Credit Getty Images
We are a coalition of journalists, coders, designers, digital strategists, and global citizens. We are coming together to address the spiraling crisis of the estimated 19 million people a year who are forced to flee their countries and risk their lives as they attempt to escape persecution, conflict and war. We are committed to finding innovative ways to advance the narrative around this human rights crisis–and explore how the latest technology and digital storytelling methods can improve the reporting and drive global action to address this tragedy.
WE ARE THE 19 MILLION PROJECT.

The Challenge
The 19 Million Project began as a collaboration between the digital journalism group Chicas Poderosas and the Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Freedom as an innovative way to boost awareness about the Mediterranean migration crisis. Led by Fusion and Univision in collaboration with the Global Editors Network and publishers from across the Atlantic, The 19 Million Project will bring together a diverse network of creative minds to generate content that will include apps, digital interactive projects, data visualizations, mini-documentaries and more.

The Idea
Participants from dozens of countries will gather in Rome in early November for a summit that incorporates a hackathon, a design sprint, journalism workshops and education sessions. During the event, we’ll work together on multidisciplinary teams to create new projects about the migration crisis. Leaders from the field of “Design Thinking” will work with the teams to help participants break from traditional conventions of journalism and communications to develop radical new ways to share the narrative of the crisis.

The Project Guidelines
- Come ready to work collaboratively on storytelling teams with representatives from many newsrooms and organizations.
- Be prepared to share ideas and information. Everything we create will be open and available for free to newsrooms and organizations.
- Be ready to brainstorm bold, disruptive ideas for telling the story of the migration crisis.
- Come with project ideas and be prepared to work hard: this event is about action and we want tangible results. We aim to create compelling projects that can be distributed widely by participating newsrooms and organizations.

The Plan
The 19 Million Project will convene in Rome, Italy beginning 2 November 2015. Culminating activities to take place on 13 November 2015 at the La Coalizione Italiana Liberta e Diritti Civili Human Rights Awards ceremony.