“EQUAL – EU 4 Women Empowerment in Armenia.”

Terms of Reference
Individual Consultant: Journalist for Article and Podcast Development

Background
The project “EQUAL – EU 4 Women Empowerment in Armenia” aims to elevate and empower women in Armenia to bring about societal change across the country. Main components of the project EQUAL: Freedom from Gender-based violence and discrimination in Armenia. One of the main pillars of EQUAL supports public information campaigns on shifting stereotypes and perceptions hindering women empowerment, notably through capacitating local organizations into doing so – with financial and technical support. The EQUAL is implemented by a consortium led by OxYGen Foundation for Protection of Youth and Women Rights (hereinafter “OxYGen”).
Within framework of the project EQUAL, the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women (CSVW) implements Working towards Comprehensive Policies for Violence Free Life for Women and Girls sub-grant project and works to promote gender equality and eliminate gender-based violence through advocacy, research, and awareness-raising activities. As part of its commitment to disseminating key findings and insights from its research, the Coalition seeks a professional journalist to develop high-quality articles and/or podcasts to popularize its research and highlight its relevance to public discourse.

Objective
To create five (5) articles and/or podcasts that:

1. Popularize the findings of the Coalition’s research.
2. Shed light on the key aspects of the research.
3. Highlight the team that conducted the research, showcasing their expertise and commitment.
4. Ensure the content is published within the consultant’s media outlets to maximize reach and impact.

Scope of Work
The consultant will:

1. Review the Coalition’s research reports and related documents to ensure a thorough understanding of the findings.
2. Collaborate with the Coalition’s team to identify key themes, messages, and topics for the articles/podcasts.
3. Develop five articles and/or podcasts that effectively communicate the research findings and their implications for public awareness.
4. Include interviews with research team members to humanize the content and provide a deeper perspective.
5. Ensure the content aligns with the Coalition’s values and messaging.
6. Closely collaborate with the Coalition’s Communications Exert to ensure articles branding and visibility requirements are properly met.
7. After OxYGen’s approval, publish the articles and/or podcasts within the consultant’s media outlets, ensuring they reach a wide audience.

Deliverables

1. Five articles and/or podcasts in Armenian, each focusing on a unique aspect of the research findings.
2. Evidence of publication of all deliverables in reputable media outlets.
3. A brief report (one page) summarizing the content creation and publication process, including audience engagement metrics (if available).

Qualifications
The ideal candidate should:

1. Be a professional journalist with at least 5 years of experience in writing and/or podcast production.
2. Have a strong portfolio of published articles or podcasts on topics related to social issues, gender equality, or human rights.
3. Demonstrate excellent interviewing and storytelling skills.
4. Be familiar with gender-based violence and related social justice issues in Armenia.
5. Have a strong network of media outlets where the content can be published.
6. Be fluent in Armenian; proficiency in English is an asset.

Duration
The consultancy will be carried out over a period of 8 weeks from the signing of the contract.

Payment and Terms
The consultant will be paid a lump sum, with payments made in installments:

1. 30% upon submission of a detailed work plan after the signing of the contract.
2. 70% upon submission and publication of all deliverables.

Application Procedure
Interested candidates should submit:

1. A CV highlighting relevant experience.
2. A portfolio of published articles or podcasts.
3. A brief proposal (no more than 1 page) outlining their approach to creating the articles/podcasts and their media placement strategy.
4. Contact information for two references.
5. Per unit cost offer (article and podcast separately)

Applications must be submitted via email to [email protected] and cc: [email protected] by January 13, 2025 with the subject line: Application: Journalist Consultant – Articles/Podcasts.

Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:

1. Relevance and quality of past work (40%).
2. Proposed approach and methodology (30%).
3. Experience and qualifications (20%).
4. Media outlet reach and placement strategy (10%)

The subgrant project on Working towards Comprehensive Policies for Violence Free Life for Women and Girls is implemeted by the Coalition to Stop Violence against Women within the framework of “EQUAL – EU 4 Women Empowerment in Armenia” project.

“EQUAL – EU 4 Women Empowerment in Armenia” project is implemented by OxYGen Foundation, European Partnership for Democracy NGO, Netherlands Helsinki Committee NGO, Women’s Support Center NGO, WINNET Goris Development Foundation in cooperation with Winnet Sweden NGO. The project is funded by the European Union.