Bistro.edu: Open Call For Educational Programs
Source: www.praguecivilsociety.org
Accelerator programme for multimedia online learning projects
Dates: June 18-21, 2019
Location: Kyiv
Language: Russian/English
Who should apply: Civil society organisations, small businesses, start-ups and educational institutions engaged in the production and/or distribution of online educational projects
Why Bistro.edu?
New technologies have opened up exciting opportunities for online education, which is empowering people to learn on their own terms, think critically and develop ideas. Online learning is an increasingly accepted way to acquire knowledge and there are some great platforms out there. However – generally speaking – Eastern Europe and Central Asia lag behind this trend, despite the huge potential for online learning in this region.
That’s where bistro.edu comes in.
Bistro.edu is all about giving existing multimedia educational courses, content and platforms – especially those providing materials in the region’s many languages – the boost they need to reach bigger audiences, produce better content and provide the best learning experience possible.
The Bistro.edu accelerator programme begins with an initial workshop in Kyiv where over three intensive days participants will enjoy access to expert help and advice regarding their projects. From these projects the very best ideas will be selected by a jury to receive a cash injection and expert support, advice and assistance for several months after the workshop.
Who is Bistro.edu for?
The programme is designed for civil society organisations, small businesses, start-ups and educational institutions engaged in the production and/or distribution of online educational projects in the following areas:
• Humanities, social and political sciences
• Economy and financial literacy
• History, art and culture
• Active citizenship, civil society activism, urban initiatives
• Gender studies and women empowerment
• Social entrepreneurship
• IT, programming, video-making, graphic-design, and similar specifically designed for young audiences
• Development of soft skills
• Global challenges
Bistro.edu wants to promote educators, scholars and intellectuals from Eastern Europe and Central Asia as well as support projects that are providing wider access to quality content from established sources.
Bistro.edu is a new joint initiative from the Prague Civil Society Centre and Ukraine’s most successful online learning platform Prometheus. With over 750 000 online registered students and over 100 online courses on offer, Prometheus is bringing the world’s best education to everyone in Ukraine.
What are we looking for?
Bistro.edu is looking for new – but functioning – online educational projects that are already offering users some form of content (audio, text, visual etc.), have an active following and are targeted at users in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
We want to support these projects to do some or any of the following: develop, scale-up, add content, improve visually, upgrade software, enhance visibility and market themselves more effectively.
We are particularly interested in supporting online educational initiatives in the national languages of this region. While we will accept Russian and English language content providers, one of the aims of Bistro.edu is to promote projects that are capable of reaching non-English and non-Russian speaking audiences outside of the capitals and major hubs.
Important: We will not support online projects that are fully commercial in nature, however, we are excited about initiatives that are finding ways to be sustainable.
How does Bistro.edu work?
Bistro.edu brings together ambassadors of online learning who are dedicated to developing new and captivating formats that make education more attractive and accessible. Outstanding experts will lead intensive workshops tailored to the specific needs of the participants and offer guidance on how to design their products.
Integral to the programme will be a peer-to-peer exchange of expertise, best practices and insights during the event. All participants will be expected to share their tips, tricks and expertise with each other as well as lessons learned whilst developing their projects.
In order to be selected for the programme, each shortlisted applicant will need to submit a comprehensive development plan for their project that will then be refined during the workshop stage of the accelerator programme. All participants selected for the workshop stage of the programme will get this support.
Participants will then pitch their projects to the entire group and expert jury. The best projects will be awarded financial support from the Prague Civil Society Centre.
At this stage we are planning to invite roughly 20 projects to the workshop and provide up to 10 of them with development support up to €8,000. Selected projects will also enjoy mentorship from experienced professionals for a period of 6 to 8 months following the workshop to ensure a smooth implementation of the plan.
The organisers will cover the travel and accommodation expenses of all applicants invited to the event.
How to apply?
There are two stages to the Bistro.edu selection process:
Stage one: Complete the application form below – from this we will longlist potential participants by 15 April 2019
Stage two: Longlisted applicants receive a detailed application form – after reviewing we will put together a shortlist to be invited to the workshop in Kyiv on 18-21 June this year
Deadline: 31 March 2019 – You may answer the application form in either English or Russian
If you have any questions drop us a line at [email protected]