Deadline: 05-Aug-2024
The U.S. Department of State’s Consulate General in Almaty, Kazakhstan announces an open competition to implement Go Viral, a program aiming to diversify Central Asia’s economy by developing emerging talent in youth 18-35 in entrepreneurship, culture, technology, creative industries, and media.
By establishing a comprehensive experiential curriculum and fostering an interactive educational environment with expert-led sessions, they envision the program will nurture regional talent, facilitate knowledge exchange, and foster regional interconnectivity. Additionally, the program will organize at least one regional festival to showcase participants’ achievements and maintain an extensive network of industry professionals to ensure ongoing collaboration and support. This effort seeks to drive economic diversification, enhance regional interconnectivity, and integrate U.S. expertise into Central Asia’s development.
Project Goal
- Improve regional connectivity, promote diversified economic growth, and strengthen civil society in all five Central Asian countries by establishing and maintaining strong collaborations among a new generation of innovative Central Asian opinion leaders.
Project Objectives
- Objective 1: Develop a sense of shared responsibility and community among Central Asian emerging leaders and established opinion leaders through regional networking, training, and partnership opportunities, including a regional festival for around 75 Emerging Voices.
- Objective 2: Equip a minimum of 75 Emerging Voices of the Go Viral network with essential skills, knowledge, and resources in entrepreneurship, technology, creative industries, and media sectors through structured hands-on training opportunities and engagement with Established Opinion Leaders in Central Asia, as well as U.S. and other international experts.
- Objective 3: Facilitate knowledge sharing between Established Opinion Leaders and civic-minded youth and community organizations to develop innovative solutions and address key challenges across Central Asia.
Funding Information
- Total project funding: $637,499
- Award Ceiling: $637,499
- Award Floor: $500,000
- Length of performance period: 12 months
- Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2024
Activities
- Recruitment of emerging voices: (Reference: Objective 2)
- Organize a series of comprehensive training sessions tailored to equip these emerging leaders with essential skills in entrepreneurship, technology, creative industries, and media.
- Establish learning curriculum and environment: (Reference: Objective 2)
- Develop a robust curriculum in collaboration with international and regional experts from the fields of business, culture, technology, creative industries, and media.
- Create an engaging and interactive learning environment that facilitates knowledge transfer, practical application, and collaborative problem-solving.
- Engaging and mentoring civic-minded youth and community organizations (Reference: Objective 3)
- Organize training and mentorship activities for civically engaged youth and community organizations to learn new skills, such as social media skills for nascent local organizations to expand their audiences.
- Promote regional exchange and connections (Reference: Objectives 1-2)
- Design and implement travel opportunities that allow the recruited participants to engage with their peers across Central Asia for targeted learning opportunities.
- Promote cultural exchange, knowledge sharing, and the development of regional networks through these interactions.
- Organize a regional festival (Reference: Objective 1)
- Plan and execute at least one regional festival to showcase the talents and projects of the participants. Depending on the concept, the festival may include one closed day for the 75+ Emerging Voices participants and an open day for the program beneficiaries, such as young professionals ages 21-45.
- Use the festival(s) as a platform to highlight the potential of the creative and technological industries in Central Asia, fostering greater regional cooperation, and attracting international attention and investment.
- Maintain and manage the existing network of members:
- Maintain, manage, and update the existing network of influencers, entrepreneurs, tech experts, creatives, and media professionals.
- Facilitate continuous engagement through regular updates, virtual meetups, and Go Nights, ensuring sustained support and connection among members, as budget allows.
- Utilize social media appropriately to manage and maintain the existing network of members, creating regular content to maintain audience interest and increase attendance at open events or festivals. Grantees may consider utilizing a full-time social media expert on this project.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Parties
- Department of State responsibilities include:
- The Grants Officer (GO) and Grants Officer Representative (GOR), in coordination with representatives from the five Public Diplomacy Sections in Central Asia, will work closely with the grantee on a variety of aspects of the project, including format, timing, language of delivery, and location of events and regional festival(s), transfer of intellectual property from the previous grantee, and development and strengthening of the network. The GOR will communicate at least weekly with the project manager and provide guidance and clearance as appropriate on major decisions.
- Sharing technical knowledge that would benefit the Recipient’s successful accomplishment of stated program objectives.
- Coordinate on and provide prior approval for 75 Emerging Voices participants of the Go Viral Network
- Keeping the Recipient updated of any political or security related matters that may affect program delivery.
- Providing prior approval of requests coming from the Recipient regarding event speakers, selection of venues, dates of major events, and other significant matters in relation to the planning of key/milestone activities.
- Clear on relevant documents, press announcements, and other publications as needed.
- Take part in the selection process of the applicants for the in-depth training.
- Attend and speak at events as required.
- Recipient responsibilities include:
- Requesting Department of State concurrence on selection of sub recipients and work plan for subcontracts related to the Go Viral Festival and Network.
- Coordinating closely with Embassy colleagues in each of the five countries to select the 75 Emerging Voices participants
- Requesting Department of State approval for proposed replacements to key personnel, including project lead and Country Ambassadors funded through the agreement.
- Requesting prior approval on requests for all speakers at the Go Viral Festival(s), selection of venues, dates of major events, and other significant matters in relation to the planning of key/milestone activities.
- In consultation with PDS Almaty and with input from other U.S. Missions in Central Asia, creating a slate of potential speakers and thematic priorities for the Festival and associated events in order to develop an appropriate recruitment plan for each speaker to ensure invitations are sent at an appropriate level.
- Providing a draft calendar/schedule of events that are planned in all five countries in advance, in coordination with Consulate Almaty and other U.S. Missions in Central Asia.
- Communicating all significant changes to the programming to the GO/GOR in a timely manner
- Notifying the GO/GOR about any fundraising and sponsorship activities related to this award to ensure concurrence with DoS standards and award terms and conditions.
Beneficiaries
- Civil society organizations advocating on key issues, such as climate, education, women’s empowerment, etc.
- Community leaders, including individual civic activists
- Young professionals (ages 21-45)
Project Audience(s)
- Established Opinion Leaders
- Social Media Macro- and Micro-Influencers
- Entrepreneurs
- Tech Experts
- Creative Industry Professionals
- Media Figures
- Emerging Voices
- Young Entrepreneurs
- Aspiring Tech Innovators
- Creative Industry Students
- Up-and-coming Media Professionals
- New Influencers in Digital Platforms
- Alumni of other USG programs
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- For-profit organizations
- Civil society/non-governmental organizations
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Kazakhstan.