‘Incubator Space for Promoting Information Right and Freedom of Expression (InSPIRE)’

BACKGROUND:
This proposed project has been designed to promote an increased understanding and respect for freedom of expression, by empowering a community of youth to creatively express and advocate for the focus areas of (i) gender-sensitive freedom of expression and (ii) ethical and socially responsible media expressions.

PURPOSE / KEY OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
This MoA will establish an effective partnership between HELVETAS and the University of Jaffna to develop skills and knowledge of selected Media and Journalism students within University and for the provision of opportunities, resources and learning space.
The above goals will accomplished by undertaking the following activities:

• Designing, Creation and Construction of the Incubator Space in the University
• 8 two-day university-based trainings on civic activism, right to information, digital citizenship, media ethics and freedom of expression
• 8 practical learning workshops on Media Production (2 numbers) clustered as per media categories. (Short films, documentaries, news production, digital art etc.)
• 6 inter-District exchange learning between selected cluster members of the other two National Universities in Sri Lanka
• Outreach initiatives (4 per District) to present media products.
• Two Annual forums for sharing learning and strengthening the Network
• One national forum for the dissemination of the new media products and research findings to multiple stakeholders.

DURATION: 3 Years (2020, 2021 and 2022)

BENEFITS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF JAFFNA

• The respective department to be promoted as a model department committed to mobile multi-disciplinary learning for their students, through the establishment of a replicable pilot Incubator Space with Integrated News Room, a pilot attempt and this is going to be a first digital mobile camera studio in Sri Lankan universities and that will enhance creative learning and alternative free expression.
• As an outcome of this collaboration, the department may have grant opportunities to access resources and new technologies to benefit the Media Lab of the Department of Media Studies.
• The process of mentoring and guidance will enable the students of the networks to build links with subject experts and professionals, obtain professional guidance and support for their media products to reach a wider national / global audience.
• The capacity building element will also include the development of skills in alternative and new media expressions through the provision of tools related to freedom of expression, and in the creation of the Incubator Spaces, the knowledge and skills acquired by individual members, will enable them to communicate and collaborate with their peers in the creation of a network.
• The members who are capacitated will be positioned to deliver media products capturing and promoting the concepts of gender-sensitive and socially inclusive freedom of expression and media ethics.

BENEFITS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS OF MEDIA STUDIES AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS IN NORTHERN PROVINCE

• The benefits that will accrue to the students will be both personal and professional growth of individual members, that are empowered to act and think innovatively, creatively and in a socially responsible manner.
• Students having gained skills and knowledge enabling and motivating them to communicate, collaborate with their peers are positioned to disseminate messages linked to freedom of expression and media ethics.
• The intra-university network within their respective University Departments and subsequently and inter-university network of 350 future journalists and media professionals.
• The collective and consultative design of the Incubator Spaces by the Core Groups and the organic growth of these spaces will enable a further strengthening of the network.
• The promotion of knowledge and the provision of tools on freedom of expression and civic activism will provide a stimulant to analytical and creative thinking at an individual level, thus enabling the individual members to internalize the concepts of freedom of expression leading to proactive and sustained activism.
• The student members of this network will benefit immensely with a practical alternative to classroom learning, with exposure and guidance to develop new media and research products, for alternative expression and research products.
• The Incubator Space is an instrument to build the empowered network of youth activists (350 students) and for them to express and develop their ideas/activities.
• These individuals will in turn be empowered to contribute to the media sector and raise the standards, moving away from conventional style of media and reporting.

BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

• In the development of new media products and research products, there will be an extensive process of information gathering and collation of youth and community experiences.
• 150 media products (including short-films, photography and digital stories) to illustrate and reiterate freedom of expression, and 2 research outputs “Setting up Incubator Spaces” and “Freedom of Expression and the new media in Sri Lanka”, will be led by the project implementers with input from network.
• These experiences and other young voices will be integrated into the new media products and captured within the survey for the research. It is at this phase that the capacitated youth will generate ideas for new media products.
• The dissemination of the new media products will target other departments within the selected universities, other media departments within other national universities, high school students and other youth members within youth networks in district, community-based groups and local authority representatives.

SOURCE OF FUNDING: European Commission