Gender Equality United States Project #5566

Voices of Our Future

by World Pulse

Project Report | Apr 1, 2011
Final Report-April 2010

By Rachael Maddock-Hughes | Program Manager, Voices of Our Future

"Thank you for giving us the confidence. The power of knowing our right is the key that unlocks our voices." Achieng Beatrice Nas, 2010 Correspondent, Uganda

IMPACT AND ASSESSMENT

In September 2010, nearly 600 women from 89 countries were introduced to the themes of new media, citizen journalism and personal empowerment through our one-month online application process. Thirty women who demonstrated strong leadership, a vision for social change, and solutions-oriented writing were selected to participate as Correspondents in the five-month training program, which launched in November. Each Correspondent was partnered with an editor, a personal mentor and provided a technology stipend to support her participation in the Voices of Our Future training.

Working with program partners (Global Press Institute and Op-Ed Project), our staff trained the thirty Correspondents on the principals of practicing ethical journalism and citizen journalism. The learning materials were divided into four modules which focused on: conducting an interview and writing a profile; writing about a timely issue which affects their community and is related to larger global concerns; writing an op-ed; and writing a feature-length article which ties together the skills they’ve learned in the previous modules.

All correspondents were trained on the following new media concepts and opportunities: how to pitch a story online and offline; work with new social media formats (blogging, Twitter, Facebook); use mobile phones to access the internet; the strengths of multi-media content; and how to utilize these tools to amplify their voices online.

The Correspondents are currently in their last week of the program, and have begun planning their Each One Teach Five project. Through this training of trainers model, each Correspondent is equipped with the tools and resources she needs to reach out to at least five other women in her community over the next six months. With this model, 30 trained Correspondents quickly grows into 150 vocalized women leaders.

In addition to the materials on citizen journalism and social media, this year we also developed a Safety and Security module to ensure the well-being of our participants. As part of this module, Correspondents were given tips and suggestions for staying safe online and offline, risk minimization and security strategies, and links to human rights and journalist associations around the world. We also brought on a Security Advisor to help guide the development of our programmatic and organizational security strategies. These new resources have been very useful in answering Correspondents’ questions and concerns.

The impact of this year’s program is already being demonstrated through the numerous accomplishments of our 2010 Correspondents.

"Each one of us is making a difference, in our own way... Some are changing our chaotic world by speaking up and others are changing the world within by listening to their own voice." Fungai Machirori, 2010 Correspondent, Zimbabwe

The training provided during the Voices of Our Future program strengthens and lifts women’s creative voices, generating opportunities for dialogue and social change on a global scale.

Nilima’s Voices of Our Future story on Chhaupadi, the ritual banishment of women during menstruation in Nepal, was published as a feature story on the Women News Network. This news site has a readership of over 320,000, including 480 UN networks and affiliates, and Nilima’s story is already receiving attention at high levels of government in Nepal.

Emie Zozobrado’s Voices of Our Future story on overseas Filipino workers involved in the drug trade and facing incarceration or the death penalty, selected as the next feature story on Women News Network.

Harmony’s timely Voices of Our Future story on the recent election violence in the Ivory Coast, and Martha Llano from Columbia’s story about surviving a physical assault and the global trend of violence against women as a tool of war and terror, selected for publishing in World Pulse’s online magazine, which reaches 40,000 readers.

Through Voices of Our Future, women are taught to recognize the power of their own voice. We believe that when a women’s voice is heard, she can transform her life, the lives of those around her…the whole world.

Achieng Beatrice Nas from Uganda is creating a wave of change in her own community and empowering others to do the same. She used her self-empowerment skills and the support of her program mentor to help her mother overcome local customary law, when they were threatened with eviction after the last male heir passed away from AIDS. Because of the leadership she demonstrated, Beatrice was elected as a youth leader for her community of 700,000.

With the support of her program mentor and encouragement from other correspondents, MariposaAsia from Pakistan discovered a new found strength to pursue her vision of starting her own NGO to train rural women in basic computer and professional skills. She has already set up her first training center and will be using materials from Voices of Our Future to empower women across Pakistan.

Voices of Our Future Correspondents are connected to powerful global networks of support.

Through Voices of Our Future, Fungai Machirori from Zimbabwe was nominated as a keynote speaker for the Young Women’s World Forum, hosted by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Taking the stage, she bravely shared her difficult life story and struggles with women leaders from around the world – which was acknowledged with a standing ovation.

Sarvina from Cambodia was interviewed by the 10x10 project, a global social action campaign and film directed by an academy award nominated director, and had her story published on their website.

10 Voices of Our Future participants have signed up and are fundraising to attend the One Young World youth leadership conference in London this fall, with key note speakers such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mohamed Yunis and other luminaries. They will join hundreds of other youth leaders to share concerns, opinions and create solutions.

Voices of Our Future creates connection between grassroots women leaders and global change agents.

"When our whispers trumpet throughout the world, we will be a great power for change." Malayapinas, Philippines - 2009 Correspondent speaking at TEDWomen

This fall we launched the first ever World Pulse Media and Speaking tour which brought three Voices of Our Future Correspondents to the US for a five-city tour, where they spoke live to social change leaders, decision makers and local communities. They were invited to speak at the Paley Center for Media, The Global Digital Programs hosted by the US Department of State, and at TEDWomen. This year, we expect a similarly successful tour, and have been additionally invited to speak with Gloria Steinem at the Bioneers Conference .

CHALLENGES

After our initial launch of the Voices of Our Future program in 2009, our team assessed the overall challenges and program gaps. In 2010, we implemented changes to address these challenges and to better meet the needs of our community.

Improved Safety and Security

Many women participating in this program live in countries that do not have supportive media and freedom of speech laws. To ensure that the correspondents are both able to make informed decisions about their participation in the program, and have the resources they need to ensure their safety and security, we created the Safety and Security Module mentioned in the above section, as well as brought on a Security Advisor. Both the learning module and the Advisor have been key in addressing questions from this year’s correspondents, and ensuring a safe training environment.

Scaling Impact

To scale our impact and respond to requests from Correspondents who wanted to share their knowledge with their community, we created Each One Teach Five. The goal of this training of trainers module is to equip correspondents with the tools and skills they need to reach out to other women in their online and offline communities, bring them onto our online platform, PulseWire, and teach them about social media, citizen journalism and self-empowerment. As thirty women empower at least five others, our impact will grow by 150 women each year. The second year of correspondents has been incredibly enthusiastic about this new training module. We will be monitoring the process of current Correspondents and checking in with them six months after the program ends to ensure they have reached out to other women.

Criteria and Legal Clarity

During the application phase in 2010, some women were unclear about the criteria we used to select the thirty correspondents. To address this confusion, we worked with our legal team to create a set of rules that clearly outlines all of the criteria, the timeline for the program, and the prizes that are given to a select few correspondents, such as being selected to come to the United States for the World Pulse media and speaking tour. This year, we received much fewer questions around criteria and selection.

Partnerships

To ensure the sustainability and stability of our program, we identified a need to secure longer-term partnerships with our program partners. We created two-year agreements that were signed by both the Op-Ed Project and the Global Press Institute, which ensures their participation through the end of the 2011 program.

EVALUATION AND LESSONS LEARNED

The second year of Voices of Our Future was incredibly successful, with twenty nine out of the original thirty Correspondents finishing the entire five month training program. Our success was mainly due to implementing the lessons learned from last year’s program, strengthening and expanding our curriculum and solidifying program partnerships.

There were several important lessons that we brought away with us from this year’s program:

Mentor, Midwife and Correspondent Relationships

“We are the combined change. We are simply being who we are naturally; miracles are happening along the way. We are the leader, together.” Kat Haber, Empowerment Mentor to Beatrice from Uganda

The mentor and midwife relationships continue to be an important factor in correspondents’ successful completion of the program. This year, we recruited Editorial Midwives at the start of the program, and the triad of Mentor, Midwife and Correspondent has proved to be a rich combination of skills and support. The Mentors and Midwives have worked together to not only support their Correspondent, but each other.

Additionally, Mentors and Midwives want to stay involved in the program. Several of them suggested that they participate in the Each One Teach Five training of trainers model, which was originally designed for Correspondents, and reach out to other women in their communities to teach them about citizen journalism and empowerment. If Correspondents, Mentors and Midwives all participate in this model, 30 women will quickly become 450. Our team will work towards formally integrating Mentors and Midwives into the Each One Teach Five Module for the 2011 program.

New Technology

“To speak to people, to generate ideas and collaborate, to be uplifted and inspired by others without a barrier of distance is a great blessing.” Mei Li, 2010 Voices of Our Future Correspondent, USA

Through new technology such as Pixetell, Skype and Google video chat, many correspondents, mentors and midwives were able to connect to women across the globe, hear their voices and view each other in live video chats for the first time. This technology deepened relationships and created a global network of support for women who have often stood alone.

However, as with most new technologies, there were some challenges in learning how to use these tools effectively. To ensure that Correspondents, Mentors and Midwives can tap into the full impact of Skype and Google video chat, our team will be creating an introductory and step by step instruction video which we will send out before the program starts.

The Power of Video

The world has witnessed first-hand the power of video as thousands of citizens around the world have been filming the uprisings in the Middle East. We are dedicated to ensuring our citizen journalists have the best skills for getting their stories to a global audience.

To this end, we will be developing a video learning module for Voices of Our Future 2011. We will be working with our partner, Witness, local videographers, and three correspondents from the current program who have experience with on the ground video in developing nations and conflict zones to develop a safe and responsive module.

FUNDING AND FINANCES

In 2010, Voices of Our Future was supported by grants from the following:

1. Lambent Fund of the Tides Foundation: $20,000

2. Channel Foundation: $10,000

3. Mother Jones Fund of the Peace Development Fund: $1,000

CONCLUSION

Providing unheard women access to a global communication network is a powerful tool for building connections, showcasing solutions and sparking dialogue around the world. We are honored to have worked with the Lambent Fund of the Tides Foundation, Channel Foundation, Richard A. Busemeyer Atheist Foundation, Beyond Our Borders Fund of the Colorado Women’s Foundation, and the Mother Jones Fund of the Peace Development Institute, to empower sixty inspiring women from thirty-four countries over the past two years. In 2011, we hope to continue our partnerships, and unleash the creative voices and tap into the grassroots solutions of thirty new women leaders.

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Nov 30, 2010
Voices of Our Future January-November 2010 Report

By Rachael Maddock-Hughes | Program Manager, Voices of Our Future

(This is an abbreviated document. For the full report, please download the attachment below)

“I want to make visible the forgotten stories, the hidden stories that show that dreams are alive, that we believe in a future.” 2010 Voices of our Future Correspondent Jacqueline Cahi, Zimbabwe

VOICES OF OUR FUTURE PROGRAM REPORT JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2010

Thanks to the generous contribution of the Lambent Fund of the Tides Foundation, The Channel Foundation, The Mother Jones Fund of the Peace Development Fund and individual donations, World Pulse was able to launch the second annual year of Voices of Our Future, our online training program in Web 2.0, citizen journalism and empowerment for emerging grassroots women leaders.

Voices of Our Future trains women and girls how to use new technology and media to share their stories and innovative solutions with the world. Launched in 2009, the pilot program trained 30 women from 21 countries. The success of the first year was immediately evident: over 93% of correspondents reported an increase in professional Web 2.0 and journalism skills and personal empowerment; they have gone on to start women’s cyber cafés in Nigeria; develop citizen journalism training programs for rural Kenyan women; and their compelling stories were picked up by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Public Broadcasting Service.

During the first six months of 2010, the program team worked to integrate lessons learned from the pilot program to enhance and strengthen program materials and partnerships, and to create a strategic and sustainable long-term plan for Voices of Our Future.

Highlights from January-June 2010

Development of the Voices of Our Future Correspondents Network, an online network serving as a forum for Correspondents to continue learning, developing their leadership and networking with each other.

Creation of a “Safety and Security” learning module to ensure that Correspondents have the tools and resources they need to stay safe, both online and offline. This module has been reviewed by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Enhancement of the learning materials on Social Media and Web 2.0 to give Correspondents access to the most up to date tools and resources in new media.

Development of a “Each One Teach Five”, a training of trainers module that will increase the impact and reach of the program by providing Correspondents with the tools to teach others in their community about Web 2.0 and citizen journalism.

Advancement of strategic planning for Voices of Our Future program, including securing two-year agreements with program partners, development of impact indicators, securing rights to curriculum, and establishing relationships with long-term donors and foundations.

Highlights from July-November 2010

The first six months of activity built a strong platform for this year’s program launch, and will help us achieve our long-term impact and expansion goals. Key accomplishments include:

On September 15^th, we launched the second annual Voices of Our Future application process.
Nearly 600 women from 87 countries applied online.
120 women and men from around the world volunteered as evaluators for the application.
30 women from 24 countries were selected to participate in the full, five-month training program, which began November 15^th.
30 Empowerment Mentors and 30 Editorial Midwives were paired with Correspondents.

In addition to the successful launch of our 2010 program, we had several other exciting achievements:

Three Correspondents from 2009 arrived in the US for a five-state media and speaking tour.
Voices of Our Future 2009 Correspondents interviewed by the US Department of State, with a long-term partnership in development.
World Pulse and Voices of Our Future invited to participate in the United Nations panel on Women and Technology in the spring 2011.
Language and translation advisor recruited to work towards multi-lingual platform and programs.

PROGRESS TOWARDS OBJECTIVES

The goals for Voices of Our Future 2010 were to increase the reach and influence of the program by aggressively marketing Correspondents’ stories to mainstream media desks and international forums, enhancing program curriculum, and incorporating girl leaders.

Through developing a partnership with the US Department of State, launching the media and speaking tour, and taking part in the United Nations conference, we are able to promote the stories and solutions from Voices of Our Future and the World Pulse platform to audiences around the world. We have only begun to channel these stories to outlets, influential forums, and there is much more that we can do. This will continue to be a key focus area for us as Correspondents begin producing original content in 2011.

The program curriculum is more vigorous, thanks to the development of in-depth social media and Web 2.0 learning materials. The Correspondents are safer due to the creation of the ”Safety and Security” module, and we have expanded the potential impact of the training by creating “Each One Teach Five”, a training of trainers module which give Correspondents the tools they need to reach out to other women in their communities.

Experts from diverse arenas around the world agree that that a more just and socially equitable future will be driven by the empowerment of girls and young women. Of the thirty Correspondents for 2010, eight are under the age of twenty-four. We specifically recruited applicants from forums reaching young women, and additionally, Correspondents from 2009 reached out to the youth in their communities to encourage them to apply for the program. For more on girl-centered activities, see future plans below.

FUTURE PLANS

World Pulse has made great strides in improving and strengthening Voices of Our Future. In 2011, we will concentrate on launching the third annual Voices of Our Future program in September, creating multi-media training materials, and developing a curriculum for a Voices of Our Future-Girls program, to be launched in 2012.

Multi-Media Materials

Video has become an amazing tool for citizen journalists around the world. It has been used to report on the recent earthquake in Chile, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, and political violence during the recent student’s revolt in Iran. In response to community requests, World Pulse is working to develop learning materials that will teach Correspondents how to use the tools at hand (from mobile phones, to web-cams, to digital cameras and flip phones), along with basic editing and story-telling techniques to get their voices across in a multi-media platform. We intend to roll out this new learning module in 2011.

Voices of Our Future-Girls

Young women and girls between the ages of 16 and 24 are the next generation of leaders. But 600 million girls live in developing countries, where their access to health, education and technology is limited. Without the skills and knowledge to participate in today’s social media technology, their voices will be silenced. But with training and mentorship, they will be able to tell the world what their visions are, and participate in global decision-making processes.

We seek to tailor the Voices of Our Future curriculum to address the specific needs of girls and young women between the ages of 16-24, and give them the tools they need to become activists and organizers, teach them how to influence policy-makers, and how to address negative stereotypes about young women in their communities. We are seeking funding for this program proposal now, and plan to launch our Voices of Our Future – Girls program in 2012.

We thank all our donors for their pioneering support and look forward to continue working together to create real change in women’s lives around the world.

For any questions regarding the program, please contact Rachael Maddock-Hughes, Voices of Our Future Program Manager, at rachael@worldpulse.com.

Links:

Attachments:

Full Report, January-November 2010 (DOC)

1 Attachment

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Aug 17, 2010
Voices of Our Future, August 2010

By Rachael Maddock-Hughes and Scott Beck | Program Manager, Program Coordinator

In the first six months of 2010, we have logged the following accomplishments:

Developed a Continuing Education Curriculum for Program Graduates: The Voices of Our Future Correspondents Network

In 2009, after the first year of Voices of Our Future ended, graduates of the program unanimously requested more. They did not want the experience to end. In response to their request and an analysis of key areas we identified for expansion and capacity building, we created the Voices of Our Future Correspondents Network and launched it in January 2010. This online network serves as a forum for Correspondents to continue learning, developing their leadership and networking with each other. Additionally, all materials developed for this network will be rolled into the 2010 training program. The program team developed the following curriculum:

A Security and Safety Module: Security is a major concern for all journalists, but particularly citizen journalists who are often unaffiliated with organizations that might be able to provide them with protection and security. While opportunities to relay breaking news through social media continue to expand, many countries have increased censorship and surveillance by monitoring internet cafes with hidden cameras, blocking website, and jailing bloggers. In 2009, VOF participants were writing from countries with some of the deadliest records of violence against the press, including Columbia and the Philippines. While World Pulse is not able to provide direct support in this area to citizen journalists, the safety of our program participants is a top priority. Our Safety and Security module was developed to give participants the tools and resources they need to keep themselves safe. This module covered:

• An overview of some of the risks faced by today citizen journalists; • A list of the top go-to organizations for press protection (Reporters Without Borders, International Committee to Protect Journalists); • An overview of strategies participants can put in place to increase their physical security; • Key online security issues • Tips on protecting their personal information.

Developing Leadership and Building Community Online While the 2009 program included an overview of basic web 2.0 and citizen journalism information and tools, participants unanimously asked for more in-depth information and further ways they could use these tools to connect online. The amount of information that exists online is time-consuming to sort through and often confusing. Our team chose to cover the most popular, and useful tools that are being used today. This module covered:

• RSS feeds, social bookmarking, microblogging, podcasting, blogrolls and mobile phone technology. • Tips for increasing web presence, engaging communities and growing networks. • Suggested activities to put knowledge into practice, such as setting up an RSS Reader; creating a podcast; adding multimedia content to blogs, and contacting other bloggers who are interested in the similar topics.

Train the Trainers In 2009, graduates of the program overwhelmingly asked for ways to take their learning beyond the VOF classroom and share their knowledge with women in their communities. The Training of Trainers module was created in response, as well as being used as a means for scaling up the impact of the program. This module focused on providing the tools and resources that women need to train others both online and offline, including:

• Guidelines for organizing events and trainings • Tips on mentoring • Online activism • One-page descriptions of trainings carried out by 2009 graduates • VOF curriculum in a quickly downloadable format • Worksheet templates for event pre-planning, participant tracking, and evaluation.

This module received the most enthusiastic response from participants. We also included a one-page document that participants can use (voluntary) to report out on the success of their trainings to World Pulse.

Completed In-Depth Planning and Preparation for Voices of Our Future 2010 Ensuring the most professional and impactful program in 2010, we: • Revised and improved curriculum. • Revised application learning materials in response to feedback from last year’s exit applicant survey. • Developed Project Plan for VOF 2010-2011 including consolidation and formalizing program tools and assets. • Developed marketing materials and outreach plan for application launch • Developed impact indicators. • Secured two-year agreements with program partners The Press Institute and the Op-Ed Project. • Secured agreement with the Empowerment Institute for partnership in 2010 • Launched call for applicants.

On August 10th, World Pulse sent out a call to apply for Voices of Our Future. That call was passed on to networks around the world, and in less than a week, we have attracted over 180 applicants from Pakistan, India, Malawi, Mexico, Romania, Belarus, Guam, Malaysia and many more.

Starting September 15th, these women will participate in our application phase. During this one-month period, they will receive learning materials covering such topics as: women and media; World Pulse’s history, mission and editorial voice; and how to create and engage in community building online. Each applicant will then complete four writing assignments. Based on these assignments, our evaluation panel will choose the 30 most impressive women to take part in our full five-month training program starting in November.

To view the current applicants or to sign up for the program, go to http://worldpulse.com/pulsewire/groups/21780.

Additionally, a group of high-voltage men and women from around the globe have volunteered to be part of our evaluation panel. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our opportunities page, http://www.worldpulse.com/about/opportunities, and look for Voices of Our Future Listeners.

Looking Ahead We are still fundraising for this program. Your contribution is critical in enabling us to launch in November. Please donate today!

Links:

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