Media and Information Literacy Hackathon

• Eligibility Criteria:
  Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations, from Armenia and the United States are eligible to apply to this program.
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target countries: Armenia and the United States
• Application language: English

The U.S. Embassy Yerevan, of the U.S. Department of State, announces an open competition for organizations to submit a statement of interest to implement the “Media and Information Literacy Hackathon” program in Armenia.

The goal of this program is to promote the creative thinking and problem-solving skills of the Armenian youth and to empower them to produce innovative solutions that can advance media and information literacy in Armenia.

Specific project objectives include:

• Objective 1: Organize a media and information literacy hackathon in Armenia that will advance the creative thinking, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving skills of around 50 young Armenians, aged 16-30, with a focus on university students.
• Objective 2: Through the hackathon activity, empower the Armenian youth to ideate at least 10 innovative solutions aimed at promoting overall media/information literacy and disinformation resiliency in Armenia.
• Objective 3: Support the implementation of at least three media and information literacy solutions, proposed within the hackathon, and introduce the resources to at least 200 beneficiaries through awareness-raising activities.

The project should include the following activities:

• Organize a media and information literacy hackathon that will bring together at least 50 young people as well as tech specialists, media practitioners, and media literacy experts for joint activities. The hackathon may include thematic workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, unstructured ideation, and project design segments.
• Organize a pitching ceremony at the conclusion of the hackathon with a professional review panel to assess the proposed solutions.
• Set up a prize fund of at least $10,000 to support the implementation of at least three media and information literacy solutions selected by the hackathon panel. Project applicants are encouraged to proactively engage private sector partners to potentially augment the prize fund.
• Upon the conclusion of the hackathon activity, design tailored mentorship programs for successful hackathon participants to facilitate the effective implementation of the proposed solutions.
• Involve at least one prominent U.S. expert to lead dedicated activities during the hackathon and to act as a mentor during the post-hackathon mentorship period.
• Project applicants are encouraged to connect successful participants with ecosystem partners from the United States for ongoing mentorship support, consultation, and possible collaboration.

Expected program results include:

• Armenian youth gain advanced soft and entrepreneurial skills and are engaged in creative problem solving.
• Innovative media literacy solutions are developed and implemented in Armenia and improve overall disinformation resiliency.

The primary audience of this program are young people from Armenia, aged 16-30, with a focus on university students. Applicants are strongly encouraged to proactively involve beneficiaries from regional and rural communities of Armenia. Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the program will support and advance equity and engage underserved communities in the program.

See here to learn more and apply.

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