TERMS OF REFERENCE 

 

Background:

ERIM (IREX Europe, doing business as ERIM) in collaboration with the Modern Journalism Development Center (Uzbekistan) is implementing the Mahalla project (“Strengthening the Media Community in Uzbekistan”). It is a 4-year program aimed at strengthening the capacities of local independent media outlets to provide quality content to their audience whilst increasing Uzbek citizens’ demand for objective, fact-based and reliable information in local communities via media literacy tools.

 

The 2 objectives of the project are:

• To improve the quality, relevance and accessibility of local media content by strengthening their capacity and enhancing collaboration with civil society, educational institutions, and local authorities
• To strengthen citizens’ ability to identify and analyze independent, quality news and information by leveraging existing media literacy activities and building a strong fact-checking community among the media and journalists across the country

 

Activities under Objective 1 are focused on capacity development of selected local media from all 12 regions of Uzbekistan and the Karakalpakstan Republic via training, long-term mentoring and enhanced partnerships with local communities.

 

This is the third Hackathon organized in Uzbekistan to increase networking, foster intersectoral collaboration and to develop fundraising capacity of local media. Follow up grants and long-term mentorship will help media strengthen their organizational capacity, improve content and increase their audiences. The program  also aims to engage youth and local communities in content creation by identifying locally relevant topics, developing media projects focused on gender equality, ecology, and social issues, as well as exposing  and debunking false news.

 

ERIM is hiring an International media expert/trainer with experience in SMM promotion in social networks and digital marketing to conduct capacity building training sessions during Hackathon for the Uzbek media from the regions.

 

Responsibilities:

The International media expert/trainer will operate under the guidance of the ERIM Program Manager and in tandem with the MJDC Program Coordinator and local trainers. Their duties include:

SMM:

 

Design training materials encompassing:

 

1. Practical Workshop: Creating Video Content (A comprehensive 2-hour session designed to equip Media Hackathon participants with essential skills in filming and video editing for social media);

 

1. SM tone of voice (effective communication strategies for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube.);

 

1. Techniques and formats (on Social Media) to foster an active online community and engage audience

 

1. Practices to encourage audience interaction and leverage UGC;

All sessions must be engaging, comprehensive, and emphasize hands-on exercises and real-world SMM success stories. The goal is to equip participants with essential skills and help them refine their proposals during the Hackathon. The proposals will be assessed on the last day of the event by the grant selection committee and 6 small grants will be awarded.

Content creation (Photo/Video). Topics to cover include:

1. a) Storytelling techniques to captivate and persuade audiences;
2. b) Cutting-edge multimedia and online content creation methods
3. c) Broadcasting and multimedia journalism essentials
4. d) Basic audio capture techniques and popular audio editing software insights
5. e) Mobile video capture, editing, and social media publishing
6. f) Comprehensive social media strategies, tools, analytics, and best practices

All sessions should be interactive and rich in practical exercises, and supported by real-world content creation examples. (Mobilography/MOJO).

Lastly, the expert/trainer is expected to submit a concise report detailing the services rendered, accompanied by all training material used, an agenda, a participant list, and recommendations supported by illustrative cases.

 

Deliverables

Deliverable	Timeline / deadline	Number of w/days
Training materials SMM and MOJO (Deliverable 1)	By February 1, 2025	1
Conduct of training (Deliverable 2)	February 17-21, 2025	5
Brief report along with the supporting materials (Deliverable 3)	By March 15, 2025	1
TOTAL		7

 

Terms and conditions:

Period of contract: January 15 – February 15, 2025

Duration: 7 working days

Duty station: Home-based with travel to Uzbekistan (Tashkent) for the onsite training during the Hackathon (February 17-21, 2025). The travel expenses related to the participation of the trainer in the Hackathon will be covered by ERIM.

 

Required qualification:

• University degree in Social Sciences, Journalism, Mass Media and Communications or extensive work experience in one of those fields. Advanced university degree would be an asset;
• Minimum 5 years of successful experience in the field of contemporary communications techniques and social media, including experience in training journalists, bloggers and media outlet professionals;
• Training experience and workshop facilitation skills;
• Modern approach and exceptional analytical skills when working in sensitive and restricted contexts;
• Experience in gender equality, ecology, and social issues.
• Ability to:

1. Express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in writing and orally;
2. Relate and transfer best practices and successful experience both culturally and locally;
3. Research, analyze, evaluate and synthesize information;
4. Conceptualize, plan and execute ideas;

• Work well under pressure and manage conflicting priorities
• Familiarity with the context of Central Asian media; previous experience with Uzbek media would be an asset;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Fluency in Russian and/or English languages;
• Advanced knowledge of PC-based word processing software and social media technologies, including database applications, presentation software, etc.

 

Interested candidates should send their CV, cover letter and financial proposal by December  31, 2024, to the following addresses: erudenko@erim.ngo and vpalamarciuc@erim.ngo