Within many communities in Kupe Muanenguba region of Cameroon, the use of ICT tools and social media utilization is minimal and nearly absent while many issues of human rights abuses on women and girls, indiscriminate and illegal hunting of wildlife abound without notice. This project plans to train and equip 15 teenagers on the use of social media networks (facebook, twitter) in the production and reporting of news contents. Through their online reports with photographs, articles, short videos using facebook, twitter and emails, the global community will know what goes on and take action.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Bangem
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The entire Kupe Muanenguba Division is poorly represented online until 2013 when CCREAD-Cameroon started a charity ICT training project with teenage mothers and youths in Bangem on computer applications. Internet, a major tool to enhance citizen media is very expensive but many youths are eager to use it when available. Haven trained over 50 youths on computer application and with the presence of over 20 computers in our training center, 15 youths already trained on computer application have accepted to serve as dynamic online reporters representing 15 different communities. These youths will use the presence of internet service at the center after training on news content development and reporting using social media networks.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
The interesting aspect which assures this project's success is the fact that CCREAD-Cameroon is already working with youths in these communities and recently training them on the use and application of computer skills. Through our partnerships, CCREAD-Cameroon has a well equipped computer room which will be a training and news content facility for the trained online reporters. CCREAD-Cameroon equally has established commendable partnerships with local organizations such as PIDEC, CAD, and DAC while the program coordination office in Bangem has project motorcycles which will allow trainees to move into the interiors to collect data and report online.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The original idea in this project is to train 15 community base online reporters who will work with our team and volunteers to produce, document and share news content using social media networks on issues of sexual and reproductive rights abuses, environmental degradation, marginalization of widows and increasing youth unemployment. Trainees and volunteers will produce blogs, facebook and twitter updates and periodically use Google+ and YouTube to tell the stories of the communities they represent. Monthly, the coordination team will evaluate the progress made by the online reporters, make innovations and introduce reporter to new social media networks and to expand their
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.
The 15 young online reporters are already part of our project and have already received training on computer application in our ICT training center in Bangem. Effective monitoring of the online trainers will be ensured as our local team for the project led by a practicing journalist will sensor data collected and published online. Periodically, CCREAD-Cameroon will assist the trainees and give the official volunteer status with administrative coverage and backings.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The original idea in this project is to train 15 community base online reporters who will work with our team and volunteers to produce, document and share news content using social media networks on issues of sexual and reproductive rights abuses, environmental degradation, marginalization of widows and increasing youth unemployment. Trainees and volunteers will produce blogs, facebook and twitter updates and periodically use Google+ and YouTube to tell the stories of the communities they represent. Monthly, the coordination team will evaluate the progress made by the online reporters, make innovations and introduce reporter to new social media networks and to expand their
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
The training will focus on how to produce, document and share content using social media networks such as facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Google+, flickr.com. Practical examples will be done with the 15 community base online reporters. The project trainers will use projectors while each trainer will have a computer with internet and M.Computer unit systems in a global classroom. These are the most appropriate since ICTs is still a new concept in their communities. The project will in due course introduce the participants to new social networking platforms.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
In 2013, with the assistance of a UK charity, CCREAD-Cameroon was assisted to set up a 30 computer capacity charity ICT training facility in Bangem where training on computer application is ongoing since August 2013. This training space with all computers still in good condition will host the training of the 15 community base online social media reporters. This facility will therefore host the training workshop on online content collection, development, documentation and reporting using social networks.
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?
CCREAD-Cameroon works in collaboration with 3 local organizations in Kupe Muanenguba, but for the past 3 years has taken the lead in the delivery of programs and projects mostly approved by the local communities served. Particularly, CCREAD-Cameroon is the lone effective youth led non profit organization in Kupe Muanenguba Division with local, national and international accreditation. Importantly also, CCREAD-Cameroon focuses its interventions on women and youths and has ongoing programs in which this project will be a component for sustainability and fast track monitoring.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
The difficult terrain through which raised community online reporters will have to toil to get information is the only envisaged challenge. This will however be made no issue with the use of our project motorcycles available to help reporters go to the field for information. For security purposes and for administrative coverage, the trained reporters will be given official volunteer status to enable them get administrative and legal coverage for their volunteer community work.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
At this introductory stage, the progress of this project and the performance of participants will be measured on online data made available through social networking and the regularity with which community members respond to the initiative coupled with the dynamism of the reporters to stay in the project. This form of success will be monitored through performance monitoring plans to be set upon project approval. After 24 months, then can we talk of impact when the wider regional community would have had enough information on reported issues and the extent to which global actions are taken and issues reported being responded to.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
Primarily, it will be very flexible depending on the outcome of this application. It is expected to start from either June/July 2014- January 2015, with 2 years post activity monitoring period. The following activities will b carried out during this period
– Information session with participants: Through this, the target communities will be informed of the project in order to ease access for the participants to get the required information and testimonials
-Training of participants: The 15 participants selected already will be trained by hired practitioners on the use of social media networks in responsible reporting, news gathering, documentation and online sharing.
-Equipment of participants: Purchase of mobile internet keys, and digital telephones
– Start of online reporting: online reporting by trained online reporters
– Monitoring and reporting: monitoring progress and reporting the changes and effectiveness of activities.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Activity USD
Training worskhop costs = 600
Mobile digital telephone costs = 360
Mobile internet Acess keys = 500
Travel cost for reporters = 180
Coordination/monitoring costs = 360
Total: 2000 USD
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
The project will also require networking with other organizations, further capacity building for the organization and participants, attachment of international volunteers to the project if available and mentoring periodically.
Contact name
Hilary Ewang Ngide
Organization
Centre for Community Regeneration and Development (CCREAD-Cameroon)