Journal of a multimedia collaborative news project with the participation of 100+ students from 8+ universities across Lebanon ----- "It was one of those really, really, long days :-) "

Friday, June 26, 2009

UPDATES ON SAWT ASHABAB’S STATUS

Almost three weeks have gone by since elections day. Summer season has kicked in, finals are over, business is flowing, tourists are coming in and the city is burgeoning with events. And yet, we are still in RootSpace on Friday night, blogging, surfing, thinking, and planning.

The trial period of Sawt Ashabab was a great and exciting experience. We’ve had great contributions along the way and we were very satisfied with the level of enthusiasm and commitment of the participants. Feedback from the press has been very promising and positive as well. You can download issue zero of the print publication here and you can follow the continuing press coverage of the project here.

We are currently wrapping up the project and finalizing our reports. We are already looking for various sources of funding to build Sawt Ashabab as one of the top-circulation print publications and most used online multimedia outlets in Lebanon, by and for young people (roughly 30 years of age and under) and all citizens interested in independent alternative news in Lebanon.

We will be holding a closing party and the first of a series of discussions/brainstorming sessions about "what next" and "what's possible" and more...  The gathering will take place this Sunday , 5pm, in Upstairs, Hamra (more information below).

We are also looking for people with experience in the field to help us out, give some ideas/expertise, and be mentors of sorts. 

If you are interested in coming to the gathering on Sunday... GREAT! 

If you are also interested in helping out in some other ways, or helping out in a more sustained fashion... EVEN BETTER! 

See you on Sunday :-)

Cheers, 



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Come Join! 
Closing gathering for Sawt Ashabab… Sunday, 5pm, Upstairs/Hamra (right near Marble Tower Hotel, Makdisi Street).  Come!! :-) 

... PLUS an open discussion about NEXT STEPS… looking at building the effort into an ongoing publication… Sawt Ashabab Issue 1 coming in a few months!
(along with a brainstorming/planning session around the questions "what should/can a community-based, independent, alternative media outlet look like in 2010?" and "what can/should Sawt Ashabab look like?") 

... PLUS showing the best videos produced by Sawt Ashabab contributors, with voting and a nice prize for the top-selected video! 
... PLUS! International premiere of a video collage of the Sawt Ashabab Issue 0 effort … 
... PLUS!! discussion with all about possible activities/opportunities to do cool stuff over the summer... 
... PLUS!!! more. 

All this, for the bargain price of LL 3,000 (all going to the video prizes, chosen by all who attend the event!). 

Any questions, please contact Dima (70-879-225) or Munir (03-138-770). 

Sawt Ashabab Team 

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RootSpace is working to build Sawt Ashabab as one of the top-circulation print publications and most used online multimedia outlets in Lebanon, by and for young people (roughly 30 years of age and under, down to mid-teen years) and all citizens interested in independent alternative news in Lebanon.  The media outlet will:

  • be a public media outlet (focusing on important youth, citizen, and public issues);
  • be run in an educational manner (engaging students and young people, both those studying media/journalism and others, to improve their writing skills, promote collaboration and creative problem solving, and foster critical thinking and critical media consumption);
  • involve young people from around Lebanon (universities, high school students, and non-students, from all groups, classes, religions, etc);
  • be both in print and with a strong interactive and participatory multimedia web component;
  • use appropriate technology to both train people in how to use ICTs (information and communications technologies) more effectively, and to engage a broader cross-section of people in Lebanon, even those not well-connected to the Internet and new technologies; 
  • distribute the print edition freely (the first free-distribution news publication in Lebanon; initially monthly, aiming to shift to bi-monthly and then weekly after that);
  • build towards long-term sustainability by generating revenue via advertising and sponsors;
  • maintain a viewpoint that is open and critical, and will remain free of any political or sectarian affiliation;
  • be inclusive of people from different groups, organizations, income classes, people with disabilities, etc;
  • be in both English and Arabic; and
  • maintain high journalistic and ethical standards.

 

The main content outputs include:

- regular online content (including articles, multimedia/graphics, radio/podcasts, videos, etc) and participatory tools;

- a monthly free-distribution print publication;

- educational modules for high schools regarding information and media literacy.  

 

The Information and Media Literacy Component

Practical, current, and hands-on media workshops will be organized in schools in order to introduce students to IML and to the development, history, and nature of mass media. The initial workshops will consist of four sessions, three hours each, once per week (over the course of one month).  We aim to conduct introductory workshops at 6 high schools (public & private) to refine and develop the curriculum.  With further funding, we would like to develop a module that could easily be replicated and distributed to teachers and others (basic training, and training of trainers) to expand the impact and participation in this program. 

The syllabus for the IML workshop will be based on the 5 core concepts developed by the Center for Media Literacy in Santa Monica, California, adapted to the Lebanese media spectrum.  The Lebanese media will be our main source of documentation and case study examples (articles, archives, selected cuts from TV prime news, radio talk shows, etc).  

 

 

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Sawt Ashabab on Election Day!

Today, June 7th 2009, the minds of all Lebanese citizens are united.

Today, people from all corners of the nation are finding their way to poll stations to voice their opinion on candidates they think are adequate and capable of running one of the most politically divided countries of our world today.

Today is one of the most important days for the Lebanese, and the day’s outcome will determine the political stability of the country’s future.

While the older generations participate in voicing their political opinions, and while all media outlets tell their most compelling stories of events taking place on this date, the youth feels a need to include themselves in today’s excitement.

Being deprived of the right to vote until the age of 21, Sawt Ashabab – a group of students between the ages of 18-25 – are representing the youth and their role in this year’s Lebanese elections. Having already voiced the youth’s opinions in the newspaper published late last week with Al-Nahar and Al-Akhbar, the youth is also participating in reporting on-the-ground election stories.

With reporters located in poll stations all around Lebanon, Sawt Ashabab has created it’s own media outlet, reporting eye-witness events occurring all over the country, and combining information discovered by different sources to verify our own reports.


Follow us LIVE on www.sawtashabab.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sawt-Ashabab-/70659154425
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SawtAshabab
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sawt_ashabab/

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Setting up Sawt Ashabab's news room for Election day

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The High End Of Low

Yesterday was the high end of low.

It’s a mad world where people don’t know their own good. The whole concept of Rootspace and the people who keep it alive are out of this world to me. The whole idea of principles over personal gain was never something I see every day. I mean sure we see it in movie but never in the harshness of real life. When I see Mounir and Dima get highly stressed or intensely worried about something that shouldn’t concern them and watch Dara and Ayman work hard and long without any really materialistic gain I realized why people like to watch happy Hollywood movies.

People love heroes…and the people at Rootspace are nothing less than that. Being a nerdy American kid who grew up on video games and comic books, I can’t but imagine Rootspace as the Batman’s Bat cave or Superman’s Fortress Of solitude. So whether us mortal men deserve them or not…I’m glad we have em. 

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Issue 0








This is an image that surely deserves to be on giant billboards all through Lebanon.. But what do you want me to say, we live in a not so fair world.. still, we're kind of working on it ;)
Thank you, each and everyone of you ;)

Dima