Two projects from the UK have reached the final of the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2013 competition. The two JAS members leading these projects, Saima Williams and Zubeda Limbada, need support from fellow alumni! Alumni can support the projects by voting for them on the International Exchange Alumni website (visit the project page, via the links below, and click on the green thumbs up sign; members can vote for as many projects as they like). If alumni would be interested in offering some practical or professional support, should the projects receive funding, please also consider signing up as a Project Member (click on the Join Project tab above the project title). If alumni have any questions about either of the projects, or what being a Project Member would involve, they can contact Saima or Zubeda directly (their emails are listed with the projects below). They have until June 16 to collect as much support as they can.
If alumni have not yet signed up to the International Exchange Alumni website, they can do so here: https://alumni.state.gov/user/
AEIF 2013: FINALIST PROJECTS COMPETITION AND VOTING – What happens now?
- Finalist teams have from May 28 until June 16 to refine their proposals and build project teams. All finalist teams must include 10 members of the International Exchange Alumni website by June 16 in order to be considered. Also, between May 28 and June 16, members of International Exchange Alumni can vote for their favorite projects. Alumni votes will count as a “panelist in absentia” when the Department of State voting panel meets to select the winning projects.
- From June 17 to early July, a Department of State voting panel will review all finalist proposals.
- Winning projects will be announced in early July.
FINALIST PROJECTS FROM THE UK:
Exposure Hyperlocal Web
(Category: Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment)
The project’s focus is to develop practical and business skills of 75 local young people through a digital media-learning programme, enabling them to establish www.exposure.org.uk, a new ‘hyperlocal’ youth website.
The young people will be selected from deprived areas, particularly from North London where the 2011 riots began, and from ethnic minority backgrounds, to help them develop life-changing communication skills, to improve their confidence, sense of purpose and employability and participation in civic society. The learning programme will prepare these young people for contributing to the new website, developing creativity, IT skills, communication skills (both written and visual), critical thinking, teamwork, entrepreneurial flair and employment prospects in the digital sphere. This model will then be rolled out for national implementation.
The AEIF link: https://alumni.state.gov/node/
Other links include:
Website: http://exposure.org.uk/blog/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Project owner: Ms. Saima Williams, IVLP alumna, Civil Servant at the Department for Communities and Local Government (saimawilliams@hotmail.com).
Train 2 Prevent Extremism (UK)
(Category: Citizen Security)
Train to empower 100 community members in 2 UK cities to understand practices & policies relating to “preventing ideological violence”, meet people of influence & develop community communication networks.
Since 9/11 and the War on Terror overseas, government measures against violent extremism are experienced by citizens often in a climate of fear and mistrust. The goals therefore relate to empowerment through knowledge, dialogue, partnership building and practical training. The project is a unique opportunity for 100 diverse and interested citizens to meet network and learn; utilizing the knowledge of a police officer/trainer with counter-terrorism experience, a female Muslim community member and an evaluator with gender focus. A key element will focus upon constitutional and legal guidelines addressing human rights/civil liberties. Community concerns will be discussed including criticisms of government actions, and how these issues relate to police investigations and outreach. Themes include state-community dynamics, trust & confidence; state and community strategies and practices for preventing violent extremisms; gender issues; and the activities of al-Qa’eda /far right groups.
The AEIF link: https://alumni.state.gov/node/
Other links include:
Website: http://www.connectjustice.org
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/
Project owner: Ms. Zubeda Limbada, IVLP alumna, Director, ConnectJustice (limbada0@googlemail.com).
JUN
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