Deadline: 20-Jul-23
The Public Diplomacy Section of U.S. Consulate General Kolkata announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to empower young women leaders from Bengali vernacular high schools and colleges to become cyber-smart to combat digital media misinformation.
The objective of CyberSmart is to help youth participants develop critical thinking skills, provide tools, and generate awareness about their cyber footprint and privacy, develop competencies to deal with online safety issues such as hacking and bullying, and become responsible digital content creators and users.
Project Goal
- Promote U.S.-India Partnership by connecting young women leaders with information and expertise that will empower them to become cyber-smart to combat digital mis and disinformation in their communities.
- Creating a cohort of informed and connected vernacular audience who will act as advocates of cyber-resilient community leaders and have multiplier effects in their underserved communities to train others for a stable and cyber-safe region.
Program Objectives
The program will aim to do the following:
- Train a group of 650 young women from Kolkata and its suburbs in West Bengal, the gateway to Northeast India and Southeast Asia, to be cybersmart and to be able to share best practices to mitigate cyber-threats and discuss countering disinformation strategy in their communities.
- The project will be implemented through a series of meetings, and in-person workshops at the American Center Kolkata over a period of 12 months. The Program will be spread to additional American Spaces in the country either virtually or in-person and train more women students primarily in English or Hindi.
- Build a countering disinformation strategy that will be shared with educational institutes, media professionals and community leaders for further action and for consideration of inclusion in the existing curriculum.
- The project will strengthen the young women students’ capacity to access the digital space and become resilient to cyber-threats to ensure a stable Indo-Pacific and support regional cybersecurity.
- Over 12-18 months the project will develop the strategy and then participants will lead follow on workshops in their communities. The trainers can also lead follow-on workshops at other American Spaces across India to train more girl students and multiply the scope of work either through virtual or in-person sessions.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: Not to exceed 12 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $40,000 to a maximum of $50,000
- Total available funding: $50,000
- Anticipated program start date: September 1, 2023
Project Deliverables
- At least 75 percent of participants demonstrate improved “cyber-smart” behavior, including a better knowledge of using digital media platforms, and how to combat online disinformation and tackle cyber-threats. The grantee will be responsible for monitoring participant development and project efficiency using case studies, surveys, and other tools to document changes in participants’ ability to identify cyber-threats and recommend strategies to counter them.
- Promote the need to improve cybersecurity for young adults and students who are using digital platforms much more in this era.
- Examples of participants countering disinformation and showing significant signs of cyber-resiliency will be documented by the grantee.
- Possible additional in-person or virtual sessions for participants at other American Spaces in India.
Roles
- Grantee Role
- Prepare list of trainers and participants for the program and get approved by the U.S. Consulate Kolkata GOR and team.
- Hold regular meetings to develop the roadmap, modules, and themes for the program.
- Work on preparing the agenda of the training and the follow-on activities, surveys, documentation method for Consulate’s approval.
- Arrange travel of all participants along with food and transportation for attending the workshop.
- USG Role
- Approve the list of the participants and resource persons and recommend/suggest resource persons or participants.
- Oversee virtual meetings that will build up to the bigger training workshop modules and themes.
- Advise and formulate press and social media messaging strategy to amplify the project among local media and on Consulate’s social media platforms.
- Review and approve venue, agenda, speakers/trainers, modules, format, training apps, focus areas, and other logistics and knowledge-based issues.
Project Audience(s): This digital literacy and cybersecurity project will engage with 650 young women students from Bengali vernacular high schools (grades 9-12) and colleges from Kolkata and some suburbs and from various ethnic, cultural, religious, and social strata of the society including underserved communities, in the age group of 16 – 25 years who use mobile phones, laptops or computers for their study or personal work. The program will engage some media Fulbright and IVLP alumni and also train 8-10 trainers who will be providing training.
Priority Region: West Bengal
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations
- Public and private educational institutions
- Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions
For more information, visit Grants.gov.