Our organization is going to launch a website on human rights and civic education targeting rural youth in order to empower and intensify their participation in community life and civil society building. The website will consist of forum for participants, information portal on youth-related issues and events for youth and participants’ blogs. Training of trainers (ToT) on ICT usage and work with the developed website will be organized for project coordinators from 20 regions of Azerbaijan, who will work directly with rural youth and support them in effective use of the website later on.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Masalli, Baku
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The website is targeting young people from 20 regions of Azerbaijan, paying special attention to rural youth from local communities.
Through the developed knowledge on human rights protection, civic participation, income generation and promotion of equal opportunities, young people from the target regions will be more prepared and motivated to active participation in decision-making processes in their living environment, use of employment opportunities and promotion of their rights and interests.
Economic and social life in Azerbaijan is totally concentrated in the capital city, while youth in the peripheries is staying apart from new technologies, knowledge and skills. Rural youth also feels lack of information on human rights, gender issues and economic development opportunities.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
We are going to work with software development and web design specialists for building the website structure and design, and providing follow-up services in proper administration and hosting of all website sections.
2 IT specialists and 2 IT volunteers will join the project team.
IT specialists:
– Denis Khripunov – https://www.facebook.com/khripunov.denis
– Aliya Khanbekova
IT volunteers:
– Natavan Abushova
– Shamama Agamuradova
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The website will include information portal with separate sections on gender issues and youth employment in order to inform of and deliver income generation skills and opportunities to rural youth through self-learning methods, as well as train young women on better understanding and protecting of their rights and implementation of citizen's responsibilities.
This project is first of its kind in Azerbaijan, since it has place for public feedback, and knowledge and skills sharing, in comparison with several state-run human civic education-related websites available in Azerbaijan that contain only general official legislative documents.
Participants’ blogs and website forum will provide opportunity for communication and knowledge sharing.
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.
Partners involved in the project realization (established):
– Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan: organizational support;
– Ministry of Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan: communications support; help in the purchase of domain and hosting, as well as website development and further support;
– local executive authorities from all participating regions.
With the support of local executive authorities, as well as National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) presentation sessions on the developed website will take place in the regional centers.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
Training of trainers (ToT) on ICT usage and work with the developed website will be organized for 30 project coordinators from 20 regions (1-2 persons from each region). In order to ensure proper understanding and effective use of all website sections, volunteer project coordinators will be appointed for each participating region for further delivery of website opportunities for rural youth.
After the website launch it will be advertised via online, outdoor banners, social media platforms and posters in high schools and universities. The website will also run regular online and offline competitions on human rights education and active youth social participation to attract young people’s attention and increase audience.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
Blogs and social networking, as necessary tools for knowledge and skills sharing, and communication of youth from all regions of Azerbaijan.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
The trainings will be held in the youth center, which posesses good wi-fi Internet connection, projector, a few laptops, and a blackboard.
On the center's adjacent territory there is also a free wi-fi connection.
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?
Number of activities targeting youth has been implemented in different regions of Azerbaijan by ADSAYO, including projects on human rights and civic education, employment and career opportunities, young women’s empowering, expanded role of rural youth in communities, early marriages, multiculturalism, and many others.
Being active in working with rural youth in the provinces of Azerbaijan and implementing other youth projects, ADSAYO has a good knowledge of the living and necessities of rural youth in different regions of the country.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
We expect to face the following risks:
1. Political risk. Education sessions on human rights and civic participation issues may be misinterpreted by local authorities.
2. Economic risk. Since there is a high level of unemployment in the rural areas, young people may have financial problems to cover transport and food costs to get to the training venue.
Supposed prevention:
1. ADSAYO has built good working relations with local and national authorities. All ADSAYO projects are implemented with moral and administrative support of the local authorities.
2. Within the project activities, transportation, lunches and coffee breaks will be covered by ADSAYO.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
In order to access the results of the project, a special questionnaire will be posted on the website and evaluated later on.
Key criteria for evaluation of the project success:
– number of website visitors,
– number of forum participants,
– number of blogs created.
Evaluation data resources:
– examination of completed questionnaires,
– site visits,
– observation of effects during field monitoring visits,
– comments made by general public, state officials, local municipalities, community leaders, human rights and civic education specialists, private sector, mass media.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
I. 01.07. – 31.07.2014
– project team establishment,
– press-briefing of the project objectives,
– training of trainers (ToT) preparation.
II. 01.08. – 31.08.2014
– selection of training participants from 20 regions,
– carrying out of 4-days ToT.
III. 01.09. – 31.10.2014
– project PR & and social advertising activities,
– website programming and launching.
IV. 01.11 – 30.11.2014
– project activities general evaluation & monitoring.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Training expenses
– Travel costs for trainer & coordinator – 130 $
– Accommodation & per diem for trainer & coordinator – 120 $
– Coffee-tea break for participants – 100 $
– Stationery for participants – 100 $
– Publishing – 400 $
Website launching expenses
– Domain & hosting costs – 450 $
– Web-design & IT specialist costs – 400 $
– Internet access – 200 $
– Computer (notebook) – 500 $
– Technical services – 100 $
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
We'd be grateful if Rising Voices could provide us with some useful methodical materials.
Promotion of the developed website on the international level would also increase the project effectiveness, e.g. the website link on the websites of your partner organizations.
Contact name
Anna Akberova
Organization
Azerbaijan Democratic Students and Youth Organization (ADSAYO)