The Global Story Lab — come with a story you want to tell, leave with a story the world can experience
A collaborative initiative of United Earth Networks, the CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute, the Civil Society Media Desk, HubCast International and PEAC Institute. The Global Story Lab is a newsroom residency, not a classroom: for two weeks at Fort Worden, 24 young journalists, storytellers, peacebuilders and community leaders use professional media tools, work with mentors around the world, and tell the stories traditional media misses. They leave with published work, not just a certificate.
Project snapshot
At-a-glance facts for partner and sponsor calls. The budget is a working estimate; sponsorship pricing will be set with the preliminary budget.
- Contact
- United Earth Networks · rick@unitedearth.net
- Coalition
- UEN · CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute · Civil Society Media Desk · HubCast International · PEAC Institute
- Format
- Two-week residential newsroom; six reporting teams of four
- Cohort
- 24 emerging storytellers from universities, NGOs, UN-affiliated organizations and communities worldwide
- Campus
- Fort Worden, on the Salish Sea — group dormitory with 28 individual rooms for the cohort and core staff
- Institutional home
- CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute — its first major residential program
- Funding model
- Institutional cohorts and sponsors, not individual tuition
- Pilot budget
- ~$285,000 (estimate) · about $11,875 per participant
- Committed to date
- Partner in-kind: curriculum, newsroom operations, broadcast infrastructure, facilitation — confirm
- Road map
- Masterclasses Nov 2026–Jan 2027 · applications open Jan 2027 · cohorts confirmed Feb 2027 · residency spring/early summer 2027
- Venue
- Early conversations with Washington State Parks to secure 2027 dates
- Fiscal sponsor / EIN
- [Confirm] · EIN [00-0000000]
The opportunity
Language ready to lift into a proposal or sponsor letter.
The invitation
What happens when you bring young journalists, storytellers, peacebuilders and community leaders together for two weeks, give them professional media tools and mentors around the world, then ask them to tell the stories traditional media misses? Participants produce real stories and share them with a global audience.
Why it matters
Many of the most important stories of our time get little coverage: local solutions to global problems, peacebuilding on the ground, Indigenous knowledge, community resilience. The Global Story Lab trains a new generation to find these stories, report them ethically, and connect communities across borders.
A distributed global newsroom
We're building a newsroom spread across the world, where emerging storytellers learn to document solutions, connect communities and bring civil-society stories into global conversations. Fort Worden becomes its first residential hub.
The Institute in action
This is the first major residential program of the CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute. It shows the Institute in action — and gives the Civil Society Media Desk, HubCast and UEN's education work one shared ecosystem.
The two-week arc
On several evenings, public Hub Talks link Fort Worden live with communities across the HubCast network.
| Days | Phase | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Find Your Voice | Storytelling, citizen and community journalism, listening and interviewing, ethics and informed consent, conflict-sensitive reporting, “Who gets to tell whose story?”, AI as a reporting tool, and UEN's core idea: conversation + relationship = change |
| 4–6 | Find the Story | Six reporting teams explore Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula, researching and interviewing people on peace, climate, Indigenous knowledge, resilience, migration, arts and culture, civic participation, intergenerational wisdom and local solutions |
| 7 | Global Newsroom | Teams connect live with partner studios and youth in New York, Detroit, Vancouver, Colorado, Nigeria, Taiwan and beyond — citizen journalism becomes global community journalism |
| 8–11 | Production Lab | Filming, podcasting, writing, photography, editing, social clips and data visualization, with professional mentors joining virtually |
| 12 | Impact & Distribution | UN and NGO communications, broadcast, newsletters, social media, podcasting, community screenings, advocacy vs. journalism, and measuring impact |
| 13 | Global Town Hall | The signature event: participants host a live broadcast from Fort Worden with partner hubs around the world |
| 14 | The Story Festival | Films, podcasts and reporting premiere for residents, funders, universities, NGOs, local leaders and media, streamed worldwide |
What the pilot produces
Plus one founding alumni network of global storytellers.
The coalition
| Partner | Role |
|---|---|
| United Earth Networks | Convener, program design, partnerships and sponsor relations |
| CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute | Academic and institutional home, NGO network, curriculum and certificates |
| Civil Society Media Desk | Production training, newsroom operations, student media and distribution |
| HubCast International | Broadcast infrastructure, Hub Talks, journalism mentorship and networked studios |
| PEAC Institute | Peacebuilding methods, dialogue, facilitation, youth engagement and global partnerships |
| Fort Worden | Residential learning campus |
| Academic partners | Universities and journalism schools that send students and co-design learning |
The campus
Fort Worden is a historic campus on the Salish Sea that suits this model well. Its group housing includes a dormitory with 28 individual rooms, which fits a 24-person cohort and core staff. UEN will start venue conversations with Washington State Parks early to secure 2027 dates.
A repeatable model
Once in place, Fort Worden can host a series of intensives on the same infrastructure with different faculty and curriculum: Peacebuilding & Dialogue · NGO Leadership & UN Navigation · Global Youth Leadership · AI for Social Impact. Fort Worden becomes a West Coast residential campus for the Institute without owning a campus.
Funding opportunities
Sponsor the next generation of global storytellers. The Lab is funded through institutional cohorts, not individual tuition.
The cohort model
Universities & journalism schools
Sponsor 2–5 students and co-design learning.
NGOs & UN-affiliated organizations
Send young communicators from their field programs.
Foundations
Sponsor an entire regional cohort.
Companies
Fund scholarships.
Public diplomacy, youth & media organizations
Sponsor exchange participants.
Per-participant cost
About $11,875 per place, all-in (estimate) — the basis for cohort and scholarship pricing.
Sponsorship opportunities
| Level | Recognition & assets | Suggested range | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presenting Partner | Title recognition (“The Global Story Lab, presented by ___”), a speaking role at the Town Hall and Festival, featured placement in all media and impact reporting | [$75,000–$100,000] | Open |
| Cohort Sponsor | A named regional or institutional cohort, with stories produced under your banner | [$50,000 per team of 4] | Open |
| Newsroom Sponsor | Named production lab and recognition on all distributed content | [$25,000] | Open |
| Global Town Hall Sponsor | Presenting credit on the signature live international broadcast | [$20,000] | Open |
| Story Festival Sponsor | Presenting credit on the culminating public event and livestream | [$15,000] | Open |
| Technology Partner | In-kind or funded cameras, audio, AI and streaming tools, with product integration in training | [In-kind or $10,000+] | Open |
| Travel Sponsor | Brings international participants to Fort Worden | [$3,000 per participant] | Open |
| Scholarship Sponsor | Funds one or more participant places | [$11,875 per place] | Open |
Every sponsor receives an impact report with participant outcomes, published work, audience reach and alumni stories. Level pricing will be confirmed with the preliminary budget; bracketed ranges are suggestions only.
Grant targets & pipeline
| Funder type / target | Program fit | Request | Stage | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journalism, media development & press-freedom funders | Training emerging journalists; solutions and community reporting | [$75,000] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Peace, dialogue & global citizenship funders | Conflict-sensitive reporting, PEAC methods, cross-border connection | [$50,000] | Prospect research | GMA + PEAC |
| Public diplomacy & youth exchange programs | International participants and partner hubs | [$50,000] | Eligibility check | GMA |
| Regional community foundations | Local storytelling, public Hub Talks and Story Festival | [$15,000] | Cultivation | UEN |
Budget & use of funds
Inaugural two-week residency — ~$285,000 (working estimate, to be replaced by the preliminary budget).
Committed
$0 cash. Partner in-kind support to be confirmed.
Pending
Venue dates with Washington State Parks; first cohort sponsors.
Funding plan
Six cohort or team sponsors cover most of the pilot; presenting, event and technology sponsors cover broadcast and festival costs.
The road to Fort Worden
The masterclasses build an audience and bring in applicants. They lead into the intensive rather than delaying it.
| Timing | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Nov–Dec 2026 | Global Citizen Journalism Masterclass — a free or low-cost online event from New York, Washington and Vancouver |
| Jan 2027 | Second masterclass; applications open |
| Feb 2027 | University and NGO partner recruitment; cohort sponsorships confirmed |
| Spring/early summer 2027 | Inaugural two-week Global Story Lab at Fort Worden |
Measurement method
Participant skills and confidence before and after; stories and short-form pieces published; audience reach across HubCast, partner outlets and the Story Festival stream; Hub Talk and Town Hall attendance; alumni stories and placements over the following year.
Reporting
An impact report for every sponsor after the residency, with participant outcomes, published work, audience reach and alumni stories, followed by a six-month alumni update.
Document library
Link each item to the live file in the UEN shared drive.
Fundraising package
Join us
We invite universities, foundations, NGOs, media organizations and companies to help launch the inaugural cohort.
United Earth Networks
Convener and sponsor relations
rick@unitedearth.net
Coalition partners
CoNGO Learning Academy & Institute · Civil Society Media Desk · HubCast International · PEAC Institute
[contacts]
Grant Management Associates
[Consultant name]
[email] · [phone]
Scope: journalism, peace and exchange grants
- Build the preliminary budget and set sponsorship pricing; replace the bracketed ranges.
- Secure 2027 dates and the dormitory with Washington State Parks.
- Confirm each partner's role and in-kind contribution in a coalition MOU.
- Confirm partner hubs for Day 7 and the Global Town Hall (New York, Detroit, Vancouver, Colorado, Nigeria, Taiwan).
- Plan visa timelines for international participants and set safeguarding and consent policies.