About TOTO

Project TOTO is ActionAid Australia’s attempt to give poverty a voice through social media.

TOTO stands for “The Overseas Training Operation”, but may also have something to do with a hit song by a certain 80’s band.

ActionAid Australia launched Project TOTO in June 2009, when we announced Australian political blogger Stilgherrian, would be sent to Tanzania to teach locals to blog.

Stilgherrian finished his trip in early July – with the Tanzanian blog now live.

ActionAid’s vision is to create multiple blog outposts around the world to give povery a voice on the global stage.

We’re now searching for the next Australian to send to one of our program countries. We launched a nationwide hunt and received over 350 comments in favour of 52 nominees.  From these 52 nominees, ActionAid selected 12 finalists.

>> Meet the 12 finalists

Now we’re putting our shortlist to the test to find our next outreach blogger.

How the selection process works

The selection process is guided by the following five criteria:

1) Writing skills: Since our blogger will be required to not only teach others about social media, but also to blog themselves, strong writing skills are a major consideration.

2) Passion for the cause: The role of an outreach blogger is not easy. We need someone that will go the extra mile for ActionAid to make the outreach blog a success.

3) Social media skills: In the end, Project TOTO is about using social media to give people a voice. Our ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the technological and networking elements of social media.

4) Social network: Talking about poverty is pointless if nobody is listening. We need someone that knows how to spread messages online. The larger the network they have or could create, the greater the impact.

5) Cultural sensitivity: Teaching others requires mutual understanding and trust. Cultural sensitivity will be vital to ensure the project runs smoothly and that the knowledge transfer is effective.

Selection process

ActionAid will set a series of challenges for our shortlisted nominees to complete. These challenges are based on our selection criteria and aim to give a rounded picture of each of our remaining nominees.

Nominees will be judged on each of these challenges, with results posted to ActionAid’s TOTO blog. After all challenges have been completed, ActionAid will review all results and choose the most suitable candidate.

Challenges

ActionAid will issue three challenges to the shortlist. Each challenge will need to be completed within the set timeframe and will be judged based on a range of factors. Details of challenges, timeframes and judging criteria will be sent to nominees and posted on the TOTO blog at the outset of each challenge.

The three challenges will test:

1)       Blogging skills and comprehension of ActionAid’s work

2)       Multimedia production and social media skills

3)       Creative fundraising skills

Timeframe

The selection process will take place over the next 12 weeks, with an announcement on the successful candidate due on 31 January 2010.

Ideally, ActionAid would like to send the next outreach blogger anytime between February and April 2010 – based on the availability of the chosen blogger.

Budget

ActionAid needs an estimated $10,000 to establish the next outreach blog. We have already raised a portion of this money, but will need to raise more to make the next phase of Project TOTO a reality.

>>Donate to Project TOTO<<