Bridge the Gap: is an initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide by setting up a sustainable, mini digital media studio in Kumbo, Cameroon and to train young people on how to create digital media (Audio, Graphic, and Video) and how to share the produce through the internet especially on blogs and social networks such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, BlogSpot, Reverbnation, soundcloud and Flickr)
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Kumbo
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
With the coming of the digital world, globalization has become easier, faster and cheaper. However, due to the extreme levels of poverty in Cameroon, the local individual citizen does not have the necessary resources and knowledge that can enable him to share his story to the world.
In Kumbo, owning a computer is still considered luxury. Yet we have beautiful untold stories that can marvel the world and a very rich grassland culture of the Anglophone minority population that is at risk of fading away.
Young people in Kumbo generally have basic computer knowledge from school, but are not effective with practical skills due to limited access to computers and the internet.
The success of this project shall be a dream come true, for the numerous young people who have been contacting us
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Verkijika Divine Nyuyki BSC. Information and Communication Technology, President of Ductu Foundation for youth development, shall be the main trainer,
www.facebook.com/verkijikadivine
www.twitter.com/verkijia
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Video Documentary describing the life, language and culture of the Nso People, Audio Podcasts in local Nso Language, Photographs of landmarks and beautiful landscapes and cultural diversities of the people, recording of local music and musical instruments
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
Besides the Young people in Kumbo, who will offer free unskilled labor,
Ductu Foundation as the most active youth organization in the division is going to support the project by providing 2 rooms where the media studio can be set up, as well as help register the media studio with the local authorities, and finally offer a classroom where theory classes(Training) will take place.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The Project will train 6 participants for its first session.
Ductu Foundation already has a broad database of more than 3000 active and talented young people who will be duly communicated so that interests candidates may sign up. Also I host a local youth radio program which I can use to create awareness about the project
Registration shall be free; however the young people shall be expected to have their own notebooks, and will bear no transportation costs since it’s within a locality that can be walked on foot. Each class shall not last longer than 3 hours so there will be no need for the project to provide feeding and most of all the whole team of participants and trainees shall work as a family; this is a small town and life is fairly easy with community living.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
For audio production, the participants will be drilled on audio recording and mixing using the available hardware and Adobe Audition (Software), For Photography, Video capture and editing, the participants will be drilled on using the available camera, Adobe Photoshop and Ulead Video Studio, For access to internet and training on sharing of media over the internet, training will be done at the Ductu foundation ICT center. Genuine Software will be offered by Ductu Foundation
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
Training on digital media production shall take place at the mini digital media studio, which will be set up one week before the training at the residence offered by Ductu foundation. The center will have 2 computers, installed with appropriate software, and set up with necessary hardware
Training on how to use the internet to share and promote produced media shall be offered at the Ductu Foundation ICT center which currently has 10 computers with access to ADSL internet, and participants shall be given each 20 hours of free browsing in the course of the training
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
Ductu Foundation has been recognized as the most active youth association in Kumbo by the government authorities and counts a membership of over 3000 young people, our services reach a population of over 300000 young people in Bui Division, and this young people look up to us for guidance and orientation
We are genuine, honest and passionate about combatting the numerous social challenges faced by young people in Cameroon, and we intend to keep up the good work as long as young people exist.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Kumbo generally faces electricity shortages, (Low Voltage) hence we shall make use of an electricity stabilizer.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Success will primary begin from the realization of the media studio, testing to see its efficiency, then registration of six expected candidates and their ultimate completion of the course, then finally from the quality of products they produce and the amount of buzz created by their products over the internet e.g Youtube Views, Facebook Likes, Blog Statistics
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
1-7 June, Buying of equipment and setting up of mini digital center
7-21 Registration of candidates
23 June – 23 September Training of participants
23 – 23 October Participants work on their projects
23 October Publishing of works of trainees
22 December – Evaluation, Report and statistics of results
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
2 computers 550$
camera 450$
mixer 200$
Microphone 200$
Audio monitors 500$
accessories 150$
training 200$
internet 150$
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Guidance, Orientation and mentoring, can also help to promote the works that will be produced by the participants, and help us connect our initiative with other people in similar fields of interest, may also help us find volunteer professionals who may be willing to travel to Cameroon to share their knowledge and skills with the youth
Contact name
Bongdzeem Basil Nsoseka
