Deadline: 1-Aug-23
The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to develop and implement a three-day Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Regional Workshop sometime between July 2024-July 2025 designed to develop media literacy and journalism, pending the availability of funding.
The workshop should preferably take part in Tonga, but may be hosted in other Pacific locations pending logistics and costs.
The proposed workshop will focus on building local capacity within Pacific nations to help participants develop media literacy and journalism skills in government, private, and non-profit sectors. Workshop sessions should be designed to introduce and operationalize best practices in this space that emphasize the power of media and journalism to elevate Pacific regionalism, promote good governance and human rights, combat the climate crisis and build resilience.
This workshop will bring together practitioners from all levels of society and administration including NGOs, civil society, governments and experts to discuss challenges, develop action plans, and leverage opportunities for regional collaborations to foster the implementation of media literacy and journalism practices. The workshop will ideally be held in Tonga.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: Up to 36 months
- Number of awards anticipated: One
- Award amounts: Up to $250,000 USD
- Total available funding: Up to $250,000 USD
- Anticipated project start date: October 1, 2023
Participants and Audiences
- Participants will be emerging leaders ages 25-40 from Pacific nations.
- Participants should also be registered YPL members who have demonstrable interest in issues relating to media literacy, journalism, and communications whether through paid employment, volunteer work, unpaid internships or coursework, and who show promise in becoming socially active in effecting positive change and have firm plans to champion media literacy and journalism efforts in their communities. They may have attended YPL events and some may be familiar with collaboration on projects across borders. The grant recipient will create an online application process and coordinate with the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, U.S. Embassy in Fiji, and other U.S. Embassies in the Pacific region to recruit and select participants from Pacific nations.
- All participants must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- Participants must be citizens and resident of a Pacific country.
- The recipient will be responsible for arranging and using cooperative agreement funds to cover all elements related to participant travel including international and domestic flights, visas, travel to and from airports, visas, accommodations, per diem, meals during the program, and insurance.
- The proposal should include a pre and post workshop survey to measure the overall effectiveness of the workshop as well as any changes to the participant’s knowledge of the workshop topic.
- The concepts of leadership, giving back, and strengthening Pacific identity based on shared values and shared challenges should be integrated into the program. Workshop speakers/facilitators/mentors should be citizens of the United States or a Pacific country.
- The recipient is expected to develop syllabus materials and an event program with participant and speaker biographies, as well as design banners, backdrops, and other printed materials.
- The recipient is expected to design a digital engagement strategy for workshop participants and social media audiences, including live video or live online engagement during the program. The recipient is expected to have experience working with and in the Pacific region in a culturally appropriate and responsive manner.
Priority Regions
- Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Islands of French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and U.S. partners from the American-affiliated Pacific including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. Embassy New Zealand welcomes applications from non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and private, public, or state institutions of higher education. For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
