Themed Digital Storytelling at Kenya's American Spaces

Description

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An American Space is a physical venue for public engagement with foreign target audiences in support of United States foreign policy objectives. Kenya has 5 American Spaces located in Nairobi, Mombasa, Lamu and Nakuru. They are configured and equipped to promote free-flowing and open dialogue, showcasing the breadth and depth of American values, ideals, ideas, and opinions. Spaces serve as developmental platforms for people, projects, and products, offering room to contemplate, coordinate and fabricate. They enhance training and transfer of both hard and soft skills e.g. digital storytelling. This project will leverage digital storytelling tools, techniques and platform(s) to bolster youth participation in economic and governance issues by supporting young people in expressing themselves in persuasive and compelling ways, honing their digital literacy, writing, and critical thinking skills while enabling them to develop virtual connections and building strategic online audiences. Proposals must include a maximum $1,250 component for independent program impact evaluation. The project supports the Embassy’s strategic goals of improving governance and supporting economic prosperity through outreach, engagement, and training to disaffected and at-risk youth. Ideal partners include organizations that use skills learning to influence social change; Startup hubs, local NGO leaders, USG exchange program alumni, Fulbright grantees who work with youth, using skills building as a means to bridge social gaps and to prevent engagement in harmful and destructive activities. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to design and implement Digital Storytelling at American Spaces in Kenya. Priority Region: Across American Spaces in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, Lamu and Nakuru) Program Objectives: The project implementers will identify students in the “intermediary” phase between high-school and university and equip them with skills to craft online personal narratives, employing multimedia components of narrative, text, images, and sound, that foster dialogue and empower vulnerable voices. Specifically, the project should: Provide the time to communicate basic digital storytelling ideas and to help 100 gender balanced youthful participants get organized with their storytelling projects. Here are some specific recommendations: 1. Theory of digital storytelling: session(s) led by an expert focusing on the craft of storytelling, as well as concepts of news literacy and journalistic ethics. 2. Techniques of digital storytelling: session(s) led by an expert focusing on putting together an effective story, choice of tools and platforms, building online audiences, etc. 3. Trainers: to sufficiently communicate the theoretical and technical aspects of digital storytelling, consider partnering a journalist or storytelling practitioner with a video-maker or vlogger as trainers. 4. Expert feedback and mentoring: build in workshop time for consultations with experts on individual and group ideas. Including Embassy speakers and alumni of US Government sponsored exchange programs. 5. Thematic orientation: identify a primary set of themes for your digital storytelling workshop that tie in with Mission goals and help keep participants focused. These goals are Security, economic prosperity, health, democracy and governance. 6. Platform-agnostic: consider sharing about multiple platforms for digital storytelling (Steller, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, etc.) and discussing the benefits of each, not favoring one over the other. 7. Develop a clear brand from the outset with series name/tagline. 8. Create a microblogging and social networking website for showcasing storytelling content. 9. Establish a hashtag that can be used across different social media platforms. 10. Conduct digital storytelling competition at the end the training. Top three winners to receive an iPad each. Participants and Audiences: Students in the “intermediary” phase between high-school and university are the target audience for this project.

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