Impact Creators: A Fellowship for Responsible Digital Voices

Impact Creators is a six-month fellowship designed for emerging content creators and digital journalists across the MENA region who are committed to producing responsible, high-impact human-interest stories.

This fellowship sits at the intersection of content creation and journalism. It recognises that today’s most influential storytellers may work across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook or podcasts, often combining creative formats with journalistic values.

Through micro-grants, hands-on mentorship, and networking opportunities, Impact Creators supports fellows to develop stories that are:

• Community-rooted and audience-driven
• Ethically produced and responsibly framed
• Focused on public interest and social impact

The programme is implemented by Raseef22 and Internews, combining editorial expertise, regional insight, and global best practices in digital media and impact.

Fellowship Offers:

1. Fellows receive micro-grants of $1,500–$3,000 USD to produce one content series (3–5 videos). Grants cover:

• Production costs (equipment, software, travel, design, animation)
• Research and reporting expenses
• Freelance support (editors, designers, translators, videographers)

1. Editorial Mentorship & Production Support Duration: 3–6 months Fellows get one-on-one guidance from Raseef22 and Internews mentors. Support includes:

• Story ideas, scripts, visuals, drafts feedback
• Ethical guidance, safety, audience impact Tailored mentorship areas:
• Legal & Ethical Foundations: privacy, consent, defamation, misinformation, AI ethics
• Creative & Technical Storytelling: story ideation, scripting, visual storytelling, platform strategies
• Sensitive Topics & Strategic Communication: gender, migration, conflict, trauma-informed storytelling, audience engagement, measuring impact

1. Practical Implementation Fellows complete guided assignments that feed into their final project. By the end, each fellow will have:

• A publishable project (3–5 pieces of content)
• Improved editorial vision and ethical framework
• Tools for ongoing responsible storytelling

1. Networking & Visibility

• Access to a regional cohort of creators and journalists
• Connections with editors and media professionals regionally and internationally
• Opportunities for collaboration and future projects

Bonus: 1–2 fellows may represent the cohort at major journalism/content events internationally (e.g., Perugia Journalism Festival, ARIJ Forum, One Billion Followers Summit).

Nature of Supported Content

• Focus on public-interest, human-centred storytelling
• Designed for digital audiences
• Emphasis on clarity, relevance, and measurable impact

• Emerging content creators, digital storytellers, and journalists in MENA.
• Must commit to 7–8 hours per week during fellowship.
• Produce a series of 3–5 videos on a socially relevant topic.
• Demonstrate commitment to ethical and responsible storytelling.
• Willingness to engage fully in mentorship and peer learning.