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This proposal developed jointly by the auther of this home
page and Dialogue Production/Washington DC., 1995.[email protected] |
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I. SUMMARY |
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An establishment of Palestinian independent center for video
production in the West Bank and Gaza will help in strengthening
the capacity of civic institutions for popular democratic participation
in emerging Palestinian political structure. This production center,
will offer training in video production, media and computer literacy;
and provide facilities and support services for creating television
programs. Modeled after public access television stations which
represent the leading edge of publicly initiated and publicly
controlled media, grassroots-based media centers encourage the
development of independent media as an integral part of a democratic
political system. The Video Production Center to be established is designed to serve ordinary citizens, members of non-governmental organizations (particularly women, labor and human rights organizations as well as political groups) and emerging independent media makers. The training, services, and facilities provided are intended to equip Palestinians with a means to report on their own affairs and express the views of their community. Such a grassroots enterprise has enormous potential for education, advancing democratic practices, and promoting the formulation of independent public opinion. The center will nurture the creation of alternative programming that is beyond the scope of the government-controlled television and that can enrich and refine democratic ideas. One key objective of the project is to improve the technical skills and media-related capabilities of citizens. Using appropriate tools and know-how, the center will offer its members the opportunity to communicate with the larger society in the most effective way possible - through translating their ideas and views in to audio - visual programs. Timing is crucial for establishment of this Center to provide an independent voice of civil society as formal structures and institutions are set in place. This Center will simultaneously function as model in mediating conflict through public discourse rather than through violent means.
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After centuries of military occupation by Ottoman Turks, British
and Israelis, the Oslo Accords and Declaration of Principles between
the PLO and the Israeli government left Palestinians with the
hope that some degree of national self-determination was in sight. The historic hand shake on the White House in September 1993 inaugurated the creation of the Palestinian National Authority, a "government that doesn't entirely exist or entirely not exist" according to the New York Times Magazine. But a government that "doesn't entirely exist or entirely not exist," had been flourishing in the West Bank and Gaza long before the arrival of Yasir Arafat. In reaction to occupation, Palestinians organized themselves to meet their own unique social, political and economic needs. As a result, vibrant, diverse civil society grew to play significant role in Palestinian life. The existing grassroots organizations and informal networks in Palestinian civil society provide a base for nurturing greater democratic socialization. A. The Role of NGOs in Civil Society In addition to social organizations such as family, mosques, churches, trade unions and sport clubs, a de facto political society based on Palestinian non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) has developed and flourished in the West Bank and Gaza. Charitable societies have long been a feature of Palestinian life, stemming from both Islamic and Christian tenants of providing for society's disadvantage. For people under continuous occupation, civil organizations provided important governmental - like services such as health care, education and welfare. During the Intefada, the uprising against the Israeli occupation, when Palestinians refused to participate in or use most Israeli administrative services, more NGOs were formed to organize women, labor, students and villages to provide defense, food distribution, legal services, emergency medical care, cultural centers, human rights monitoring and education. For example, women organized small food processing operations and agricultural committees worked with neighborhood to grow food, harvest crops and organize milk cooperatives. At the time the Oslo Accords were signed, NGOs operated a formidable service-provision infrastructure. They were providing about 60 percent of primary health care, 100 percent of pre-school services, 100 percent of disability rehabilitation services and 30 percent of educational network in the West Bank and Gaza, according to Mustafa Barghuthi, president of Medical Relief Committees. Non-governmental organizations have thus come to play significant roles in all aspects of Palestinian society; their importance and influence reaches far beyond the usual parameters of civic organizations. At the same time, they are firmly rooted to their communities, reflecting the values of and operating within the grassroots. To be sure, democracy not only needs effective and limited leadership, but it also requires a pluralistic, autonomously organized civil society to give voice to popular interests and to check the power of the state. In a society otherwise devoid of democratic process, individual civic organizations became small experiments in the application of democratic values. Elections within professional associations, engineers, for example, are often seen as touchstone of Palestinian opinion. The principle of equality, consensus, coalition building and grassroots organizing have slipped into society with no history and no experience in democratic institutions. B. The Role of Media and the Creation of the Palestinian Broadcast Corporation A free and independent media is crucial to the formation and consolidation of democratic political system. In democratic societies, media-print and electronic-provide and disseminate information critical for citizens to develop opinions, formulate voting decisions, and generally participate in political processes. Independent, pluralistic, in emerging democracy play a vital role in strengthening democratic practices and institutions. By enabling public concerns and opinions to be expressed, the media can empower the citizenry as well as encourage meaningful debate among journalists, leaders and the public at both the local and state level. Most importantly, an independent media provides a healthy check on the abuse of state power. The Palestinian National Authority has provided for the establishment of Palestinian-produce radio and television with the Palestinian Broadcast Corporation (PBC). Palestinians have always had to rely on Israeli or Jordanian television for news, information and entertainment. The development of PBC signifies an encouraging move toward an information-disseminating institution that is locally controlled and addresses and reflects Palestinian needs and concerns. However, a state-controlled media outlet has certain limitations. As in any country, the government has an interest in sponsoring a certain programs and disseminating information which views as critical to its national agenda to the socialization of its people. In the case of Palestine, the Authority is still in the process of negotiating and managing the terms of governance. Naturally, editorial decisions for programming on the PBC may reflect particular biases of the Authority. Palestinian television can play a significant role in consolidating a national agenda for Palestinian people, particularly if it reflects the diversity of views and interests that exist within the segments of the society. To insure that such diversity is advanced, it is necessary to establish the mechanism that allow for a free and independent media. The proposed Video Center would serve as an important vehicle for allowing independent ideas to be aired. Acknowledging the effectiveness and versatility of television broadcast, the Center will be primarily oriented to television production using low cost video equipment an appropriate computer related technologies. Currently, as official policies setting out political, legal and institutional structures are being formulated in Palestine, this is indeed timely proposal. The establishment of the Video Center offers a complementary parallel to government institution building. It offers private citizens and non-governmental organizations an avenue for grassroots-initiated participation. In some cases, such grassroots-initiated activities present creative options and presents viewpoints that may be overlooked in policy-making circles or, perhaps, obscured by formulistic approaches that traditionally receive air time on television. Although this region has been beset with ongoing conflict for decades, there are notable efforts among private individuals and groups to foster peaceful co-existence. The Video Center could also extend its activities to facilitate collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli media makers in an effort to seek common ground. Such effort would include educational programs, documentaries, interview shows and performance formats that could be broadcast throughout the region. |
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III. PROJECT OBJECTIVES |
The objectives of the Palestinian Public Access Video Production
Center are to :
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IV. PROJECT ACTIVITIES |
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The Palestinian Public Access Video Production Center which
tailored to Palestinian social needs would be open to members
of community, specifically serving organizations rooted in civil
society, which include but are not limited to women's, human rights
and labor organizations, educational groups, and community-based
professional and service associations. The time frame for the project is three-year period. The implementation of activities is organized into seven phases. While there is no overlap among different phases, for organizational purposes in this proposal, the following outlines the key activities in each phase. Phase I : Resource Assessment and Needs Identification The Video Center's first step is to carry out a resource assessment and needs identification in the area. Currently in progress, this phase involves expanding contact with local organizers and professionals in the television field who are committed to the project objectives and able to join in the initiative and spearhead the project. This phase will also involve the assessment of needs to set up the Center, to ensure that its ongoing operations matches local needs, to determine a plan for sustainability and to survey available and procurable resources. The needs assessment will include factors, such as :
Phase II : Funding Procurement It is expected that funding will be sought from variety of sources. Efforts will be wide-ranging to ensure sustainability for the entire project period, including international support from private foundations, individuals, corporate charities and media-oriented organizations. Phase III : Set-up In the set-up phase, activities will focus upon the acquisition of equipment, securing a location for the Center, establishing operating procedures, designing a cost-effective facility and recruiting staff and volunteers to run operation. It is proposed that Video Center be located in Ramallah-West Bank. The Center would be housed in a modest three to four room facility at a publicly accessible location. It would include a studio, editing suite, training and meeting rooms, and equipment storage and check out areas. Initially, the equipment investment for media center will require several cameras, studio with lighting and audio accessories, and basic production facilities for editing and duplication. In addition, several computer stations will be set up for computer literacy workshops. In this rapidly evolving field of television/video technology, there are relatively inexpensive options for configuring a full range of production services. For example, computer-based nonlinear editing technologies offer options that once required a substantial commitment of capital equipment. Another option is to acquire second-hand equipment from television stations in other countries that are upgrading their facilities. It is expected that the Center will require several staff members. These include a project director, three part-time technical trainers (one of whom will also serve as a technical support person), acoordinator of operations, part-time technical/training consultants for set-up, and support staff secretary. The Center will also rely upon volunteers who will assist with tasks in exchange for training, access to equipment and production time. As operation continue, an internship program can be implemented. During this phase, the project director will be responsible for conducting an extensive outreach/publicity campaign to introduce individuals and grassroots organizations who seek to use television as means of communicating their massage to a large audience. The project director will inform community members and local organizations of the opportunities available at the media center. Tailored to the results of the needs assessments, the project director will also be responsible for setting up an educational curriculum for a series of hands-on training courses in video production and computer literacy as well as media-related classes. Phase IV : Opening the Center Production and training As the Center opens, it will offer orientation programs, and provide low-cost training in video production, editing, media and computer literacy. The center will provide low-cost access to production equipment, and studio and editing facilities to members of the community. The project director and operations coordinator will work together to draw upon local human resources, such as journalists, producers, writers and technicians to offer more specialized workshops in animation, graphics, and production of documentaries and commercials. Such human resource training complements the development of the local market economy. For example, there is an expanding demand for production of commercials for television stations in the region. It is anticipated that trainees from the Video Center will go on to engage in a host of activities within the developing communications sector. In addition, the Center will provide the ongoing technical guidance and support services necessary for groups and individuals to produce and broadcast their own programs. It is expected that the Center will become a hub of activity for media makers with numerous ancillary benefits, nurturing communications within the community where collaboration, exchange and dialogue can be fostered. Phase V : Broadcast and distribution of the program The Video Center will be equipped to enable members its members to produce video programs for broadcast. Arrangements will be made to have the completed programs aired during a "public access" time slot on PBC. For some programs it may be appropriate to extend distribution to stations and media outlets beyond the region, including distribution in Europe and the United States. Phase VI : Evaluation The Public Access Video Center Project will be evaluated at regular intervals and reports will be generated to supporters and funders. Phase VII : Second-and Third- Year Production Based on the experience and evaluations from Year One, the Video Center will modify its operations and training classes to suit the needs of its members and to ensure financial sustainability. |
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V. EVALUATION PLAN |
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The evaluation plan for the Video Center Project will measure
the extent to which objectives have been achieved and will consist
of four components: (1) formative evaluation; (2) process evaluation;
(3) impact; and (4) follow-up. The research design of the evaluation is intended to estimate the effect that the facilities, services, and training offered by Video Center have on civic organizations' and individuals' capacity to (a) produce and broadcast programs; (b) participate in independent public debate; (c) improve technical skills in audio/video production and computer technologies; and (d) engage in independent media collaborations. Participant data will be collected for this evaluation from surveys and pre-tested administered when participants first engaged in activities at the video center. The survey will also serve an immediate purpose of assessing training needs, scheduling and staff time required. the objective in estimating treatment effect-improvement in technical skills, number of television programs produced and broadcast, increased participation in public debate through various forms of media - is a comparison of the treatment group's ( those who participated in the videeo center ) performance to appropriate "no-treatment" expectation. A time series evaluation design will be used to collect data of participants over the three-year period, identifying impact and changes. A. Formative Evaluation The formative evaluation component will be conducted during the first nine months of the project focusing on project start-up including refinement of project goals and objectives, finalizing agreements for equipment acquisition and with supporters, preparing a detailed evaluation plan and data collections plan, and early identification of curriculum development needs. The purpose of this type of evaluation is to provide systematic information to project director during the early or "formative" stages f the project. It is designed to assure that the project will receive information early enough in its life cycle in order to make necessary modifications and improve the project's ability to achieve its goals and objectives. B. Proccess Evaluation The process evaluation component provides feedback throughout the duration f the three-year project period for continued improvement of services and activities. Perhaps more importantly, it provides evidence that describes the linkage between project activities and outcomes (e.g., extent of community participation, number of programs broadcast, number of individuals trained, number of trainees in follow-up courses). Process evaluation as described herein has three purposes: 1. Process Monitoring: tracks progress and documents milestone accomplishments. It is especially useful to the project director's final decision-making on the utilization of resources or inputs. Question to be addressed are: Is the program operating as planned? Is it on schedule ? Are resources being used as planned ? Are they adequate? 2. Program Process: Program process are best described as what the program does and how it is being done; i.e., implementation issues. It is designed to evaluate all major development and implementation activities. The kinds of questions to be addressed are: Is the project complementing or overlapping other initiatives ?Has enough time been allocated to curriculum development, staff training,resource acquisition?Are a sufficient number of groups benefiting from the facility ? 3. Process Results: This type of process evaluation examines the direct effects of project activities. Question to be studies include: Are enough community members participating in training, utilizing the facilities and equipment? Are participants mastering technical skills? The project director will prepare quarterly evaluation reports that include (a) an analysis of planned versus actual attainment of milestones; (b) success and barriers to task implementation; and (c) the results of any statistical analysis. C. Impact Evaluation The third component -impact evaluation- provides information about the extent to which the participants ( organizations and individuals in civil society ) in center's activities evidence better technical skills in video production, and computer and media literacy. The impact of post-program outcomes will be evaluated in relation to volume and quality of the programs broadcast, the number of participants who advance into media-related or computer-related jobs and activities, and the extent of recognition received by groups using the media center ( e.g., press recognition, referrals from outside sources, distribution in film/video festivals ). The impact of the video center is the difference between what actually happened as organizations produced and broadcast programs about issues relevant to their lives and what would have happened without such facility and its video, computer, and media literacy training. For example, as a measure of impact, the total numbers of programs and broadcast hours aired will be quantified and factored with potential viewership rates to illustrate its impact. D. Follow-up Evaluation Assuming a three-year program, two cohort groups of participants(Year1 and Year2) will be evaluated through a twelve-month follow-up study. Follow-up on a third-year cohort group may be used as well. The follow-up will provide information concerning changes and impact on participating groups as well as individuals. Variables to be reviewed may include changes in organizational outreach, educational effectiveness, efficiency in information dissemination, employment opportunities, and extent of participation in other public fora and media outlets. In addition to analyzing survey materials and data collected, the Public Access Video Production Project plans to embellish its evaluation process by interviewing participants on-camera whereby they can elaborate upon their experience. This method of evaluation is particularly appropriate for the annual follow-up evaluation interviews with participants. A documentary video will be produced that includes these interviews and other footage showing the various stages of development of video center. The documentary video will describe the center's activities and integrate input from individuals of the participating civic organizations who were involved in the training and other activities. The documentary can serve as a report to sponsors as well as a tool for further fundraising and orientation. |
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VI. TIMELINE |
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Following is an outline of the projected time frame for each
phase of the project: Phase I : Preliminary assessment and needs identification ( 2-3 months) Phase II : Funding procurement (ongoing) and equipment acquisition ( 3-5 months ) Phase III : Hiring and training of staff ( 3 months ) Phase IV : Center opening, production facilities set up and training program established (3 months) Phase V : Training and production operating ( ongoing ).Broadcasting and distributing programs ( ongoing ) Phase VI : Evaluation ( quarterly and annually ) Phase VII : Second- and Third-Year Programming (10 months and ongoing) |
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VII. BUDGET NARRATIVE |
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Staff: The operation of the Center will require several full-time and part-time personnel, including a project director, an administrative coordinator of operations, support staff secretary /office manager, three part time technical trainers and consultant positions for particular duties involved in the initial set-up of the center. The staff salaries shall be competitive with local salary ranges for comparable positions.
The monthly budget for operating the facility is estimated at $ 1,400 per month, which includes rent, utilities and telephone/ fax services. In initial year, a fixed amount of $ 6,500 is allocated for furnishing the facility with desks, workstations, tables, chairs, shelves and other needed accessory equipment. In the second and third years of operation, this line item for furnishings is substantially reduced to $ 100 per month. An additional line item for local transportation costs used by staff members and consultants for outreach, recruitment and on-location field shoots is estimated at $ 300 per month. Supplies: The monthly budget for supplies, including tape stock to be used in productions, office supplies and tape/film resource is estimated at $ 900. The costs for tapes will be recouped by at-cost sales to members. Equipment: The sizable budget for initial acquisition of equipment is fully detailed in the accompanying budget. The equipment budget covers the needs for non-location field and studio shooting, basic training suite, duplication, NTSC-PAL system transfers, and audio production. The camera equipment will include one high-end Betacam camera (Possibly purchase used at a lower cost) and at least three Hi8 industrial quality cameras. The editing suite will require acquisition of one recorder and two player decks, three RGB monitors, an audio board with necessary supplies, a time based corrector, and PowerMac 8100 computer work station set up with nonlinear editing software. Additional production equipment includes: two lighting sets (one for field, one for studio) at cost of $ 1,600 ; and audio equipment, such as field recorder, tape decks, CD player, mixer, microphones, and various cables is budgeted at $ 3,200. To meet the needs of computer literacy training, there will be four IBM-compatible computer terminals set up with modems and variety of software packages. Two printers will be connected to the computer terminals. As computer training will also cover on-line networking, each terminal is linked to the Internet. In initial year, the monthly budget for equipment maintenance and repair should be minimal at $ 175 per month, which includes regular services and upkeep. Insurance coverage will be maintained on all equipment items. Training: The major cost for training are subsumed in the salaries for trainers and equipment acquisition. Some minimal costs for educational materials, duplication of training packets, and resources will be required, estimated at about $ 300 per month.Low-cost fees for classes paid by participants will help in generate income for the center. Outreach: The initial outreach campaign will occur over a three-month period. This will require publicity costs, developing an outreach campaign, communicating with contact groups, local transportation and duplication costs for promotional and orientation materials. Resource Assessment and Needs Identification: The assessment phase will primarily the planning and research phase of the project, requiring a full-time consultant for one month and substantial time of the project director. Some administrative support and office needs will be required during the one-month needs identification. The equipment resources and training needs will be determined during this phase, as well as the overall fiscal planning and management for the center.Consideration of staff members, location of the facility and other needs will be fully evaluated in this phase which is estimated to cost approximately $ 10,000 in seed funding. Operating Budget for Year 2 and Year 3: The annual operating budget for Years 2 and 3 are substantially lower the initial Year 1 since all equipment acquisition and facility design are allocated in the first year. See separate budget for operating budget in Year 2 and 3. |
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VII. BUDGET INFORMATION The budget for the Video Production Center will be published soon! |