Social Media allows people to interact in ways we would have never imagined years ago. As much as it has had a positive impact, these day, it is hard put aside the ugly messes people continue to make through it. To fight fire with fire, there is an initiative called ‘United Creatives’ and here is all you need to know about it because you have the chance to take part in it.
This initiative is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union in partnership with Facebook, supported by social change agency, Love Frankie. The programme is targeted for youth leaders, influencers and creators in the Maldives and Sri Lanka which will support youth from across the two countries to build a creative digital campaign that helps end hate speech, amplify positive messages and create real social change.
If selected, you will be provided exclusive virtual training, mentorship and tools to build digital impact over 10 weeks, with masterclasses from experts at Facebook, the United Nation and other special guests. Moreover, funding of over USD 15k will be offered in grants to assist in making your ideas come to life.
It all starts with the United Creatives Boot Camp; a virtual kick-off event where participants will be briefed on the program and given an introduction to online activism. This is followed by 10 weeks of works and online meet-ups which will teach how social media works, how to tackle the spread of online hate and techniques to tell more convincing stories through popular digital features. At the end of the programme, the campaigns which were created will be showcased.
United Creatives will run from February & April with a time commitment of around 10 hours per month with a final event in May. Workshops will run in the evenings or on the weekends. Youth leaders, influencers and creators between the ages of 18 to 30 are eligible to participate.
Find more about the ‘United Creatives’ program through their website and also lodge in your applications while you are at it. The deadline for applications is 18th January.