In collaboration with our partners from Media Literacy Coalition (Bulgaria), HiveMind și Techsoup Europe (Poland), Elena Calistru, the always-on optimist at Funky Citizens, has prepared a super training for NGOs in Romania and Bulgaria.
Why România and Bulgaria?
Romania and Bulgaria have joined the EU together. Since then, NGOs in these countries have had a difficult mission:
- perhaps they fought for causes that made them public enemy number one for some politicians;
- or maybe ther work on sensitive topics that frequently spur attacks on them.
Not infrequently, activists in Romania and Bulgaria have been the target of misinformation, ridicule, and also campaigns in which their causes have been considered part of conspiracies.
Why join this training? What will you learn?
Briefly put, you will learn how to build information or advocacy campaigns based on positive narratives. We want to provide a safe space where activists can talk about common experiences, about what works and about possible solutions in the area of building positive narratives and not just being reactive when fighting misinformation.
When, where, how?
The training consists of 4 sessions of 90 minutes each. We will be meeting online, Mondays and Fridays, on February 15, 19, 22 and 26, always from 4 pm.
What else should you know?
- The training is intended exclusively for those working in non-governmental organizations in Romania and Bulgaria.
- English is the working language is English.
- Participation is mandatory for each of the 4 sessions
About the trainer:
Elena Calistru is the chair and founder of Funky Citizens, a Romanian-based NGO. Funky Citizens builds research-based, data-driven advocacy tools. Funky Citizens’ tools aim to be educational and actionable, encouraging citizens to engage in accountability and government responsibility initiatives in which they can see an impact.
Elena has more than 10 years of experience in civil society projects, both at national and international level. Her expertise is mainly in the area of good governance, transparency, public finance and advocacy. She is the founder of the first (and so far the only fully dedicated) fact-checking platform in Romania – www.factual.ro.
How can I take part in the training?
The training is provided at no costs for participants, but places are limited. This is why we kindly ask you to spare a few minutes to fill in the registration form (deadline: Monday, February 15th, at 11 hrs). Then:
- We will make a small selection of participants, to ensure that the information in the training reaches the people who will benefit the most from it.
- You will be notified by email whether or not you were selected by February 15.
- You will receive a link by email with the online place where the trainings will take place.
Any questions? Contact us by email, at weare [at] funkycitizens [dot] org, for any questions or suggestions you might have.
Despre organizatori:
Funky Citizens sets out to build online advocacy tools based on research and carefully gathered data. Our tools are meant to educate and call to action by encouraging young citizens to participate in events boosting accountability. By getting together and educating young people through a series of online tools, we believe we can develop the knowledge and human capital required for a participative democracy that is accountable and transparent in Romania. We’ll know we’ve accomplished our mission when our constituent base will convince citizens that they can influence the reform of the public sector.
Techsoup Europe supports civil society organizations across the continent to use the best technology for social change. It equips changemakers with transformative technology products, knowledge, and services so they may benefit from technology and make social change. TechSoup teaches how to use technology for good and connects unlikely collaborators, such as social activists, hackers, designers, government, local authorities and business partners. TechSoup builds communities with whom it tries to generate innovative solutions to social challenges.
Hive Mind is a harbor for a community of practice. In today’s digital world, our freedom of information is being challenged by sophisticated misinformation and disinformation tactics. We’re here to assist you in the journey of digital transformation and to support these freedoms by building media literacy skills throughout civil society and in communities where people come together to form trust and social ties.
The Media Literacy Coalition brings together organizations in the fields of education, journalism and civic participation, academics and media literacy experts. The Coalition is open to joining all organizations that support the mission and are active in the field of education. The Coalition works to integrate media literacy fully into the educational process and to increase media literacy in society. The aim is to develop critical thinking and creativity, first of all, for children and young people in the digital-media world, but also for all other age groups in Bulgaria. Among the objectives of the Coalitions are: developing digital media literacy from the beginning to the end of the educational process; building partnerships and cooperation with all organizations and institutions relevant to education and media literacy in Bulgaria (ministries, non-governmental organizations, media, etc.); promoting the importance of digital media literacy among different target groups (parents, teachers, media and the general public).
