WITNESS [1], a human rights non-profit organization based in USA, empowers people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice. Founded in 1992 by musician Peter Gabriel, WITNESS is working to advance human rights through the use of video for change across many countries of the world.
The organization makes available useful training resources for human rights organizations and activists to help them do their work better. WITNESS’ core methodology is “video advocacy”, where the use of video is considered an integrated tool in human rights campaigns. It has trained individuals from more than 80 countries through hands-on workshops and provided video cameras to selected activists and community leaders. Its video sharing website The Hub [2] empowers people to document and publicize unseen atrocities. It also operates an important preservation program through the WITNESS Media Archive [3].
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WITNESS has launched its comprehensive training curriculum on human rights advocacy through video, which is available for download for free [4]. It features 7 modules and 37 individual sessions ranging from 30 minutes to 6 hours long. These modules offer information about how to use videos for human rights advocacy activities, create and present credible stories to support their campaigns, the tricks of videomaking and much more. Included in each session are these downloadable PDFs:
- Descriptions of session objectives, and what the participants will learn and experience;
- PowerPoint slide decks, which are embedded so you can see the key points and structure of the session.
- Facilitator notes which highlight the structure of the session; key points, details on the resources and case studies, and suggested exercises to complete during the session.
- Participant notes help guide participants and provide essential information to support the session.
- Handouts are incorporated in the session, and also in a workbook for participants.
[4]Screenshot of Video for Change Curriculum
With this curriculum WITNESS seeks to expand the reach of its training programs to large and more diverse group of people, organizations, and networks online and offline. You can see a presentation [5] on the WITNESS Curriculum.