 2014, got two educational sessions at schools in different places of Piura, deserved two recognizements in Sullana (one of them from Municipality), plus an invitation by Peruvian Institute of Management’s Annual Conference of Chairpersons.

 

Piura has not treated Paulini granting him a fair job indeed, but his work of scientific spreading qualified him for One Billion Rising international campaign  in Peru chose him to be a regional coordinator. All that happened just with one person. Imagine what would happened if the other persons we requested for Publishing helped by us or other specialists had agreed.

 

It is not about recognition but opening paths to inspire the people. In December 2014, Chulucanas, Peru-based lawyer Jhon Gomez wondered the way of how  one of his passions –bodybuilding- could inspire changes in his community. He told it to us and we concluded that before changing, first we had to know.

 

That is why we launched ChulucanasGym, a blog about teaching people on gym-related terms and products but focused from a scientific perspective. Today, that blog is almost getting its 20,000 first hits.

 

Target: Teenagers & Youth

I would like to make clear that the most of previously referred contents’ users are people between 15 to 29 years old, one of more appreciated targets by media. In fact, the lesson we learned is that it is possible to generate interest of that public on science. The key detail is linking to an issue they love a lot and pitch them the idea in an accessible way, in their language, not dismissing the rules of science.

 

But, why that target in particular? Because they are the next generation. If we do not inspire them to improve, all advance we hardly earned can get lost. If somebody doubts on it, I invite to remember how to miss a culture and will know what I am talking about.

 

Challenge Factor

Holding a network of 5 blogs, 2 social media, 1 video channel, 1 audio channel, a 3000 daily loyal audience, 1 liasion to distribute contents, and FACTORTIERRA’s 15-year experience, the challenges to assume are:

1. Raising funds to keep the publishing projects we started up, and advising, launching others on development , exploring and exposing more knowledge fiels.
2. Motivating universities, colleges or high-schools to open or hold subjects and courses of journalism specialized on science, or at least scientific spreading.
3. Convincing scientists not to fear – the best way to your works to continue, raise funds and being recognized is by smartly exposing them before general audiences. We know you do not have experience on it, so right there is where FACTORTIERRA wants to help you. As well as we trust in your expertise, then you trust in ours. Based on featured experiences here, it is an alliance addressed to victory, and the victory we are now looking for is that the science advances because it is the only way to improve our lives.

 

It is time to prove that science and esotericism are not synonymous. Then, stop impressing with it, bet inspiring through it instead. As a personal quote, I am very  proud to share time and space with a colleague, coach and friend I love as my mother, Mrs. Margarita Rosa Vega.

 

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