Sohela, in Bargarh district of Odisha, India is a town which is still facing many problems such as Caste Discrimination, Labour Wages Problem, Drugs Abuse, Misuse of Government Funds by authorities, etc. Most people here are willing to fight against this evils but don't have proper knowledge or channel to express their views. I want to train youths and women from the grassroots in various forms of Citizen Journalism so that they can channelize their voice and issues in a proper to advocate for their rights and let the everybody hear them. I want to hand them over the power of media.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Sohela
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Most of the people here are farmers and daily wage labourers. They lack the knowledge of Government proceedings and Media developments. They are also unaware of most of their rights.
Women here have sometimes fought against alcohol vendors and local authorities and I am inspired from them that if given chance and proper tools they can bring change in the community.
During my work as Field Coordinator for an NGO I came across various problems of the community and as it is my Mother's native place I thought it was my duty to take advantage of my education to help the people here and pull them out of their misery.
They don't know the use of Computer to much extent.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Tophan Ranjan Sahu, Sandeep Bal
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The participants after during and after training will be encouraged to record the issues and problems pertaining in the community and they will be showed how to create videos and write reports, conduct interviews and how to organize the information they have collected to form a digital story in the shape of blogs, video blogs and how to take advantage of micro blogging and social networking.
This will empower the candidates as their work and the issues covered by them will gain more exposure online and so by and by Government will be bound to focus on the burning issues as more and more networks will be formed online for their cause.
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.
Morning Star English Medium School, Banjari, Sohela has agreed to provide space for training purposes of the candidates.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
Nearly 20 participants will be trained in the project. Candidates will be interviewed before enrolling them for training. Their interest of working for their community is the first requirement and be ready to face any challenges.
They should be open to accept the instructions provided to them during the training process.
For the sustainability of the participants their work will be regular monitored and help will be provided to them to face the challenges during their work.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
As I am a Journalism Graduate and worked with various social organisations in advocacy related issues I can train the candidates in the use of Citizen Media for self-advocacy.
I am also a Web designer and so have working knowledge of Wordpress and various online tools and my knowledge in video shooting and editing by using free tools and softwares will provide the candidates the required knowledge and tools for fighting for their issues.
I am also pursuing my Law Degree and so have knowledge of various common legal matters.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
There will be one Laptop computer with USB Modem provided, One Scanner and One Printer. All of these are available with me and there may be few more requirements which the Grant may fulfill.
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?
The community consists of the people most dear to me as the place is my Mother's native place and if I will be able to take the people out of their misery by training them about various tools and giving them proper tips I will be most happy to live with them in a new spirit.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Threats from local authorities. My people are with me who will help me and knowledge of proper legal ways are enough for me.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
I am sure to achieve my goal of empowering the people there and throwing out the social evils from the society. The candidates will be my weapons of social change and an example to pursue such initiatives in various other regions of the Country.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
June 2014 to August 2014
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Promotional Costs – 100$
Internet – 100$
Camera and Other Hardware – 1000$
Workshop Costs – 200$
Coordinator Expenses (Including Travel, Food, etc.) – 600$
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
I will be grateful if you can provide some materials or guidelines for proper training of the candidates and ways that will help them sustain in their life.
Contact name
Siddharth Roshan
