Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome! Thanks for your interest in our training resources. The WITNESS Library offers a wide selection of free, downloadable resources created to help activists, human rights advocates, educators, investigators and journalists use video more safely, ethically and effectively. WITNESS is an international human rights organization that trains and supports people using video in their fight for human rights. Visit the About page to learn more.
These resources distill the knowledge and expertise co-created through from over 30 years of working with partners, experts and allies in more than 135 countries using video to protect and defend human rights. Check out our FAQs below to learn more about our work.
Remix + translate
We invite you to remix, modify and translate these materials so they are relevant to the issues you work on. Our resources are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Many of the materials and their design elements (InDesign files, fonts, images, etc.) are available on GitHub. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, give us a shout at feedback@witness.org.
Currently the Resource Library navigation is only in English and the majority of the resources are in English. Resources that have translations in other languages are tagged with the translated language available and include a separate link to download the resource. We are working to make the library more multilingual and include all of our translated resources. In the meantime, visit our sites in Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish for translated resources.
We love to see how people are using our resources and encourage you to share your revised versions and translations with us!
Get in touch
Have a question, idea or suggestion? Let us know what you think at feedback@witness.org. Stay updated on the newest training resources and projects – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and sign up for WITNESS’s Main Newsletter.
More FAQs
What is Video Advocacy?
“Video advocacy” is about using video and visual media as a strategic tool to engage people to create change in policies, laws or behaviors or attitudes. Making an advocacy video requires setting specific objectives, identifying target audiences and developing a strategic plan for production and distribution to ensure the video has impact. Video advocacy campaigns use storytelling and video to mobilize communities as well as to pressure courts, decision-makers, and influence media. It is most successful when incorporated alongside other tactics such as protesting, lobbying, litigation and other forms of mobilization. Download WITNESS’s full video advocacy curriculum to see more (curriculum last updated in 2012).
How did WITNESS create these materials
These materials were produced in collaboration with our partners, allies, advocacy groups, movements and experts in using video as a tool for human rights advocacy and documentation. Learn more about our work with these groups at WITNESS.org
Are these materials available in other languages?
Many of our resources are available on our Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and French websites. Some materials have also been been translated to other languages as well, such as Burmese, Hindi, Romanian and more. On each resource page you will find a description that will indicate what additional languages the material is available in and include a download link for those languages.
We are working on updating the WITNESS Library to include all our multi-lingual resources and enable the search function to work in additional languages.
Can I help translate the materials?
Yes! Please sign up for our Volunteer Translator Database to learn more.
Can I modify the materials?
Yes! Our materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Some of the text and graphic elements of our original tip sheets (2014) are available on our Github page. You can also reach out to us to request design files at feedback@witness.org.
And if you do, let us know how you adapted the content. We’d love to see what you’re doing.
How often do you update the materials?
We update these resources and add new ones based on the expressed needs of our partners and activists working in the field. All resources include information in the footnote about versions – a 1.2 will be more updated than a 1.0, for example. Get notifications about new resources or updated versions by signing up for our newsletter.
Can I submit feedback on these materials?
Yes, we welcome your feedback! Please contact us.
Can I order printed copies of the materials and/or DVDs of the videos?
We do not send out printed copies or DVDs of these materials. However, all WITNESS materials are released under a Creative Commons License. This means that if you’d like to print them out or create DVDs for distribution, you’re more than welcome to.
Will you distribute my resource/video on the WITNESS Library?
Generally we do not have the capacity to share all the great resources created by others, but if you do have a resource that you think valuable to the video activist community, feel free to contact us and we may review or highlight it on our social media channels or on the WITNESS Blog.