Equipping the youth with tech skills that can be used to develop web and mobile content that addresses local, regional, and personal issues. At the end of the program, they will be able to connect other youth, government and exchange views. They will be able to publish and manage their our various social media platforms.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Accra
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Young people between the ages 16 to 24 without the resources or skills needed to publish their own stories on social media. This group will consist of graduates, school leavers but the main requisite is passion to learn and use technology for expressing yourself and other social issues .
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Miss. Pedel Oppong @miss_Oppong
Miss. Regina Agyare @ragyare CEO of Soronko Foundation @SoronkoF
Miss Ethel Cofie @MissEDCofie www.ethelcofie.com
Mr. Fiifi Baidoo @fiifibaidoo
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Challenges and opportunities faced in accessing essential services and civic participation. Social and economic issues affecting the youth will be the main driving factor behind content production.This will include individual short audio and visual blogs,and text based blogs.
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.
We have identified and partnered with youth organisations and groups that
work with the youth who are going to help facilitate this project. They will provide training resources and materials whilst agreeing to anchor workshops on various aspects of using technology for expression.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
We aim to train 50 participants and 5 CSOs from Accra. We will focus on linking them to events taking place in their communities and nationally so that can report on that. Participants will be involved in the production of image, audio and video content. We will also make this sustainable by launch a bi-monthly after school (boot camp) will be organised to provide further mentorship and developmental training for the youths.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
We have expertise in using the various technologies, the program partners either have technical skills in creating websites or building mobile apps or creative skills in graphic design and photography. We also have partners that are journalist who will train the participants ethics and how to report stories using technology.
Mobile Technology – Smartphones and Feature Phones
Video Cameras
Laptops
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
iSpace is based in a 350 square meters of Class A office space in the centre of Osu with an open plan space includes permanent desks for resident start-ups, a ‘drop-in’ working space for members requiring an occasional space to touch down in and a plenty of space to hold start-up and technology events. iSpace is equipped with fast Internet access and Wi-Fi service.
Provide a space for tech enthusiasts to meet, collaborate and network.
Host events and training that improve the capabilities of the local tech community.
Host and provide space that meet the needs of the local tech community.
Liaise between the local tech community and the global tech community.
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?
We have in the past hosted similar projects with the demographic in question, we held workshops such as Tech Needs Girls and iDesign, participants took part in learning about using technology for various objectives from simply creating content to creating a platform called Oderoko, this is an information platform for citizens to engage their government.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
We foresee participants being afraid of sharing their private views digitally, In Ghana we have freedom of the press and information but people are very partisan therefore making it difficult for honest expressions. We intend on combating this by letting the participants know that this isnt a political platform but rather an activism platform that helps anyone express their views on current issues and the need for change. We will also work with both local government so they don't see the objectives of the workshop in a negative light. We believe by getting all the stakeholders together is a better way to avoid any issues.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Primary Participants: At the end of this workshop all the participants will have had training on social media and citizen journalism and also created various social media identities.
Regional Community: The regional community accessing their news from the website and various blogs and also engaging by posting comments.
Global Community: similar to the regional community we want the global community to add the various participants blogs or social media handles as part of their credible news resources.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
This will be a one week workshop, divided into two parts
June 9th – Activity 1: (connect/engage) —Networking/Mentorship events– “Cocktails, Conservations” The objective is to enhance awareness and create an informed understanding on the opportunities, issues and approaches needed towards supporting citizen journalism entrepreneurs’. It will bring together a group of thought leaders, development practitioners, and media practitioner.
June 10th – 13th Activity 2 (equip): Workshop Series/Sessions/Courses
During the interactive sessions participants will learn basic HTML coding, mobile applications development, networking and social media.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Food and Drinks $500
Transport for Trainers and Participants $300
Workshop Materials, Marketing and PR $700
Website(Domain, Content, Maintenance) $1000
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Rising Voices can offer training resources that can be used on citizen reporting, project management and networking opportunities on similar projects.
Contact name
Josiah Kwesi Eyison
Organization
iSpace Foundation