The School of Peacemaking and Media Technology of the Public Foundation «Network of Social Mediators» has started off a new training project aimed at teaching journalists for multimedia content production and a transition of them to a media convergence format. The project is financed through the Media Support Program of Soros Foundation – Kyrgyzstan and the National Endowment for Democracy.   

At the initial stage of the project, the project staff will assess current conditions and needs of the print media officially registered in the Kyrgyz Republic, and of the online sources. A group of journalists will then be selected on a competitive basis to participate at the Camp for Media Innovations.  

At the second stage, 20 finalists of the selection process will attend our multi-level training. They will be introduced to a variety of interactive technologies, infographics, media management and the ways of promoting print content online. Additionally, they will undergo a course on ethnicity journalism and will participate in a competition-structured game “Parade of Ideas”, which will conclude with a project writing activity. The participants will apply for technical assistance that will be used to modernize the work of their editorial offices. A competent and independent commission composed of media experts will review the applications and select six-seven best candidates to receive the equipment requested.            

The trainers at the Camp will be internationally approved media experts from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The project results, feedback and success stories, as well as the analysis of the updated media content will be posted on the website of the School of Peacemaking and Media Technologies (www.ca-mediators.net), and onwww.soros.kg. Information will also be widely distributed via social networks and email newsletters.    

As a result of the objectives above, local media are expected to increase journalistic standards, methods and technical base of distributing information and to learn producing a quality media product. Such developments will attract more attention of the audience and in the long-run improve the level of information awareness among the citizens of Kyrgyzstan.   

School of Peacemaking and Media Technologies on the basis of the “Network of Social Mediators” Public Foundation is happy to announce a competition for the new Camp for Media Innovations among the officially registered print media and online media outlets of the Kyrgyz Republic.  

The project is financed by the Media Support Program of Soros Foundation – Kyrgyzstan and the National Endowment for Democracy and aims at strengthening overall potential of the local media by teaching for contemporary tools of creating content and technical modernization. During six days 20 selected participants will undergo the training on creating and distributing multimedia content, promoting the product online and writing unbiased articles for a poly-ethnic audience and media management. They will also be given an opportunity to participate in the competition for technical assistance, which is necessary for the effective work of their editorial offices.

The training will be conducted by media experts from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The location is Bishkek, date – July, 23-30 of 2013. All expenses will be covered by the party organizing the event. To participate, it will be necessary to send an up-to-date CV/Resume, motivation letter and the filled outapplication form to the emailaddress peacemakingschool@gmail.com.The application form can be downloaded from our websitewww.ca-mediators.net [section titled “Camp for Media Innovations”] or requested through our email.

Documents will be accepted both in Russian and Kyrgyz. Deadline for applications is July 1, 2013 not later than 18:00 pm. Only full package of documentation will be considered eligible.

Training on peacemaking journalism, techniques of conflict reporting and the destruction of stereotypes was held on April 14-15-16-17, 2013 for reporters of online and print media from Osh, Jalalabad and Batken oblasts of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek. The aim was to train participants to media tools on reducing the charge to a confrontational society, techniques of confrontation to the destabilizing information coming from outside, the organization of post-conflict rehabilitation of the journalists, finding joint mechanisms to improve the efficiency of peacemaking media efforts. “I gained a lot of useful knowledge during the training. Now I know how to cover conflicts properly not pumping the situation,” training participant Ibraghim Azimzhanov, a correspondent for "Osh Shamy” newspaper, said.

There are a lot of problems that may be solved by covering them in local media outlets. This training has taught journalists from southern Kyrgyzstan to report on conflicts properly and efficiently use media tools to reduce confrontation, Azimzhanov says. The training was held in the form of interactive discussion. Reporters learned from the theory of reporting on conflicts and consolidated their knowledge by participating in an interactive game, prepared by experienced trainers Arif Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Ashot Melikyan (Armenia). A number of presentations demonstrating how innocent jokes, recorded on video and publicized on You Tube, can cause conflict and how it can be avoided, were shown to training participants. Special attention was paid to the toolkit for journalists on covering conflicts and ethnic diversity; providing materials with voices of children and women in media.In joint with the trainers, journalists have developed a Glossary of Stereotypes, which is a handbook for journalists working in conflict areas, and organized an improvised press conference, during which the representatives of the different ethnic communities exchanged views on the post-conflict situation in the south, trying to avoid stereotypes and clichés.At the end of the training, a film "Indivisible Island” on the ethnic problem in Cyprus was shown to the participants. The reporters discussed the issues raised in the film, and developed a scenario of conflict resolution. According to trainer of the project Ashot Melikyan, journalists from different media, living in conflict-pron areas must learn to trust each other, to understand that the problem of the Osh conflict of 2010 still lives in Kyrgyz society, and there are issues that needed to be discussed."Journalists will sooner or later have to cover this issue in media outlets, that is why techniques  of overcoming stereotypes and clichés need to be  learned right  now",  Melikyan concluded. 

 Today, the School of Peacemaking and Media Technologies has been trained about 80 journalists from media outlets in southern Kyrgyzstan. The training was conducted by specially developed techniques, which are based on practical experience of building media dialogue in conflict-prone areas of the world: the Balkans and the Caucasus. Within the School webinars on destroying stereotypes, clichés, and overcoming the image of the enemy in mass media are conducted.

More than 25 reporters working in the media of Osh, Jalalabad and Batken have applied for the training. Despite the fact that according to the requirements of the contest only journalists from online and print media should apply for the training, the competition commission also received requests from local TV and radio reporters.

The main criteria of selection are work in local print or online media (information and analytical content), availability of publications in Kyrgyz and / or Uzbek, Russian languages, professional work experience, understanding of the standards of international journalism, which is important as far as the training course is based on these standards.

Due to the large number of the interested candidates, the competition was held in two stages.

During the first round of the competent committee of professional trainers of the project reviewed the resumes and cover letters from the applicants, where the motivation and possible impact of participation in the training on the applicants’ future career was expressed. As a result of this tour, the most suitable candidates were selected.

In the second round, the applicants were asked to complete an application in which examples of their publications in print and online media, as well as reflection on their knowledge of journalistic standards should be provided.

Following the second round the group consisting of 12 professional journalists was formed. The group will pass special training of the School on April 14-17, 2013.

To date, about 80 journalists from southern Kyrgyzstan were trained at the workshops conducted by School of Peacemaking and Media Technology. The training is conducted by specially developed techniques, based on practical experience of construction of media dialogue in conflict-prone areas of the world: in the Balkans and the Caucasus. The School also organizes webinars to destroy stereotypes, clichés, and overcome the enemy image in the media. 

School of Peacemaking and Media Technology announces a call for participation in training seminars for journalists from Kyrgyz-, Uzbek- and Russian-language print and online outlets in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The training is organized to promote peace-building in the media, the ability of journalists to discuss openly issues of conflict, training of finding the common ground between the opposite sides of the conflict, and techniques of finding active groups from different communities who are ready for dialogue, analysis of existing patterns of conflicts and methods of their destruction.

The four-day training seminar for journalists in southern Kyrgyzstan is led by an experienced team of media experts with extensive practical experience in building a media dialogue in conflict areas of the world: in the Balkans and the southern Caucasus.

The event will be held in the form of interactive discussion, the combination of theory and practice.

Language of the training seminar is Russian, but for better acquiring of the material at the seminar, simultaneous translation will be organized in the national language.

The training will be held in Bishkek, date on 14, 15, 16, April 17 (arrival on April 13, exit on 18 April) 2013. All expenses are paid by the organizers.

To participate in the seminar, it is necessary to fill out an electronic form on the site www.ca-mediators.net or to send your resume and motivational letter by April 1, 2013. In motivational letter you should indicate why you would like to participate in this training, and how it will affect the future of your career. Also, e-mail to thepeacemakingschool@gmail.com a scanned copy of your passport.

The bids are considered only if there is a complete set.