Sarka Pechova Capstone Project Plan

CAPSTONE PROJECT

Šárka Pechová

Not only diamonds sparkle - skirts from Sierra Leone

Where fashion helps – skirts made in slums are now proudly worn in Europe.

In my Capstone Project (CP) I wanted to focus on the disabled community in Sierra Leone. I wanted to report an idea - disabled tailors making skirts from traditional African fabric, with the skirts then being sold to Europeans.

This was my idea, and something that I am really passionate about. Who else should be telling the story?

I am aware of the risk of just turning the story into a PR article, so I will avoid this by talking about the country (in my presentations) and showing the life of a disabled beggar (who is not a beneficiary of the skirts project).

Today (30. 5.) Is also the day, when Charles Taylor, the Liberian ex-president was sentenced for 5O years in jail for aiding war crimes in Sierra Leone. Some of the tailors are war victims.

To my CP I will also include an interview with Peter Penfold, ex-British High Commissioner who gives a great insight to the country.

Audience

I will focus on different audiences, tailoring the story to their needs. It is a challenge, as my pre-research1 showed, that people don´t know much about Sierra Leone and are not very interested in finding out more.

As my pre-research shows, the view of Africa is quite stereotypical - “giraffe, lion, black children with swollen stomachs, AIDS.” This does not give much hope that anything can be achieved by helping and accords with many research documents2. This image is often exploited by NGOs for fund raising.

The audience has the right to know how life really is in this country. They can then, for example, make an informed decision when choosing which (or any) charity to support.

1 Conducted on Survey Monkey and printed documents. Altogether 50 respondents of different soc. backgrounds and ages. 2 An example being Dead Aid – Dambisa Moyo,Allen Lane 2009 Sarka Pechova Capstone Project Plan

Planned stories

Media Name How and why? Done?

Link (if available)

Local Tydenik People want local stories, so I interviewed the newspaper 5plus2 customers. Ladies from Plzen (and surrounding), who are now wearing the skirts from Sierra Leone Available as PDF I have used a martini glass structure with a reward at the end.

Travel blog Zapiskyzcest Audience is interested to read about foreign country, exotic places. Translation is here3 Used structure: martini glass with emphasis on description of the place. Will be published 31.5., translation available now.

Travel blog Hedvabna The story is going to be published before the travel with x Stezka a direct link to a new web page where it is possible to order the skirt.

Focus is on the daily reality of poor people, humanitarian aid and as Sierra Leonean fashion.

Fashion Zena a zivot The female touch, presenting the fashion side of the 1 magazine whole project. I am going to write a reportage about a submitted fashion brand that is making European clothes from but no African fabric. response so far I have also submitted an article about an interesting woman, who spends her time helping the disabled community. If this doesn´ t work out, I will ask fashion websites if they might be interested.

Seminars various The saying 'If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, Yes then Muhammad must go to the mountain” was the main inspiration. Audience can actually see the person “life”. 1 seminar done at The aim: Ponton – Get the story to the people centre for - Make them care and ideally be interested to find Youth, out more and, in the best case, want a skirt from Sierra Leone. 2nd 30.5. at The presentation is based on photos and structured as a film festival news story. I included short videos and audio as well. Hrakula

3 http://sarkapechova1.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/new-fashion-skirts-from-slum-rock-this-summer/ Sarka Pechova Capstone Project Plan

(and The presentation contained: following - Engaging other senses - I took a skirt with me, to come people could actually try it on until 9.6. at - Engagement -I showed the audience how to the carry goods on their head. (that´s what almost festival) everybody in SL does). They have learned how to say “how are you” in sign language 2 high schools The festival version festival was stripped from many are also elements and after today´s experience I will make it interested. even shorter

This might be a bit of an unusual journalism practice and probably not cost effective.

I assume that, especially in smaller countryside villages a presentation like this would reach much further than for example a post on a blog. As especially in the rural areas people are not using smart phones, they don´t know about Twitpics or Storify. YouTube YouTube I have used media that I have recorded whilst in Sierra photo Leone from an amputee beggar. As the visual side I slides http://youtu.be/- present photos from SL. This was a new think for me ywbMUvQuD4 that I have learned in the course.

YouTube gets to more viewers. It is a strong way how to tell a story.

Rozvojovka Rozvojovka. Cz Submitted articles to Rozvojovka. Cz – Submitted, 1. Blind people will be Web and print 2. Even shoes for the single legged amputees published Translation to during the English is summer. available by email

Radio Cesky Rozhlas4 As Taylor´s trial was closed today I have managed to interview get a 8 minutes interview on the Czech National Radio.

Topic was the situation of the war wounded people and how they live now.

Social media strategy

Twitter and Facebook was used for advertising as they are the 2 most popular social media in the Czech Republic. Once I am certain about taking a further trip to Sierra I will open a new Twitter account for the “Skirts Project” using hash tags of Charities, as well as Fashion sites and bloggers to get the attention to the project.

4 Listen here: http://hledani.rozhlas.cz/iradio/?defaultNavigation=+generic2:^%22%C4%8CRo+1+-+Radio%C5%BEurn%C3%A1l %22$ Sarka Pechova Capstone Project Plan

I have also used today´s Taylors trial to “advertise” my work, making comments and adding links to related articles. If people are going to care about Sierra Leone, today is a great chance5.

Cross-platform and/or multi-media As a not particularly technically minded person, this part of the assignment is difficult. However, I have started to experiment with multimedia.

Key statistics and metrics

Articles for Rozvojovka are going to be followed by graphs to give the audience a clear idea about the amount of disabled people in Sierra Leone and their lifestyle.

I was very limited by space for my printed story and so included only a map and key facts about Sierra Leone.

Key interviews

- Disabled tailors – part finished, further will be done once I am able to travel to Sierra Leone.

- Customers – done

- Fashion line – producing European fashion with African fabrics.

- Peter Penfold - personality that would provide an interesting insight to the country.

Why I have enjoyed working on this story

A great challenge is breaking the “we don´t care” attitude of the Czech audience. I have also learned how to do a story about a place where I am not anymore.

I loved my victories with the technical aspect such as YouTube and improved my presentation skills to grab the audience´s attention. I was so happy how the radio interview worked at the very last moment and because I of the fact that I spotted the possible interest in Sierra Leone the day of Taylor´s trial.

The best at the end: even after the short notices people are starting to contact me - offering help and expressed their interest in the skirts or the country itself.

5 Which worked well with the radio interview and getting more views for YouTube and blog.