Announcing the Culture Grant for non-profit projects!

The grant application is open until 15 June 2017. The objective is to advise a non-profit organisation on the use of ICT and the Internet.

The iWith.org organisation has announced the Culture Grant to advise non-profit organisations such as NGOs, foundations, associations, companies or social enterprises on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the Internet. The grant is especially aimed towards cultural organisations, whether they are musical associations, youth non-profits, etc.

The grant consists of an advisory session with foundation members where the project is known, its needs are detailed, and a report is prepared which sets out the best proposals to follow for the organisation to make the most of their Internet opportunities. These proposals are also listed in a recommendations sheet for the organisation itself to implement directly in their project.

The decision of which project is awarded the grant will be taken by the iWith.org Grants Committee, with the approval of Ms Chus Roig, and will be published on the foundation’s website. Some organisations have already benefitted in previous years from the grant, including the Guachipelín Foundation (2015) and the Diversión Solidaria Foundation (2016).

The application period closes on 15 June 2017. If your non-profit project is interested in applying for the grant, you can do so by following this link.


               

How can NGOs benefit from Instagram?

Instagram is the second most popular social network in Spain, after Facebook. With 600 million users, it is the most successful social media website among young people and teenagers.

Instagram provides a meeting space which is used especially by children, teenagers and young people. Why is that? According to the Director of the Institution for the Promotion of Healthy Use of Technology (EducaLIKE), Instagram is perceived as a young network, fresher and more dynamic than other social networks, and it allows easy access from mobile devices. The fact that it is a visual platform with images and videos as the main element, as well as the endless possibilities offered by adding hashtags to posts, helps attract users from the youngest age ranges to this network.

Consequently, Instagram has become an essential marketing tool, used by NGOs and third sector organisations to promote their campaigns and initiatives. Below, we introduce a few strategies that may help your non-profit organisation benefit from this photography-based social network:

• Establish relations with influencers: influencers who have many followers on social networks can be a useful gateway for promoting your organisation’s activities. By being mentioned, tagged or posted on their accounts, you may be able to reach out to a very wide audience.
• Post coherent content: if you are an NGO dedicated to the protection of human rights, it would be sensible to focus your content on this subject; for example, the WWF’s profile features primarily photos of animals. But we should not forget that on Instagram, our content should tell a story! Giving your content a human aspect, for example by posting photos of your team or of your everyday work, will help develop a sense of closeness and trust among your followers.
• Use Hashtags: you can add existing hashtags to your posts or create your own; hashtags can be a tool for building a community. For example, the International Music Competition Maria Canals invites the public to play the piano in the streets, using the hashtag #johitoco.
• Stream live videos: the most important element on Instagram is your content, and according to the latest 2017 trends, live videos are becoming more and more popular among users.
• Monitor your engagement!: You may increase the frequency of posting in order to increase your engagement with users, but don’t overdo it. The Red Cross, an organisation that has successfully utilised Instagram as a platform to interact with its audience, is a good example.

                          

How can NGOs benefit from Instagram?

Instagram is the second most popular social network in Spain, after Facebook. With 600 million users, it is the most successful social media website among young people and teenagers.

Instagram provides a meeting space which is used especially by children, teenagers and young people. Why is that? According to the Director of the Institution for the Promotion of Healthy Use of Technology (EducaLIKE), Instagram is perceived as a young network, fresher and more dynamic than other social networks, and it allows easy access from mobile devices. The fact that it is a visual platform with images and videos as the main element, as well as the endless possibilities offered by adding hashtags to posts, helps attract users from the youngest age ranges to this network.

Consequently, Instagram has become an essential marketing tool, used by NGOs and third sector organisations to promote their campaigns and initiatives. Below, we introduce a few strategies that may help your non-profit organisation benefit from this photography-based social network:

• Establish relations with influencers: influencers who have many followers on social networks can be a useful gateway for promoting your organisation’s activities. By being mentioned, tagged or posted on their accounts, you may be able to reach out to a very wide audience.
• Post coherent content: if you are an NGO dedicated to the protection of human rights, it would be sensible to focus your content on this subject; for example, the WWF’s profile features primarily photos of animals. But we should not forget that on Instagram, our content should tell a story! Giving your content a human aspect, for example by posting photos of your team or of your everyday work, will help develop a sense of closeness and trust among your followers.
• Use Hashtags: you can add existing hashtags to your posts or create your own; hashtags can be a tool for building a community. For example, the International Music Competition Maria Canals invites the public to play the piano in the streets, using the hashtag #johitoco.
• Stream live videos: the most important element on Instagram is your content, and according to the latest 2017 trends, live videos are becoming more and more popular among users.
• Monitor your engagement!: You may increase the frequency of posting in order to increase your engagement with users, but don’t overdo it. The Red Cross, an organisation that has successfully utilised Instagram as a platform to interact with its audience, is a good example.

                          

The Global Context of Violence Against Children

“One billion of the 2.2 billion children from all walks of life around the world endure different forms of physical and sexual violence, irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, race, religion or income levels.” This was one of the statements echoed on the first day of the Fifth Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children. Five hundred and twenty religious leaders, members of diverse faith communities, government officials, leaders of faith-based organizations, United Nations officials, and representatives of international and grassroots organizations from around the world were present at the opening ceremony. The President, Arigatou International and Convenor GNRC, Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, the President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, the organizing and hosting committees of the Forum made remarks during the Forum. Key messages were also given by H.E Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Holy See, H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches.

In his remarks, Rev. Keishi Miyamoto decried the continued abuse of children adding that the world would lose its future potential if the trend persisted. He talked about Arigatou International’s efforts to safeguard the rights and well being of the children globally. Rev. Miyamoto applauded the efforts of all the participants in coming to make a better world for children. The president of Arigatou International commented that apart from bringing faith communities to address violence against children, the Forum also aimed to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG16.2 focusing on ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

The president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela welcomed the constructive exchange of information and experiences among participating individuals and organizations. He praised Arigatou International for bringing the Fifth Forum to Latin America, in particular to Panama, a country that has had its fair share of violence against children. President Varela revealed that children as young as 12 years had been exposed to crime, drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion and gang violence and called on the world’s religious leaders and human rights defenders to do more to end the violence. “I dream of a world where children are protected from violence, where the economy will thrive because we have protected children- our tomorrow’s future,” said President Carlos Varela in his concluding remarks.

Other key discussions in day one included building of partnerships to end violence against Children, nurturing and promoting a child’s spirituality through positive parenting and the wider community involvement and the role of religious leaders and faith communities in preventing the recruitment of children into radicalized groups of violent extremists, gang violence and organized crime.

The first day of the GNRC 5th Forum concluded with a Dinner Reception Hosted by Rev. Keishi Miyamoto. Hon. Señora Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of the Republic of Panama, government officials, representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations and participants to the Forum attended the dinner.

The GNRC 5th Forum aimed to consolidate and enhance the GNRC’s previous efforts to address violence against children, by focusing on the unique role faith communities in addressing this crisis. Envisioning the potential of faith communities to turn around this crisis, the theme for the GNRC 5th Forum was “Ending Violence Against Children: Faith Communities in Action.”

Faith Communities on Ending Violence Against Children

Faith communities in Panama City, Panama have officially announced the upcoming GNRC 5th Forum set to take place in Panama City, Panama. The announcement, which was done at a press conference in Panama on 21st April 2017, was led by Mons. Sidney Fones, Chairman, GNRC 5th Forum International Organizing Committee and Rt. Rev. Julio E. Murray, Chairman, GNRC 5th Forum Hosting Committee. Among other invited guests included the media, government officials and non-governmental organisations.

430 religious leaders from different faith communities from 70 countries and 60 children and teenagers between the ages of 14 - 17 years old, will participate in the Fifth Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC). The role of faith communities in addressing child violence—especially through interreligious cooperation—will be the main focus of the Forum.