WITNESS Tools And Tactics Initiative

About the Project

WITNESS uses video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. WITNESS’ core methodology is “video advocacy”—the use of video as an integrated tool in human rights campaigns. Video advocacy complements other proven methods for achieving change. WITNESS’ experience has proven that powerful images and stories have an unrivaled, candid authority that can help prompt awareness and action when seen by the right people at the right time and place. They can also serve as a powerful catalyst for personal transformation—when, through video, individuals and communities are able to speak out for the first time about their experiences, stand up to their perpetrators, and seek redress for the wrongs they have suffered.

WITNESS’ experience also includes a long history of success in training human rights activists in video advocacy through workshops of one day to two weeks. In 2010, WITNESS trained over 300 individuals from more than 80 countries through hands-on workshops. WITNESS has also steadily increased the number of trainings at larger conferences such as the Info-Activism Camp in Bangalore, India and the XVII AIDS Conference in Mexico City and has presented video advocacy workshops at events like the International Association of Women in Radio and Television conference and with local organizations like the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn.

With the Tools & Tactics Initiative, WITNESS seeks to expand the reach of its training programs to an even larger and more diverse group of people, organizations, and networks. The Tools & Tactics Initiative ushers in a more scalable model, incorporating online and offline self-directed training, with extensive resources for trainers and a viable space for knowledge sharing among peers. The Tools & Tactics Program will focus on two strands: (1) launching an interactive Video Advocacy Planning Toolkit in multiple languages; and (2) developing a video-for-change curricula website.

Video Advocacy Planning Toolkit: The Video Advocacy Planning Toolkit is a user-directed, interactive website that includes instruction in creating a Video Action Plan (VAP), links to background and contextual materials, and illustrative videos from WITNESS staff. It is designed as a modular learning experience and will be produced in English, Spanish, and French as core languages, and then translated into other languages as needs emerge and resources permit. During the production phase, WITNESS is conducting extensive outreach and at least two rounds of testing with potential users. The Toolkit is designed so that the user will end up with a tailored VAP in a downloadable PDF format for use in his or her own local campaign.

Video–for-Change Curricula Website: In 2008 a WITNESS collaborator, the International Accountability Project, hosted its own training in Thailand using the WITNESS “Video for Change” curriculum to document the issue of forced evictions. This inspired a new view of how WITNESS can significantly scale the reach and impact of its training programs by fostering an online “train-the-trainer” model. As a first step—and to dovetail with the Toolkit—WITNESS will make its vast training curriculum available online for download and remix and invite other trainers to add to the curriculum database. The site will highlight case studies, best practices, and other news to inspire others in video advocacy. Social media feeds will invite participation in ongoing Toolkit development, and inform the development of other potential resources. The interactive, participatory Wiki format of the site additionally allows for a richer, more varied and culturally diverse final product.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support Witness' work. We believe in their model and that the work they do to support human rights is a vital part of our own mission and belief in the power of storytelling.