How to organize effective public information campaigns? How do we reach an audience in the regions? How do we measure impact?
Five important human rights initiatives from three Visegrad countries and two Eastern Partnership countries have united themselves under one umbrella to implement a large scale project towards the development of civil society and the support of human rights and minorities. One World (Czech Republic), Watchdocs (Poland), Verzio Human Rights Film Festival (Hungary), Docudays UA (Ukraine), CineDOC-Tbilisi (Georgia) partner to implement the common project: EXPLORE IMPACT. Film screenings of documentaries on human rights issues, followed by discussions and debates, are one of the most effective tools in reaching an audience and having a certain impact on the way people think.
Society plays an important role in the political life of all Eastern Partnership and Visegrad countries, becoming a decisive factor in the political process. Initiatives that have a big impact on shaping the attitudes of the society in each country are therefore vital. This is why five important human rights festivals (from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Georgia and Ukraine) have united themselves to implement a large scale project that explores impact on the audience, promotes democratic values and human rights.
The innovative side of the project is that impact is seldom explored in such a diverse manner, including data-research, presentations, workshops and campaigns.
It is very important that organisations from Visegrad countries share their experiences with organisations from Eastern Partnership countries. In addition, organisations from Visegrad countries will have the possibility to network and exchange best practices. “Explore Impact” is a project that has the great potential to create common added value. We can build up on each other’s experiences in shaping the public opinion in our capital cities and in the regions. All involved partners support smaller NGOs and grass-roots initiatives in smaller cities: from successful film screenings in schools coordinated by “One World”, to a good system of regional partners in Ukraine, the “Future Docs” training in Poland, the CivilDOC initiative in Georgia and Verzio's outreach program in Hungary.
Training of regional coordinators in Ukraine (Docudays UA), Kiev, UA
23/03/2018 — 30/03/2018
Docudays UA has built up a wide network of regional partners throughout Ukraine. Through these regional partners, it supports grass-root initiatives aiming at long-term social and cultural wellbeing of networks of communities. Having an impact on the well-educated and pro-European audience in Kiev is not such a big challenge as having an impact on the audience in Ukraine’s regions. Regional screenings are very important, especially now, when Eastern Ukraine is torn apart by war, when Russia’s soft power might influence many persons who are socially vulnerable and when some of the needed but painful reforms implemented by the Ukrainian government might turn people’s interest away from democratic values. Docudays UA will therefore train their regional coordinators in programming, promotion and other activities that are important in order to have a bigger impact in Ukraine’s regions.
