Ti Ayiti News & Awareness

Program

SKILLS & JOB CREATION CAPABILITIES FOR HAITIAN YOUTH IN DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS OF MIAMI (LITTLE HAITI, LIBERTY CITY, OVERTOWN)

This training program will give Haitian youth in Miami the tools and knowledge to create and produce high-quality content for publication on Future of Cities (FOC) & Alive-In platforms, with extended reach to diverse audiences. This will empower them with skills and a publication record that can get them jobs in the sectors of: news and media, social media marketing, communications, video & photo, audio podcasting, classical journalism and more. Another goal is that this effort will help develop the news and media reporting from these areas of Miami that often get overlooked or misrepresented.

This project is addressing a critical gap in employment for young people who are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving opportunity. Meanwhile, in Miami there are a plethora of job opportunities in the sectors of communications, marketing & journalism – so while we have identified the problem we are matching it with a solution.  

HUMAN-CENTERED AND ARTISTIC PRODUCTION OF HAITIAN STORIES & CULTURE

The second main objective is to provide an alternative media narrative on Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, particularly in Miami. Whenever the news comes out of Haiti, the vast majority of the time it is covering something negative or tragic: earthquakes, political instability, gang violence, etc. The result is a constantly damaging portrayal of a very rich culture, prideful people, and dynamic society with so much talent, intelligence, heritage, identities and interesting stories to tell. Furthermore, Little Haiti has a reductionist reputation in Miami, perpetuating discrimination and stereotypes. This not only overlooks the resilience and cultural heritage, but loses opportunities for empowerment and common economic growth.

For example – blending both two objectives – we build a local circular economy by uplifting local Haitian talent within Miami, and finding jobs, clients and vendor opportunities for the vast network and market need now flourishing in this global city of art, business, hospitality and entertainment and of course – cultural diversity.

WHO WE ARE

This initiative is a partnership between two Far Away sponsored projects, Future of Cities and Alive In, along with the Miami-based organization Tapari.

Alive-In with a phenomenal record of conducting media and journalism training around the world, will build off their experience in Afghanistan and Zimbabwe focused on a human-centered approach. Alive-in/ is a movement of grassroots journalists aiming to change the way people in developing and disadvantaged nations are seen. We do this by building the skills of local journalists and providing stipends to uncover inspiring and intriguing stories of people typically unseen in the media.

Future of Cities (FOC) is a start-up organization, part-think tank & part community programming, focused on a mission of improving urban living and transforming the built environment through regenerative placemaking and impact investing. FOC will provide the facilities in a state-of-the-art sustainable office – the Climate + Innovation Hub, fully equipped with a brand-new podcast room and full staff working in marketing, research, writing and community outreach. 

Tapari (Ti Ayiti Preparedness and Relief Institute) is a non-profit organization working with Haitian communities in Miami, with the vision to empower and transform youth & scholars into future trailblazers and progressive leaders that positively impact the school and local communities. Their mission is to foster creativity and critical thinking, while simultaneously using state-of-the-art training technologies. They are the local implementor on the ground who will be conducting outreach with the youth and working closely with Future of Cities in running the day-to-day program operations.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

1. Haitian youth trained in media, communications and journalism skills for job growth
   1. Certificates provided + support in building CVs with links to publications, support on creating individual LinkedIn profiles 
2. Professional Platform for young Haitian voices to publish their work
3. A Unique YouTube Page and Medium Blog Account to publish articles, videos and photo essays
4. Re-post and co-publish on existing FOC & Alive-In Platforms with vast networks
5. A podcast series published on YouTube and other streaming platforms 

Taking a human-centered approach: building off the experience of Alive-In working in Afghanistan, we seek to tell human stories of the cultural resilience – of immigration stories – while also enabling the creativity and creative spirit of Haitian youth to tell their own fictional stories, and grow as artists. The result will be a mix of non-fiction storytelling, as well as fictional narratives encouraging artistic development and growth of a young population, channeling towards positive outlets and leading to hopeful futures.

This project will harness the power of media, journalism and storytelling to uplift, inspire, and encourage positive change of perspectives and opening new jobs and growth. On the one hand, it will focus on the strengths, aspirations and potential of Haiti and its people, and on the other, bring about economic opportunities for youth and promote a more equitable and respectful global perspective. 

HOW:

• Alive-In will provide the training from their experienced experts & trainers. 
• FOC will provide the facilities, our climate + innovation Hub brand new office spaces (all sustainable building practices) and outdoor garden and podcast room with highest quality equipment. Technical equipment (conference room capabilities to stream the virtual online trainings).
• TAPARI, the local non-profit organization based and operating in Little Haiti, will conduct the outreach with local youth and identify youth participants to join in the pilot program,  and continue to be in charge of the community outreach and engagement
• FOC & Alive-In: Publication platform with thousands of followers for Haitian youth to be published