Sikh and Muslim community leaders from West London (UK) will receive training in film-making from a professional, facilitating them to learn how to make high quality, effective short films with their mobile phones. These films will promote messages of peace and tolerance between the two communities. They will also receive YouTube training to promote their videos and connect with others internationally, so as to spread positive messages.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
London
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
The target group is adult members of the Sikh and Muslim communities in West London. Currently, they do not have much access to social networking or citizen media and are under-represented online. This is due to a lack of ICT literacy, language barriers as well as cultural issues. Work with these groups is much needed to provide a platofrm through which they can express their voice and share peace-promoting stories.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Beneficiaries will use their mobile phones to create positive videos for YouTube. The videos will promote positive stories about the relations between Sikh and Muslim communities in London. Videos will also positively address issues of tension or conflict through challenging them. The group has received some training in Facebook, Twitter and Blogs and will utilise this new learning to spread their contect and connect globally with others.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
We have strong partnerships with Sikh and Muslim voluntary groups in the target area. We also have strong partnerships with local Sikh and Muslim faith leaders, they will be involved to ensure that faith is not used as a weapon for conflict. Further, we have partnerships with Desi Radio (targetted at Sikhs and Muslims of Pubjabi heritage). Further, we will work with national organisations i.e. The Turban Campaign and MINAB.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
30 direct beneficiaries (15 Sikh and 15 Muslim) will be trained and supported to cascade their messages, and their learning, throughout their communities. Beneficiaries will utilise the YouTube training they will receive to promote their videos, and will implement their existing training in Facebook, Twitter and Blogs to ensure a ripple effect is created. We will sustain their efforts through faciltating active networking.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
Rising Voices can provide support by promoting the project, and the messages/content created though its own channels (e.g. sharing it on Facebook, or re-tweeting the content on Twitter) to ensure that the global community is aware of the initiative, therby increasing the beneficiaries’ reach worldwide. This will of course increase the impact of their work. It could also provide effective Monitoring & Evaluation resources that can be used by all.
Contact name
Iman
Organization
Faith Matters