Media Literacy: Call for Participation

Who are we?

PIN Armenia (PIN Armenia) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded on the ideals of humanism, freedom, equality and solidarity. We work in humanitarian aid, human rights, education and social work. Focusing on Civil Society & Inclusive Governance, we aim to support civil society's engagement with government actors to advance participatory democratic processes and develop inclusive public services. 

Project Objective

The project aims to equip representatives of Armenian CSOs, as well as regional youth and adults, with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognize and combat fake news, misinformation, and manipulations. It seeks to support them in seeking, receiving, and disseminating accurate and reliable information, and to create opportunities for networking and collaboration to collectively combat the spread of disinformation. Promoting media literacy is important in creating an informed civil society, preserving democratic values, and cultural perceptions, ensuring economic and social well-being in various groups of the population.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

• Target Region: Lori marz (region) of the RA.
• Direct Target Groups: Civil society organizations operating in Lori marz of the RA.
• Final Beneficiaries (wider target group): First, the population of Lori marz with emphasis on young people (16-29 years old) and women, and secondary, locals residing in other parts of Armenia.
• Long-term Impact: To contribute to better informed and more critically thinking people of Armenia.
• Timeframe (CSOs engagement period): July 2024 – October 2025
• Approach: The project will pursue two interrelated components/phases to achieve its objective. By submitting their application, eligible organizations automatically apply for two project phases. Only organizations participating in the first phase successfully completed it will be considered for the second phase:
• Component/Phase 1: Development and strengthening of media and information literacy capacities of 5 selected CSOs (two representatives from each) through tailored capacity building program.
• Component/Phase 2: Sub-grants to 3 CSO-led media and information literacy initiatives to improve the critical thinking, and fact-checking skills of at least 180 youth, women and the general population including the remote and underpopulated settlements in Lori marz of the RA.

Tailored Capacity Building Program for Selected CSOs:

The program is planned to consist of the activities as follows:

1. three face-to-face training sessions,

2. at least two online webinars with experts,

3. networking and exchange of experience,

4. and Individual mentoring advice throughout the project.

The training sessions will cover following areas:

1) Advancing media and information literacy using documentary films and interactive learning methods

2) Monitoring and evaluation of media initiatives to enhance their impact and quality

3) Turning lessons learned into new project ideas

The topics of the capacity-building workshops may include but are not limited to:

• Information and media literacy competencies;
• Media field, information sources;
• Freedom of speech and its limits;
• Protection and security of personal data in the digital (online) social environment;
• Misinformation: definitions and context (information wars, campaigns);
• Propaganda mechanisms and technologies;
• Markers of incitement to hate and discrimination in the media;
• How to identify, avoid and verify disinformation and propaganda;
• Fact-checking tools and sources;
• Critical thinking: the art of asking questions and analysing;
• Innovative media and information literacy approaches;
• One World in Schools (OWIS) innovative media literacy teaching methodology;
• Monitoring and evaluation of media initiatives;
• Other upon request.

The innovative methodology of the One World in Schools (OWIS) program will be incorporated into the capacity-building training for CSOs. This approach aims to attract more youth and enhance their media literacy skills. OWIS introduces a range of topics through documentary films, accompanying exercises, and practical projects. At the core of this methodology are audio-visual materials, primarily documentary films, which tell stories about specific problems or situations. The combination of storytelling and audio-visual experience helps the audience connect with the main character and the presented issue on a more emotional and empathetic level, leading to a deeper understanding.

Sub-grants for community media and information literacy initiatives

After the capacity-building program is completed, a competitive base selection process will be done to identify the top 3 CSOs that will receive financial support (sub-grants). These sub-grants will be awarded to the selected CSOs to enable them to implement their refined ideas, which are aligned with the project's objectives.

The total amount of the grant: 21,300 EURO, which must be divided between the final selected 3 CSOs. The grants will be provided in two tranches for the project implementation period.

The initiatives should target the population of the Lori region with special focus on young people and women. The strategies should encompass a wide range of methods, including but not restricted to incorporating principles of informal or non-formal education and organizing screenings of documentary films with the introduction of OWIS innovative teaching methodology. These approaches aim to actively involve populations that are more challenging to reach. However, innovative ideas to involve other age groups and harder-to-reach populations will be supported.

Priority areas for the initiatives will focus on:

1) raising awareness about disinformation, propaganda and the role of social media,

2) improving critical thinking and discussion skills,

3) disseminating knowledge about available fact-checking tools, independent media and other viable platforms,

4) teaching practices for identifying fake news and verifying information sources.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Only representatives/employees of registered CSOs operating in Lori marz for 2-5 years are eligible.

The applicant must have a proven track record in:

• Working with youth aged 16-29 years old
• Implementation of Media and Information Literacy activities (MIL);
• Promoting gender equality and/or specifically targeting girls and women;

Experience with youth civic engagement, promotion of active citizenships and community-resilience building are welcomed.

 ELIGIBLE CRITERIA

After the submission of the filled-in Application Forms, applications are pre-screened for formal eligibility. After this prescreening, an evaluation committee including experts from the PIN Armenia and other field experts will assess the applications. The evaluation committee may request additional information about the applicant or the proposed action.

The selection of target organizations for the project will be competitive, and applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process would be as follows:

*Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and interviewed.

HOW TO APPLY?

If interested, please submit a fully completed e-version of the Application Form and send it to grantsarmenia@peopleinneed.net by the specified deadline: 10/06/2024, 24:00 аm/AMT, with the subject line "Advancing of Media Literacy through Armenian Civil Society Actors." Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

For additional questions, you can contact us via grantsarmenia@peopleinneed.net or call 041 54 32 08 until June 9th at 5 pm.

 Online Info Session - May 30, 16:00

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85405481953?pwd=ejA3dXRSTUZleWtZS2ZiQ1NSVEN4QT09

Meeting ID: 854 0548 1953

Passcode: 670898