A Participatory Video research and education rights project in the Dandora Slum, Nairobi, Kenya. Over five-days, the Eves Day School team, facilitated by mutiny arts and supported by InsightShare, will teach camera skills and story development to the young residents of Dandora. Together, they will produce a short film that promotes understanding in young people about their education rights, as underpinned by the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The film will explore what would be needed to facilitate access to education, and look at stories of hardship and empowerment within Dandora.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Nairobi
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
David Okwiri, Administrator of the Eves Day School, was brought up in Dandora. We decided to set up this participatory video project to explore how to fulfil education rights provision for the Eves Day School, and to showcase the school as a great example of community-led development. The young people will have complete control in the development of the film. This new generation could make positive social contributions to their community, if they had access to education and social media. David Okwiri is an example of what is possible with the right support. Part of the project’s aim is to teach technical, communication and social media skills to those involved in the film. As well as promoting awareness of the issues, we will impart skills that that can be used professionally long term.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
David Okwiri was brought up in the Dandora Slum and has extremely good standing in the community. David will bring his community network, extensive project co-ordination and leadership skills https://www.facebook.com/david.j.okwiri?fref=ts
Carolyne Okello is secretary to the Ship for World Youth Kenyan alumni and works as a PA to the Sports Secretary in Kenya. She has skills in logistics, co-ordination and local government connections https://www.facebook.com/carolyne.okello?fref=ts
Gemma Clark will bring her project coordinator and research management skills to the film production and the follow up research http://easylikeeatingndizi.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/projects-are-taking-shape/
George Butler has an extensive background in running participatory video workshops www.mutinyarts.co.uk
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The young residents of Dandora will develop their own stories around access to education, what they would like to study and what aspirations would become possible if their full education rights were met.
The young people will be able to disseminate the film and update their own social media on the community computers available in the slum.
We feel the case for educational rights for young people in the Dandora Slum should be heard by people who may have the power to help. The film will be shown to the local community at different venues including the Kinyago police station grounds, with the area councilor and chief in attendance. The film will also be shown to local government, community leaders, UN Habitat and other international aid agencies working in Dandora.
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 met David Okwiri through the Ship for World Youth (SWY) Progamme, and later worked with Gareth Benest, Director of Programs at InsightShare. Gareth introduced Soledad Muñiz, Head of Monitoring & Evaluation at InsightShare, to David Okwiri to discuss an advisory role. Amplify Dandora will work closely with the SWY Alumni Association in Kenya, a voluntary organization of all the youth who have participated in the International Ship for the World Youth programme, co-ordinated by the Japanese Government. The Kenyan Alumni group draws membership of young people with diverse academic, economic, ethnic and social status. Members of the alumni will volunteer on Amplify Dandora, and international alumni will help in disseminating the film. We have consulted the area councilor and the area chief.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
We will train up to ten 10-19 year olds who have grown up in the slum. David, as a member of the Dandora community, decided to run this project to find out from the young people what their chief concerns were in regards to their own education, and to use this research to produce a paper planning the best ways for the community to fulfill their needs.
David is uniquely placed to choose the participants for the project who will be enthusiastic and capable of seeing it through in creative and inspiring ways. He will be hands-on throughout the project as a mentor for those involved.
We will arrange all transportation and food for participants. We will provide as much practical support as possible, enabling their ongoing participation and address any problems that may arise.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
We will be concentrating on teaching participatory video workshops to develop camera skills, storyboard, script development and computer editing. Video recording is appropriate for reference purposes, since the information remains intact. When raising awareness, the film plays the role of messenger, telling people’s stories directly, in their own words. Recording the residents of Dandora will be a direct insight into what they feel about their educational needs, and their suggested solutions. George, of mutiny arts will bring his participatory workshop facilitation skills and technical expertise in camerawork, editing and production. The team will raise awareness of the Dandora community’s needs gathering support from wider networks using Facebook, Vimeo, Twitter and YouTube.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
The training will be done in several rooms at the Day Springs Junior Academy in Nairobi.
The space has a capacity of 100 people, sufficient tables and chairs, reliable electricity and good internet connection and access to ten computers. The dial-up modem connection is not very fast, but adequate. This location is accessible and transportation will be arranged by us to bring the Dandora participants to and from the venue. We aim to break down as many barriers to their ongoing participation as possible. Staff and students from the Academy will be on hand to assist with technicals, logistics and the editing process with the students.
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 strong working relationship between the individuals involved has already established firm foundations for this project’s success. Jonathan Okwiri, the Administrator at Eves Day School, was brought up in Dandora and is a good friend and participant on the Ship for World Youth (SWY). In 2013, we took a research trip along with Carolyne Okello, also from SWY to the Kakuma refugee camp in North East Kenya. We went to look at the work of the Film Aid International Project. Together, we decided to set up this participatory video project to explore how to fulfil education rights provision for Eves Day School, and to showcase the school as a great example of community-led development. We see this project as the beginning of a long term commitment to participatory video projects in Dandora.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Security is a concern and part of out budget is to pay for police protection so we are safe to travel around the Dandora Slum.
Managing the participants’ high expectations for the project and keeping them committed and enthused to see the project through will be a challenge. We will provide them with food and travel money to minimise any difficulties in attending the workshops and David will be their dedicated point of contact throughout the project.
Having good internet connection and sufficient editing facilities is also a concern, but that will be managed by the facilities at Day Springs Junior Academy, who have good computer and internet access.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
The film-making process will be personally and professionally empowering. The process of the bringing together of the young people and filming around the slum will be a success in its self.
In the shorter term, we will define success based on the participants’ feedback, and whether we leave them with transferrable skills that can be used creatively and commercially.
It will also be defined how the film is received in the local and wider communities, the connections that are made between the community, young people, government and aid agencies as a result.
In the longer term, success will be gauged by whether the film leads to raising sufficient awareness and finance that there is a real change in education provision for the young people of Dandora.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
Now until June 2014 – Fund-raising
July 2014 – Choosing the participants, Purchasing and testing the equipment, booking the hall and organising the transport and security.
August 2014 – Implementing the project over the school holidays.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Security $500
Equipment $320
Venue hire $840
Participant (food/travel) $840
Total $2,500
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
A) Help with getting our crowd-funding campaign supported; https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amplify-dandora–2/x/6443162
Please share with your networks.
B) Help with distribution and raising awareness of the completed film online.
C) Awareness of other funding avenues for supporting similar projects.
Contact name
George Butler
Organization
Eves Day School and mutiny arts
2 comments
Outstanding project, something to really believe in, let’s make this happen! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/amplify-dandora–2/x/6443162 Please support their crowdfunding campaign.
This is an impressive concept and is similar to The Reel Time project which we are trying to get off the ground in Zimbabwe (submitted on Rising Voices). It would be interesting to exchange idea and possibly partner for future projects. We would love to engage with you!