Rising Voices Seeks Micro-grant Proposals for Blog Outreach (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Rising Voices Seeks Micro-grant Proposals for Blog Outreach

Thursday, May 31st, 2007 @ 23:08 UTC
by David Sasaki

Application Deadline: June 15, 2007
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/05/31/rising-voices-seeks-micro-grant-proposals-for-blog-outreach/

Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project
proposals for the first round of microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new
media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and
detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that
are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like
blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.

As the internet becomes more accessible to more people, as computers become
cheaper, and as software applications move from the desktop to the web, the
so-called digital divide seems to be narrowing. In its place, however, we
see a participation gap in which the vast majority of blogs, podcasts, and
online video are being produced in middle-class neighborhoods in major
cities around the world.

Rising Voices aims to help bring new voices from new communities and
speaking new languages to the conversational web, by providing resources
and funding to local groups reaching out to underrepresented communities.
Examples of potential projects include:

    * Purchasing an affordable digital video camera and teaching a group of
rural students how to produce an ongoing video-blog documentary about the
lives of their grandparents.

    * Organizing a regular workshop on blogging and photography at a local
orphanage. Portions of the budget could be used on cheap digital cameras
and internet cafe costs so that participants could describe their local
neighborhoods to a global audience with text and photos.

    * Working with a local NGO or social entrepreneur so that their
challenges, successes, and stories are told to a global audience.

    * Translating our new media curriculum to an indigenous language, like
Quechua or Wolof, that is currently not represented in the blogosphere or
“podosphere.” Then use the learning modules to encourage bloggers to write
in those languages.

The sky is the limit, but unfortunately funding is not. Rising Voices
outreach grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Please be as thoughtful,
specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets.

Successful projects will be prominently featured on Global Voices.

Completed applications will be accepted no later than Friday, June 15.
Please email them to outreach at globalvoicesonline.org

Download grant application in .DOC format
Download grant application in .RTF format

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