Because of the security situation and internal displaced Syrians in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon .There are many who are publishing news without checking their validity and this adversely affect the security situation. This project aims to empower individuals and activists and train them on how to verify the news before publication it on social media and the use of modern technologies, and set up a blog to document News published.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Bekaa Valley ” ali el nahri , baalbak , Shmestar”
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project Target the activist on social media and cooperate with them in order to enhance their Skills and working within a strategy, and train them blogging as a way to publish News and shed light on the issues forgotten.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Main partner in the project is Association Nabad for development and it is in contact with a group of organizations and activists in the Baalbek-Hermel region.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Association-Nabad-for-Development
Twitter: @Nabadlb
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Content is based on the basic check of news and information, whether it is an image, text, video . The main goal of the project participants is to set up interactive content through blogging and using Hashtag on Twitter to document all incorrect news and how to check them and any means used. Building on this, Citizen will play an active role in this process on the principle of transparency through digital networking.
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.
I had trained many youth groups and associations in the Bekaa region on these techniques, but the it was not enough regarding the requests for participation. The main partner is Nabad for Development and they are in contact with two organizations in Bekaa : USPEAK in Baalbek and BekaaLobnan in Shmestar and they are ready for cooperation to ensure the success of the project.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
Our project will extend over a period of 3 months, the first month for preparing and the other two months are for implementation the project by conducting seven workshops ” full day training , 6 hours” in several different areas. Number of participants is 15 participants in each training, a total number of 105 participants. Create a blog and Hashtag on Twitter to connect with a large number of those who are interested, in where we expect that the number of beneficiaries will reach 1,000 person in Bekaa. After validating the news, publish on the blog the news (before and after verification) and who contributed in verification.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
Basic techniques that will be used in training's are: Google, Blogger, Twitter and Facebook. The Strategy of the project will depend on the project's blog and Twitter.
As an organizer of the project , I have the skills and expertise to implement the project where I have been working on such projects for more than 4 years in Bekaa with many associations in Lebanon and in contact with many of organization that work in development in Bekaa region. Blogging and Twitter means are essential in Media and citizen involvement in making and publishing news.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
Training will be implemented in organization’s center in Ali nahri-Rayak,Shmestar and Baalback.
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?
I am a Computer teacher at Technical Shmestar Institute and civic activists in the Bekaa region, working as a trainer with several associations on advocacy and social media and interactive content creation. I am a social Media Trainer with SMEX on verifying the information and news before publishing , Social Media Strategy and digital storytelling.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
The only Challenge we may face is the security situation but hopefully we won’t.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Training 105 person on the techniques is a success in itself, and throughout the topics on the blog and the interaction of individuals and activists on Twitter and throughout the creation of a Facebook page for the project and the communication between activists and the community.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
June: to communicate with the associations and publishing applications for participating in the program and identify the date for each training
July and August: for the implementation of the Training's: starting from the first week for 7 weeks
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Full day training for 15 participant : 340$
Trainer fees: 150$ per day including transportation cost and report
local Rent: 100$ PER DAY INCLUDING TRAINING MATERIALS ” internet, LCD projector , flip chart, handouts,….”
Lunch & coffee break for 15 participants : 90$
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Your organization can help us through the deployment of some of the articles on your website to encourage the role of youth digital.
Contact name
Alaa Abi Raad
Organization
Association Nabad for development