Rising Voices Seeks Micro-Grant Proposals for Citizen Media Outreach in Egypt

Application Deadline: April 30, 2010. To read the Arabic version of this announcement, click here.

risingvoicesRising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices Online, in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, is now accepting project proposals from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or individuals for microgrant funding of up to €2500 for new media outreach projects in EGYPT. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to Egyptian communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.

This funding opportunity is open to both NGOs and private individuals. However, if an NGO does not have experienced trainers on citizen media in their staff list, it is extremely important that there is a collaboration with the local blogging community to find the right trainer(s) with the necessary skills. On the other hand, individual applicants must partner with an NGO from the communities they serve.

This project aims to bring new voices from new communities around Egypt to the conversational web, by providing resources and funding to local groups or individuals reaching out to underrepresented communities. Examples of potential projects include:

*Distributing flip video cameras to local residents in the Nile Delta to help document environmental issues affecting the area and to propose solutions.

*Training youth from a local community center in Alexandria to record and document the history of a local neighborhood by using mp3 recorders to interview local elders.

*Organizing blogging workshop for local Berber artisans in the Siwa Oasis to help them market their work online, but also tell the story and history of their handicrafts.

*Distributing $10 digital cameras to two different groups in different Cairo neighborhoods and create a Flickr group where they interact with each other's photographic perspectives of their city.

Rising Voices outreach grants will range from €2000-€2500 to NGOs and individuals based in Egypt. Please be as thoughtful, specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets.

Successful projects will be prominently featured on Global Voices networks. Grantees are expected to host regular workshops to train participants how to start and maintain a blog, upload and share digital photographs, and/or produce basic videos. Grantees are also required to post regular project evaluations and updates to the Rising Voices website, as well as actively participate in the Rising Voices community.

For those NGOs and individuals interested in applying, Rising Voices will be sponsoring at least 1 online chat (date and time to be announced) to help answer questions and offer tips to help you submit a better application.

Completed applications will be accepted no later than Friday, April 30, 2010 in either English or Arabic. All successful applicants will receive a confirmation email by May 2. Grantees will be announced either on May 7 at the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Santiago, Chile, or at a later date.

Grantees will be asked to begin their projects as soon as possible after receiving notification that they have been selected.

Please submit your application on the RISING VOICES APPLY PAGE.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below or by sending an email to risingvoices_egypt@globalvoicesonline.org.

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