Description
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1. Introduction Centre for Common Ground (CCG) has been working in North Macedonia since 2008 implementing programs to foster trust between different ethnic communities, introduce positive intercultural models of cooperation, and work towards the institutionalization of collaborative practices and democratic principles, both at the local and national level. The mission is to transform the way people and communities deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards cooperative solutions. It works with local partners to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to constructively deal with conflicts: to understand the differences and act on the commonalities. Using innovative tools such as education, media media, training, dialogues, music, theater and working at different levels of society, CCG engages in pragmatic long-term processes of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. 2. Project summary The project “Empowering Youth for Promoting Non-violent and Inclusive Communities” is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and implemented by CCG from November 2024 to November 2025. The project aims to increase the interethnic cohesion and prevent ethnic tensions by raising awareness of the benefits of the multicultural living and building a peaceful and inclusive communities through conflict transformation and multicultural education. CCG will engage a Production Company to produce a high-quality series of comic sketches, broadcasted on the various social media to raise awareness of the positive role youth can play for social change, bringing together young women and men from different ethnic communities in North Macedonia. CCG aims for youth viewers to see their peers as positive role models through the social media and by engagement with multiple stakeholders, elders and key decision-makers in local communities to see the valuable contribution they can make to North Macedonia. 3. Scope of Work 3.1 Description of service CCG is seeking a production company to create a series of 36 comic sketches, each with a duration of approximately 3 to 5 minutes. These sketches will creatively depict various conflict situations inherent in everyday life, allowing viewers to resonate with the scenarios presented. Through these sketches, the audience will witness the emergence of comic situations that touch upon different themes, with a focus on preserving the authenticity of Balkan traditions while seamlessly integrating them into contemporary life. The selected production company will be responsible for bringing these sketches to life through filming and editing in alignment with the agreed-upon concepts. The sketches will use four languages Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish and Roma for production and for broadcast. The sketches will be disseminated across various social media platforms with the aim of raising awareness, promoting democratic values, and showcase the collaborative efforts of representatives from diverse backgrounds coming together to address community issues, situations, stereotypes, challenges. For that purpose, the production company will create accounts on different social media platforms. The sketches will be shared online via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to reach a diverse audience, including young viewers and the broader community. All media content will undergo thorough review by project stakeholders to prevent the exacerbation of tensions and ensure alignment with project objectives. 3.2 Deliverables: ● Development of a detailed creative concept outlining themes and narratives of the 36 comic sketches; ● Collaboration with Curriculum Committee to incorporate feedback from the members of the committee in the concepts to ensure they are in line with the project goal and objectives; • Production of 36 comic sketches professionally produced with filming and editing services; • Rough cuts of each sketch on review by CCG team • Final editing of the sketches (with appropriate subtitles) • Production of teasers for the series and sketches and broadcast schedule for teasers on various social media; • Develop a detailed pre-production, production and postproduction timeline plan for implementation of the activities. ● Language: shot and edited in Macedonian, with Albanian subtitles. When people are speaking Albanian/Turkish/Roma, it will have Macedonian subtitles; ● Detailer reporting on the performance of the sketches; ● Collaborate with CCG on Common Ground approach training for production team and community engagement events in the local communities in promotion of the sketches. Note that the collaboration with Centre for Common Ground will be at every stage: approval of the concepts of sketches; approval of criteria and process for selecting the ‘contestants’ for the sketches; approval of the specific issues to be tackled through the sketches; approval of the rough cut of each sketch. 3.3 Timeline: The timeline to produce the comic sketches will span from the conceptualization to the final distribution of all 36 sketches and associated social media content. It should be coordinated with CCG and the deliverables to be completed to the agreed schedule but no later than November 2025. The awarded Tenderer is expected to start the work in March 2025. 3.4 Communication and coordination Regular communication and updates between the production company and project stakeholders will be needed as well as the coordination of feedback, revisions, and approvals throughout the production process. 3.5 Reporting The production company will need to provide detailed reporting on the performance of the comic sketches and social media initiatives. Evaluation of the performance will be done based on the key performance indicators to assess the impact and effectiveness of the project. Also, recommendations for future content strategies will be made based on data analysis and audience feedback.