19:00 | Meet & Greet | ||
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09:15-10:00 | OPENING DAY 1 Beyond Buzzwords: Igniting Change – Opening Session |
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10:00-12:00 |
AI-is it all evil? How can CSO use it for good
How many unique, personalized messages in various languages can AI generate within a single unit of time? If not in different languages then how many can it produce tailor made to fit specific target audiences? AI tools hold the promise of transforming such tasks, and they have already begun revolutionizing communication for media, corporations, and political figures. This era of digital transformation is complicating an already very complex social media landscape and its impact on our brains, work and the world. |
How to keep hope alive in the darkest of times In a world where perception often shapes reality, the art of crafting a compelling narrative has become a strategic imperative. Join us for an illuminating workshop, "Mastering Narrative: How Ukraine Captivated the World with its Courageous Story", as we delve into the remarkable journey of Ukraine's narrative transformation to a global symbol of bravery and resilience. |
How to do activist work in hostile
environment? Anikó Bakonyi (Hungarian Helsinki Committee)
In a world marked by challenges, this workshop will equip civil society leaders, activists, and practitioners with essential knowledge and powerful tools to fortify your resilience in the face of adversity. |
12:00-12:15 | COFFEE BREAK | ||
12:15-13:45 |
Orgs in rapid transition - case studies
and challenges of frontline workers
Constanța Dohotaru (Moldova for Peace) Many smaller organizations experience rapid growth during crisis moments in both scale of the operations and areas outside of their previous expertise. In this session, we will discuss all the issues that are important to consider when crisis mode kicks in and demands sometimes drastic changes to the way the organization/group worked before. After more than a year and a half of putting out fires, here is what our experts - leaders of organizations involved in helping refugees from Ukraine - have learned (sometimes the hard way) and want to share with others during the 2 part workshop: TIME: wrong assumption that the crisis would not last long and everything would be back to normal soon or somebody would take over. MONEY: importance but also challenge of long-term budget planning (large scale and long-term needs), as well as the relationships with big institutions like UNHCR and their bureaucracy. TEAM: the importance of team work and building team sustainability as well as the right way of utilizing individuals' talents HUMAN: Impact of trauma, secondary trauma and needs of teams and volunteers in this regard. TOOLS: Not Excel, but how to take better care and manage human resources and logistics. PART 1 will be dedicated to lessons learned and experience sharing. In PART 2 we will look more closely into specific solutions and tools that have proven to be helpful during the crisis linked with the war in Ukraine but that can also be useful for any organization undergoing substantial changes. There will be a very practical crisis check-list aimed at helping leaders navigate changes in their organizations/groups to take home with you. |
Keep the fire going, but don’t burn out. How to fight disinformation and stay sane(-ish) Hubert Sobecki (Love Does Not Exclude) Fighting disinformation requires us not only to watch and read it, but also process and digest it. It’s a bad diet that fries our neurons and clogs our emotional arteries. The deeper our understanding of the emotional appeal of lies, the stronger the strain on our well-being. This is especially true if we either work for or belong to targeted social groups. How can we protect ourselves from burning out while keeping the fire going (and lights on) for our communities? Can we move away from the increasingly consumeristic ideas of self-care, and try building feasible collective resilience? |
What fuels Communities of Practice? Carlos Gonzalez (Makaia) One clear goal - a community of diverse changemakers with similar values, consistently motivated to work together - this seems to be a recipe for a robust and resilient community of practice (CoP). |
13:45 - 14:45 | LUNCH | ||
14:45 - 15:15 | INTERACTIVE SESSION & TECH TOOLS DEMO
This voluntary session is aimed at getting our blood pumping after lunch. We will give everyone participating a chance to become a rock-paper-scissors tournament champion and see for yourselves how hard it it to clap. After that we'll invite you to learn about useful tools that might improve your daily work. We'll have 4 demo tables, where you'll be able to learn about GetResponse, Asana, Notion and AirTable from people who have actually used them. |
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15:15 - 16:45 |
Orgs in rapid transition - tools to help
frontline workers
Constanța Dohotaru (Moldova for Peace) Many smaller organizations experience rapid growth during crisis moments in both scale of the operations and areas outside of their previous expertise. In this session, we will discuss all the issues that are important to consider when crisis mode kicks in and demands sometimes drastic changes to the way the organization/group worked before. After more than a year and a half of putting out fires, our experts - leaders of organizations involved in helping refugees from Ukraine - have learned valuable lessons (sometimes the hard way) and during the workshop will share their experiences when ti comes to among others: TIME assumptions, challenges with long-term BUDGET planning, HUMAN element (both in the groups they support as well as among the TEAM), role of TOOLS in the situation of rapid growth. The first part will be dedicated to lessons learned and experience sharing. In the second we will look more closely into specific solutions and tools that have proven to be helpful during the crisis linked with the war in Ukraine but that can also be useful for any organization undergoing substantial changes. And there will be a very practical crisis check-list aimed at helping leaders navigate changes in their organizations/groups. |
Small grant opportunity: exploring Partnerships & Ukraine Solidarity pilot project ideas Maja Nenadovic (TechSoup Europe)
This session will curate the space for people to come together, explore new partnerships and brainstorm potential pilot project ideas to take on Ukraine-specific disinformation head-on. This exclusive small grant opportunity is available strictly for Megaphone-attendees, and we hope that some of you will form international teams excited to run disinformation-response actions and campaigns in solidarity with Ukraine’s civil society and media actors.
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Same disiformation narrative - different context (examples from the Baltics, Western Balkans, Black Sea, Visegrad) Magdalena Wilczyńska (TechSoup Europe) We’ll dive into the intricate world of disinformation and explore how specific narratives are modified for different countries and cultural contexts, revealing how they're tailored to specific audiences. By deciphering these trends, participants will become more empowered to effectively combat disinformation learning about what countermeasures were successful in specific cases. This session will give participants a comprehensive overview of disinformation's formats, manipulation techniques used by both internal and external actors, and strategies to mitigate its consequences. |
16:45 - 17:00 | WRAP-UP DAY 1 |
09:30-09:45 | OPENING DAY 2 | ||
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09:45 - 11:45 |
Transforming storytelling through
visuals-sometimes you don't need
words This workshop inspires and teaches activists how to harness the power of the image to tell the story of their cause. Through an examination of Ron Haviv’s work alongside other visual journalists, we will look at work that has had an impact on changing the world. We explore how to make your images rise above the noise and reach audiences that can relate and react to the stories they see. We discuss imagery from portraiture to daily life to determine the best methods to communicate your message. The language and rules are the same regardless of using an iPhone or DSLR. You leave with a clearer understanding of what it takes for a photograph, whether one or many, to succeed. |
Physical and personal security and data protection under extreme circumstances
Information is mostly used for good, but sometimes it may cause harm when it falls into the wrong hands, especially when talking about activists and change-makers who may have ""enemies"" among certain groups and also may not be welcomed by their governments, not to mention being under extreme conditions, like war or uprising. |
Understanding hostile actors: how disinformation campaigns are planned and executed
Andy Carvin (DFRLab) Disinformation campaigns and other types of influence operations have become commonplace, but how exactly do they operate? This session will explore what’s sometimes referred to as Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, or TTPs. TTPs are the various methods threat actors employ to conduct influence operations, from simple Twitter botnets to a sophisticated multiplatform operations planned and conducted over a period of years. No matter the size or scope of an operation, it’s often possible to assess which TTPs are being used and why. We’ll take a look at case studies from the region, including Ukraine and Poland, as well at walk through frameworks used to identify and mitigate TTPs. We’ll then conduct a team exercise in which you’ll get to experience a hypothetical influence operation and work together to come up with strategies to combat it. |
11:45-12:00 | COFFEE BREAK | ||
12:00-13:30 |
Transforming storytelling through
visuals - sometimes you don't need
words This workshop inspires and teaches activists how to harness the power of the image to tell the story of their cause. Through an examination of Ron Haviv’s work alongside other visual journalists, we will look at work that has had an impact on changing the world. We explore how to make your images rise above the noise and reach audiences that can relate and react to the stories they see. We discuss imagery from portraiture to daily life to determine the best methods to communicate your message. The language and rules are the same regardless of using an iPhone or DSLR. You leave with a clearer understanding of what it takes for a photograph, whether one or many, to succeed. |
Ire and satire Join our engaging and informative workshop where participants will explore the art of political satire and humor in the digital age. Discover the power of humor as a means of social commentary and learn to create compelling content that makes a statement. We will learn things like: creating memes; uncovering the secrets of crafting attention-grabbing and shareable content that encapsulates your message in a single image; crafting satirical news; writing and learning how to construct witty, yet thought-provoking stories that challenge the status quo. We’ll dive into the world of campaign messaging and slogan creation, using humor to convey activist messages effectively. This workshop promises to be a fun and educational experience, allowing participants to hone their satirical skills while promoting responsible and informed discourse in the digital sphere. |
If facts don’t convince people, then what does? Empathy in practice for societal change There are times when activists, regardless of their area of interest or causes they're working on, feel that communicating their issue is difficult. The context and history behind it are often complex and complicated. What is especially challenging is engaging in a conversation when the subject matter is sensitive or potentially distressing, like discrimination, poverty, or war, which can be painful lived experience for many and and might trigger strong emotions. The anticipation of these reactions can make everyone involved quite anxious. Join us for this training, and you'll gain the tools and mental armor to navigate such conversations, create a sense of safety and openness for addressing sensitive issues with diverse audiences. |
13:30 - 14:30 | LUNCH | ||
14:30 - 15:00 | INTERACTIVE
SESSION We invite you to short practical session based on psychological science blended with a bit of neurosensory exercises – all created to lift-up your nervous system capacity. Everyday stress and overload, inherent to activist work, can lead to serious issues both mental and physical. |
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15:00 - 16:30 |
Resilient voices: female activists in Central and Eastern Europe
The session will help you explore your unique leadership path. It won’t be about therapy, but a way to connect with fellow women leaders, giving you a sense that you’re not the only one struggling with certain challenges. |
Open slot for participants Seeing the amazing experience and knowledge that participants of previous MEGAPHONEs have shared, we've decided to dedicate a session to you to showcase your knowledge and experience! Whether it's a past or present project, a workshop you're passionate about, an inspiring story you've lived through, or a game-changing tool you use, we're excited to hear from you. We'll be gathering ideas throughout the event, and this time slot will be dedicated to you carrying them out. |
"Did it sound youth-ish?": How to communicate with Gen Z and avoid being cringe Berina Bulatović (Youth Council of Federation of BiH)
During the workshop, you'll learn about the experiences of Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their journey to improve their communication with “youngsters”. Sneak peek - they’re not all good, the process is ongoing and you can always get better at it. Using real-life examples we’ll go through lessons learned, good practices and definite no-gos when it comes to designing your communication strategy relevant to Gen Z. You’ll leave with inspiration and motivation to
examine and reflect on how you communicate with youth so it’s engaging and not “cringe”. |
16:30 - 17:15 | EVALUATION & GOODBYES |