Theater Project to Promote Effective Community Policing

archived

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION : PAS Nairobi invites proposals for programs that use the medium of theater to explore community-police relations and promote effective and mutually beneficial cooperation between security officers and the communities they serve. All programs must include an American cultural element, or connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. This could include a collaboration with American Corners where applicable. Priority Regions: Coastal, Nairobi and Rift Valley Purpose of Grant : PAS Nairobi invites proposals for a devised, or collective creation, theater program that would explore all aspects of interactions between local communities and security and police forces. Through guided workshops of 15-25 people, selected communities in at least four locations across Kenya would discuss the role of police, communities, and individuals in promoting a peaceful and productive society and establishing effective cooperation and collaboration between all parties. Working with facilitators and theater experts, these communities would use the discussions as a foundation for creating performance pieces lasting 20-30 minutes that reflect both the challenges and best practices in building and maintaining harmonious and beneficial community-police relations. These pieces would be shared with groups working in each of the grant locations; each group would select three or more works to perform in theaters, schools, and local venues in their regions. The creative process will be fully documented and final performances filmed and shared. Following the conclusion of the grant, the collected theater pieces will be published and disseminated. Proposals should address several key program components. Identifying program sites and participants Successful proposals will conduct activities in at least four communities across Kenya, including the coastal regions and one of Nairobi’s informal settlements. Successful proposal will recruit 15-25 participants in each location, especially youth and women. Engaging local partners and institutions Successful proposals will work with community-based organizations to identify participants, meeting locations, and performance venues, etc. Successful proposals will involve police and security forces, as appropriate and possible. Successful proposals will assemble a team of dedicated and accomplished local experts skilled in i.     facilitating difficult conversations; ii.     creating theater and performance pieces; and iii.     developing amateur performers and teaching them professional theater skills. Involving U.S.-based collaborators Successful proposals will plan to involve U.S.-based experts in-person and/or virtually. Realizing fully staged productions Successful proposals will detail the materials and resources necessary to stage the works created in multiple locations. Successful proposals will include complete promotional plans. Measuring success Successful proposals will define monitoring and evaluation techniques to measure changes in attitude and perception by participants and by audiences. Successful proposals will explore ways to share the collected works and support performances that continue after the conclusion of the grant period. Priority Program Areas: Reinforce U.S. – Kenyan Shared Values: Reinforce U.S.-Kenyan shared values through funding proposals that explore and expand on historical and contemporary connections between U.S. and Kenyan cultural institutions and groups Advance Regional and Global Security Advance mutual security goals through funding proposals that promote peaceful dispute and conflict resolution and build lasting partnerships and collaborations that bridge tribal, religious, and regional divides Promote Rule of Law, Democracy, and Respect for Individual Liberty Promote rule-of-law, democracy, and respect for individual liberty through funding proposals that focus on rule-of-law, democratic governance, civic participation, fighting corruption, and media literacy and media independence Participants and Audiences: Residents of undeserved communities in Coastal Regions, Nairobi, and at least two additional locations outside of Nairobi Youth (13-25), including students; Girls and Women, especially mothers; Members of the police and security forces, as appropriate

High