Consultancy: Network mapping and engagement exercise for innovation project “TheoTech”

1. General information

Requested services: Consultancy for conducting a network mapping of religious opinion leaders with a high profile on social media and with a relevant impact on Lebanese youth (13 – 29 yrs) using online research methods as well as in-person meetings, leading to establishment of a database). The mapping should be followed by an engagement exercise, contacting the most relevant actors, introducing the project, and procuring their cooperation for content creation for the TheoTech online platform. The engagement exercise shall be conducted online and through in-person meetings, with results summarised in an engagement report. Mapping and engagement exercise shall be preceded by a short (1-2 page) inception report outlining methods and starting points.

Starting date: ASAP

End date: 22 September 2021

Time frame: A total of 20 days

Location: Lebanon-based is beneficial, remotely is possible contingent on certain aspects (email eso@danmission.dk for details)

Expected places of travel: online, with in-person meetings in Lebanon as needed and feasible

2. Background and motivation

Danmission is an independent organisation linked to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. Danmission works in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Denmark. Danmission’s Regional Office for the Middle East is based in Beirut, Lebanon. Danmission works within the thematic areas of faith-driven social action, interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding, and natural resource sustainability and justice.

The TheoTech initiative focuses on using technology to target Lebanese youth between 13 and 29 years old with inspirational content using innovative tools. The compounded crises in Lebanon have created intense hardship and also reduced access to religious gatherings and events through the corona restrictions. The TheoTech project aims to reach youth who have been cut-off from spiritual motivational content for those reasons. A pilot initiative for TheoTech will span 5 months with the aim of Enabling Danmission to map young religious actors online and build a small network of religious actors from different religions and affiliations in Lebanon including but not limited to Roman Catholic, Greek and Oriental Orthodox, Maronite, Sunni, Shia, Druze, and Protestant. In the following, targeted, and curated content in simplified Levantine Arabic and English is posted on Instagram that focuses on youth. This content will support the Lebanese youth audience by filling the main online information gaps and providing online support. Themes covered will include wellbeing improvement, mental health improvement, meditation advice as relief from to stress, shame, and anxiety, increased understanding of theology and spirituality, encouraging quotes from religions and religious actors around the world and the Middle East, and lastly access to theology and spiritual institutions, with links to other websites and empowering spiritual content.

The TheoTech initiative is a pilot that will act as both an assessment and ultimately as a prototyped product that Danmission and the network can use for future programming and to support other initiatives through collaborative approaches and using the principals of digital humanitarian development.

3. Scope of Work

The consultancy will be initiated asap. The consultancy work will consist of 5 components (20 days total)

1. Desk review of project documentation, kick-off meeting with DM advisor, small (approx. 2-page) inception report. (3 days)
2. Mapping and database exercise (online, with in-person meetings and phone calls as needed) (10 days)
3. Mid-term meeting with DM (1/2 day)
4. Engagement exercise, followed by short report (approx. 5-page) identifying key actors and recommendations for sustainable engagement (6 days)
5. Results presentation (1/2 day)

4. Elaboration of the five components

The focus of this consultancy lies in the database building (component 2) and engagement and activation of the network (component 4) for the purpose of the project. The database shall be assembled as Excel or similar in coordination with DM advisor. The engagement exercise shall be coordinated with DM advisor. Focussing on components 2 and 4, supporting report and results presentation can be kept to a strict minimum. The existing DM network can serve as a vantage point for mapping and engagement, proceeding in a snowballing logic, but it is expected that the mapping will go beyond the existing network of DM, particularly identifying individuals and groups with high Social Media impact. Actors shall be identified, among other factors, by their online impact on the target group.

5. Competences, Requirements:

Profile:

• University degree, preferably in related fields (media sciences, development studies, social sciences, religious sciences or similar)
• Proven experience in
  • Social media engagement, including basic grasp of impact metrics
  • Religious youth movements of more than one religious’ group
• Excellent oral proficiency in Arabic, English and online-typical mixed forms
• Good writing skills in English
• Sympathy for Danmission’s mandate as faith-based, ecumenically, and inter-religiously minded organization