2014 Fellow

Jennifer Bailey

Project Description

Ms. Bailey’s project is the creation of the Praxis Media Collaborative (PMC), an online community that leverages emerging technologies in the field of digital storytelling to elevate the work of communities — exploring the intersection of faith and social justice. PMC will connect secular justice organizations to faith-based groups working on similar issues. Specifically, the website will emphasize two major themes: equipping local movements with tools for transformational storytelling and facilitating relationships of inspiration and action.

According to Ms. Bailey, there are a number of leading organizations working at the nexus of faith and media. However, there remains a gap in the sector for promoting user-generated content and harnessing the strategic use of web platforms to distribute these narratives. One of the greatest barriers for faith-engaged social movements is that they lack the financial resources to hire communications staff to promote their work. Yet in today’s digital world, anyone with a smart phone can become a videographer and craft quality user-generated content. The challenge is providing movements with the skills they need to best utilize these tools. This online platform will serve as a venue for communities to upload and share content about their movements while learning from best practices of similar organizations. The Praxis Media Collaborative will also provide online media training sessions and resources for faith-inspired movements free of charge.