About Sawt

The Strengthening Civil Society and Media Systems (Sawt) Activity is implemented by Internews in partnership with Mercy Corps and the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL). Sawt aims to foster sustained civic engagement in Jordan through civil society and digital media innovations through two objectives: 1) Good, Trusted Knowledge-Building Resources: Citizens and civil society build knowledge through accessing and engaging critically with accurate and fact-based information and 2) Participation & Advocacy: Citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Jordan effectively participate in civic spaces and advocate for policies through knowledge-based collective action.

About Internews

Internews is an international nonprofit operating in 100+ countries. At Internews, we believe everyone deserves trustworthy news and information to make informed decisions about their lives and hold power to account. We train journalists and digital rights activists, tackle disinformation, and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable. For more information about the organization please visit: www.internews.org.

Summary

Internews is seeking a qualified individual consultant to conduct an Individual Capacity and Needs Assessment (ICNA) for a group of individual digital media content creators benefiting from Sawt’s media support program, Digital First.

The ICNA is an assessment tool designed to provide quantifiable data related to the editorial, technological, and collaboration capacities of individual digital content creators. The results of the ICNA will inform the design and implementation of the upcoming third cycle of Sawt’s Digital First program, which will provide 6–8 months of training and capacity-building support for 10-12 digital media content creators (including social media activists, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and/or journo-influencers). During the training delivery period, Sawt will also provide the individual content creators with additional support, in the form of stipends and/or production equipment – aimed at addressing specific capacity gaps and/or needs identified through the “baseline level” application of the ICNA tool, at the very start of the Digital First program. The implementing consultant will assess the capacities of the individual digital content creators participating in Digital First Cycle 3, by applying the ICNA tool, which has specific modules and components related to editorial, technological, and collaboration capacities.

The ICNA tool has been developed and customized by Sawt based on Internews’ Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) tool, which was devised to evaluate and enhance the organizational health, planning capabilities, and IT readiness of organizations. Sawt isolated specific modules and components from the OCA that are relevant to individual digital content creators, to provide both a diagnostic and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) instrument. The sought consultant will review, enhance, and apply the ICNA tool on identified individuals, participating in the Digital First Cycle 3 program.

Objectives

Through applying the ICNA tool, the hired consultant will strive to fulfill the following key objectives:

1. Comprehensive Evaluation: Conduct thorough assessments of 10-12 individual digital content creators over an extended period (approximately a year), holding baseline and endline assessments, gauging needs and progress in capacities prioritized by the ICNA.
2. Inform Training & Capacity Building: Provide insights related to the individuals’ capacities, with the goal of guiding and enhancing the Digital First program’s offered training, mentoring, incubation and equipment support, to ensure it directly responds to identified gaps and needs (particularly in areas related media and journalism ethics, editorial skills, subject-matter knowledge, advocacy abilities, audience engagement skills, and/or technological proficiency related to multimedia production, audience analytics, and digital security).
3. Measure Progress & Impact: Guage and quantify participants’ improvement in knowledge, skills, and capacities as a result of the Digital First program using a customized tool for individuals, as well as identifying areas where additional future training and/or capacity-building are still needed.  
4. Media Development Insights: Provide Sawt with insights about the trending challenges faced by individual digital content creators within a dynamic media landscape.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will apply Internews’ methodologies for conducting the ICNA on individual digital content creators benefiting from the Digital First Cycle 3 program planned to be implemented during the current and coming fiscal years.

Targeted Trainees:

Sawt will select 10-12 individual digital content creators to enhance their capacity and provide them with technical and financial support. The targeted individual digital content creators will include public interest driven social media activists, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and/or journo-influencers who are engaged in producing non-commercial content to raise awareness and mobilize citizens towards the following issues: climate and environment, science and health (including mental and reproductive health); technology, markets, economies, and entrepreneurship; human rights, civil liberties, civic space, political participation, freedom of expression, and/or academic freedoms; youth, women, PWDs or other marginalized groups; arts, culture, and social innovation; and/or media and information literacy, and fact-checking.

In the case that any individual content creator withdraws from the Digital First program during the early stages of training, a replacement will be sought from a reserve list. This measure is meant to keep the total number of beneficiaries between 10 and 12.

Orientation & Preparation

In the initiation phase, Sawt will provide the selected consultant with an orientation to ensure thorough understanding of the program design, and envisioned approach. The orientation will cover the ICNA components, and standard expectations for conducting assessments that gauge pre- and post-intervention capacity levels in each of the following areas:

Online Presence: 

• Personal Brand Management: Strategy for personal branding, task and content management, and outsourcing effectiveness.
• Content Management: Organization of content production, record maintenance, communication handling, performance tracking and reporting, and financial management including income, expenses, and budgeting.
• Strategic Planning: Up-to-date strategies for content creation and personal brand growth.
• Business Development: Long-term business planning, revenue diversification, skill development, and marketing strategies based on data-driven insights.

Editorial and Content Production

• Editorial capacity (editorial accuracy, balance, objectivity, clarity, language, inclusivity … etc.). 
• Content production and audience reach (regularity and timeliness of publication, use of multimedia and production standards, audiences targeting and engagement strategies … etc.)
• Collaboration and networks (professional, local, sectorial, and national).

Technology and digital security, including:

• IT & media equipment (types of software and hardware used). 
• IT proficiency in media delivery.
• Digital security planning and practices.

Tool Customization

The evaluator will review the identified ICNA modules, components and indicators, with the purpose of introducing any needed enhancement(s), leading to a robust measuring tool, which yields comprehensive, quantifiable, and pertinent findings and ensures accurate data collection and analysis. 

Assessments (Baseline and Endline)

Conducting comprehensive assessments at key stages of the project, primarily Baseline and Endline stages. The Baseline assessment sets the initial benchmark, and the Endline assessment evaluates impact of provided training and support. These assessments involve thorough deployment of the ICNA tool. The results, which should be communicated through detailed analytical narrative reports, will inform the delivery of capacity-building and support activities and identify areas for improvement.

Interactions with Trainees

In implementing the assessments, the ICNA consultant will conduct regular check-ins and visits (where possible) with assessed individuals, seeking to remain abreast of the support they have been provided with, capture challenges that may be encountered, discuss progress, identify the individuals’ needs and priorities, help ensure that provided support is in line with recommendations resulting from the baseline ICNA assessment, as well as gauge overall support impact. Interactions with trainees are essential for building rapport, fostering collaboration, understanding evolving needs, and maintaining a responsive approach throughout the project lifecycle. The objective is to establish a feedback loop, enabling agile adjustments and reinforcing the success of the capacity-building support.

Deliverables

Milestone	Description	Deliverables	Expected Number of Days
1. Orientation & Preparation	In the initial phase of ICNA implementation, Internews/Sawt team will orient implementer on the ICNA tool design, preparing consultant with skills needed for effective development and implementation of the tool.	Inception report, detailing: 1. Approach to ICNA tool review. 2. Proposed plan for conducted the baseline assessment, indicating number of days and levels of effort. 3. A proposed structure for filing and managing data sets on individual content creators, including content sampling, with a detailed explanation of the methods and approaches that will be employed to ensure safe and secure data storage, transfer, and management.	7 days
2. Tool Customization	Review and enhancement of the existing ICNA tool.	A fully developed ICNA Tool, including modules, components, indicators, weighted scores, assessment criteria, and needed documentation.	7 days
3. Conducting a Baseline Assessment	Conducting a baseline ICNA for individuals selected to take part in the Digital First Cycle 3 program. Expected number is 12 individual digital media content creators.	Completed ICNA reports – which should be communicated through detailed analytical narrative reports, including the score tables, evidence and support documents, identified priority development areas, findings and recommendations, and comments on assigned scores, in Excel and word format (according to the templates and examples provided by Internews). ICNA reports sent to each partner for validation. A narrative report summarizing and analyzing findings, outcomes, and trends related to the individuals’ capacities in the specified areas, providing insights and recommendations based on the conducted assessment, according to the templates and examples provided by Internews. Updated database, reflecting documents and evidence acquired through the Baseline assessment, with all data stored and transferred in compliance with established safety and security standards to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and protection of sensitive information. A report identifying individuals’ needs and priorities, along with specific recommendations for what type(s) of support could be offered by Sawt (in the form of stipends and/or equipment), to respond to the identified needs of each individual.	Up to 15 days
4. Monthly Online check-in meetings during the Digital First Cycle 3 program	Monthly check-in meetings with each individual content creator during the implementation of the Digital First program, to follow up on the impact of the training, mentoring, and other support that is being provided.	Monthly briefs capturing individuals’ own assessment of the training impact, utilizing relevant tools (such as an observation form) to capture individual participant feedback regarding the impact of the program.	12 days
6. Conducting an Endline ICNA Assessment	Conducting an ICNA Endline assessment for 10-12 individual content creators, after their participation in the Digital First Cycle 3 program is complete.	Up to 12 completed ICNA reports including the score tables, continued priority development areas, findings, recommendations, and comments for recorded scores, in Excel and Word format (according to the template and examples provided by Internews). ICNA reports sent to each program participant for validation. A comprehensive final narrative report summarizing the findings, outcomes, and trends with an overview of the trainees’ performance in the specified areas, providing insights and recommendations based on the assessments conducted, and showcasing change since the baseline assessment was conducted. Updated database, reflecting documents acquired from Endline assessment, with all data stored and transferred in compliance with established safety and security standards to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and protection of sensitive information.	Up to 10 Days.
Total Number of Days			51 Days

Required Qualifications

• Experience in media development and capacity assessments.
• In-depth understanding of the media landscape in Jordan, in particular the operating context and environment of independent media and emerging digital content trends.
• Strong understanding of research methodologies and data gathering experience.
• Readiness to visit identified content creators located across Jordan and collect on-site evidence, data and observations, where possible and needed.
• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken.
• University degree or equivalent experience, of relevance to the assignment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience and knowledge of international media development organizations’ assessment methods is an advantage.
• Strong facilitation skills and proven ability to lead a group discussion or one-on-one exchanges involving activists, advocates, and/or journalists.

Application Instructions

Interested individuals are invited to submit their resumes, technical proposals, and financial proposals, addressed to: [email protected], by November 27, 17:00 Amman time making sure to write “Individual Capacity and Needs Assessment (ICNA), Sawt Activity” in the subject of your e-mail.

Duration

The duration of this program is one year starting from December 15, 2024, to December 14, 2025, subject to extension if needed.