Video Advocacy Institute - Witness - Integrate Video Advocacy Into Human Rights Campaigns

VIDEO ADVOCACY INSTITUTE - WITNESS

JULY 15 -27, 2007

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 25, 2007

The WITNESS Video Advocacy Institute (VAI), the first of its kind, is an innovative intensive program that will train human rights defenders to successfully integrate video advocacy into their campaigns.

The 2007 VAI will be held in association with Concordia University’s Communications Studies Program and Documentary Centre in Montreal, Canada from July 15 – 27, 2007.

This training will provide an immersive introduction to key skills in video advocacy for a group of 25-30 dedicated human rights advocates from across the globe working on some of the most challenging human rights issues facing our world today. In this highly participatory course participants will learn how to:

Plan the strategic use of video as a targeted tool for change in a human rights campaign, and apply this learning to their own work
Plan and shoot on Mini-DV video cameras, and learn the basics of editing
Make appropriate decisions on safety, security and consent
Craft effective advocacy narratives – ‘storytelling for action’
Distribute their video to key audiences
Use video as evidence
Use online video for advocacy

During the VAI each participant will also have time to apply the learning from the sessions to planning for a project that they will be implementing in the follow-up to the Institute.

The approach will be intensive and practical, grounded in WITNESS’ 15 years of experience supporting human rights organizations in over 70 countries to use video in their campaigns. The focus will be on experiential learning which will deepen the participant’s ability to protect human rights by training them to use the power of video to create social change.

Below please find the Institute Information and Guidelines and VAI Application

Should you have any questions about WITNESS or the VAI, please do not hesitate to write us at vai@witness.org. Thank you for your interest in WITNESS