Call for Applications – Digital Media Arts for an inclusive public Sphere (Digital Maps) دعوة لتقديم الطلبات - فنون الوسائط الرقمية من أجل فضاء عام شامل (الخرائط الرقمية)

Call for Applications – Digital Media Arts for an inclusive public Sphere (Digital Maps)

Digital Media Arts for an inclusive Public Sphere (Digital MAPS) is a programme funded by the British Council, covering Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen, and Tunisia. This programme aims to support organisations and content creators operating in the media, arts, and cultural sectors to develop strategies and content which promotes inclusivity and openness in the public sphere (المحيط العام) and in the virtual space (الفضاء الافتراضي) in particular.

Background

Information and communication technologies, especially social media platforms, have created opportunities for civic actors to become more visible and impactful than they were in the offline space. These technologies have also fundamentally altered the way individuals and communities interact, enabling them to make long-range connections. Indeed, they are no longer constrained by geographic proximity and traditional identities, two constraints which used to strongly shape human relations.

More recently, this early optimism has been dampened by the growing uses of these technologies for regressive and uncivil ends. The proliferation of online harms such as hate speech, disinformation, and extremist propaganda has contributed to the fragmentation of online communities, to the emergence of social divides and to the amplification of distrust. These negative effects are increasingly irrupting into the offline space and affecting community relations and social cohesion across the globe.

The Digital MAPS programme recognises that the networked structure of the virtual public sphere is a key factor driving polarisation and the fragmentation of communities. Specifically, virtual spaces are increasingly characterised by isolated, inward-looking communities whose divisions make it difficult for civic actors to foster mutual understanding and dialogue.

Navigating the virtual space and striving for social cohesion and inclusivity is increasingly difficult for civic actors, especially those representing marginalised groups. Online spaces and dynamics are increasingly complex and are governed by hidden rules which have harmful effects. Social media algorithms make it more difficult for positive actors to get their voice heard while they amplify harmful content, disinformation, negative emotions, and tensions between communities, thus further driving the polarisation of societies.

Overview of the programme

The Digital MAPS programme invites local actors to join an international network of civic, media, arts and cultural actors seeking to make a positive impact on the public sphere and to be better equipped to deal with the complexity of online spaces.

This network will be supported by the British Council and its technology and research partners, including a tech startup specialized in data science and social media analysis as well as UK and MENA universities.

The Digital MAPS network will provide its members with:

• Access to social media mapping and analysis software which will help them better analyse the virtual environment they operate in, analyse their audiences, develop better strategies, and measure the impact of their content and online presence;
• Training in social media analysis;
• Access to local and international experts and researchers who will help them analyse the public sphere and identify ways to overcome challenges to their communication goals and amplify their reach;
• Access to civil society organisations, artists, journalists, alternative media, and content creators across the MENA region with whom they will be able to share lessons, experiences and build partnerships;
• Funding to participate in programme activities and to produce content which advances openness, inclusivity, and social cohesion;
• Solid tools and methodologies to measure the impact of their digital content. This may enable participants to better prove their impact and thus better convince funders to finance their future content.

What will happen during the programme?

The programme will be delivered in six phases. The following table is an indicative timeline:

IndicativeTimeline

Phase

Description

Requirements

October 2021

Phase 1 “Problem definition”

Each participant will work with our tech and research partners to identify its data needs and its thematic priorities.

Participants will attend a workshop made up of several 3-hour sessions over the course of a week.

November-December 2021

Phase 2 “Research & mapping”

Based on the needs and priorities identified in Phase 1, our tech and research partners will collect social media data and map social media spaces which are relevant to the theme or problem the participant wants to address through their content.

Participants will receive training in social media analysis, using the provided software, and will provide feedback to data scientists to set up the parameters of the social media mapping.

First half of January 2022

Phase 3 “Analysis”

Together with our tech and research partners, participants will analyse the social media data collected during Phase 2.

Participants will attend a workshop made up of several 3-hour sessions over the course of a week.

Second half of January 2022

Phase 4 “Strategy & Ideation”

With support from our research and tech partners, participants will develop a strategy to tackle the problem they chose, based on the analysis formulated in Phase 3. Participants will then turn the strategy into an action plan to produce digital content (e.g. a webseries, podcast).

Participants will attend a workshop made up of several 3-hour sessions over the course of a week.

February 2022

Phase 5 “Pilot content production”

With funding from the British Council, each participant will produce and publish digital content, based on the action plan.

Participants produce and publish the content.

March 2022

Phase 6 “Evaluation”

Participants will use social media analysis and mapping technology to evaluate the impact of their pilot content.

Participants attend a 1-day evaluation workshop.

Throughout the programme period, participants will also have opportunities to exchange and share their experiences and learning with other participants from other MENA countries.

Who can join the programme?

Membership of the network is open to actors who subscribe to the values of inclusivity and openness. Across the countries, we expect the cohort to be diverse in cultural terms but also in terms of capabilities and outlooks. Types of actors may include youth-led alternative/digital media, solo YouTubers, comics, artist collectives, animators, photographers/photojournalists, documentary/film makers, NGOs working on cultural preservation or the representation of minorities, rap bands/singers etc.

Specifically, we are looking for candidates who:

• Are young (or youth-led if they are an organisation);
• Are interested in building digital skills for media/arts-based civic content;
• Have experience producing digital content and disseminating it via online channels on a regular basis;
• Have grown a young social media audience organically;
• Have access to relevant production resources, including the required equipment, human resources, and social media channels/pages to disseminate their content;
• Are committed to the values of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.

There will also be other opportunities to involve additional partners during the content production phase of the programme.

What is required from partners during the programme?

Each participant is required to designate a “focal point” who is expected to be available and dedicate up to 50% of their time over the course of the programme. The focal point will attend all programme workshops and activities, including several multi-day intensive online workshops. They will also coordinate their team’s activities with the British Council and its tech and research partners. 

The position of focal point is open to all profiles (e.g. show runner, director, community manager, strategist, content creator)[1] but they will need to have sufficient authority and autonomy to make decisions and manage the project on behalf of your team/organization.

In addition to the focal point, other members of the participant’s team are also welcome to attend all or part of the trainings and workshops. By the end of the Digital MAPS programme, the focal point and team members who fully attend the programme will become trained social media analysis and will receive a certificate.

Since this is a relatively intensive programme, the British Council is willing to compensate participant for the time spent in Digital MAPS activities. Participants can receive funding to cover a half-time salary for the focal point and part-time salary or per diem for other team members who will participate in activities (depending on the intensity of their involvement).

By the end of the programme, participants will produce and publish content which is aligned with the strategy they will have developed with our tech and research partners. The British Council will make a financial contribution to support the production of this content, but participants are expected to also use their own resources (e.g. equipment, human resources) for content production.

Are you an artist, arts collective, film maker, animator, performer, youtube broadcaster, alternative media or creative producer of any kind? Do you use digital media as a platform to reach-out, share your creative content and build and engage audiences? Are you committed to getting new and different voices and perspectives out there through online channels and addressing issues of community concern through your creative work?

If so, the British Council is interested in hearing from you. We are offering a unique opportunity to a small number of young creatives to be part of a pilot initiative in the MENA region that aims to support open and inclusive spaces, expression and conversations online. Through participation in a MENA wide network, we will connect you with other online creatives across the region for knowledge exchange and collaboration, including with highly successful local Youtube broadcasting start-ups such as Boubli in Tunisia, (who over the last year have grown their Youtube subscriber base from 30 to 230 thousand). Through our partnerships with researchers and technologists, you will be trained in social media analysis and supported to co-design research which will provide you with insights that can help you or your organisation design better social media strategies, enhance your visibility and online reputation, reach new audiences and better monitor the impact and effect of your creative output on these audiences. In short through data, research and networking, to help you be better at what you already do! We will also provide network members with access to funding to support online creative content designed to put the strategies you’ll develop to the test.

APPLICATION FORM 

Association data: 

• Name of association: 
• Creation date: 
• OGRT/ Registration number: 

• Full address: 
• Governorate: 
• Area of intervention/activity: 
• Areas of activity: 
• Name of Chair: 

• Phone number: 
• Address mail : 
• Facebook page and/or website: 

The association's project team: 

• Name of the project holder(s): 

• Phone number:  
• Address mail : 
• Function in the association (member of the board, volunteers, employees, Voluntary Civil Service...)

In addition to the video, please answer the following questions: 

• What is the vision, mission and objectives of the association? Present the main activities implemented by your association. 

• What can the Digital Media Arts for an inclusive public Sphere (Digital Maps) program bring to your association? What are your motivations for joining the Digital Maps? 

• What place do young people or youth have in your association? Give concrete examples. 

• You can share in annex to this form any element to better understand your activities (Videos, Photos, press article, activity report ...)