Student Media Grant Program (SMGP)
About SMGP:
The Program on Conflict and Development (Program on Conflict and Development) at Texas A&M University accepts applications on an annual basis for its Student Media Grant Program, offering Aggies and others an opportunity to highlight the human stories behind major global issues. These grants are funded by Texas A&M’s Howard G. Buffett Foundation Endowed Chair on Conflict and Development.
In 2023-2024, Program on Conflict and Development cooperated with the Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism, to focus on the role that hospitality and tourism plays in the mediation of conflict worldwide. Since 2013, program participants have used photos, interviews and other means to document world events depicting the intersection of conflict and development. This year we asked the question, “How has hospitality and tourism supported peace building”.
SMGP 2023-2024 Grantees
The Program on Conflict and Development, in partnership with the Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism at Texas A&M University selected the new grantees for the 2023-2024 Student Media Grant Program. This photojournalism grant is funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation Chair on Conflict and Development.
The theme for the program was the role of tourism and hospitality in supporting families and communities to avoid conflict, thrive during conflict, or recover from conflict. This theme was chosen to (a) commemorate the tenth anniversary of the installation of a selection of Howard G. Buffett photography at Texas A&M University, and (b) to celebrate the inauguration of the Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
New grantees:
Taahira Ayoob
University of Girona, SPAIN
“Flavors of Resilience: A Culinary Chronicle of Conflict-Inspired Cuisine from the Northern Territories of Sri Lanka“
Project Site: Sri Lanka
PICTURES & ARTICLES: Flavors of Resilience: A Culinary Chronicle of Conflict-Inspired Cuisine from the Northern Territories of Sri Lanka
Joseph Bouchard
Carleton University, CANADA
“Outliving Pablo: Social Tourism in Colombia’s Comunas”
Project Site: Colombia
PICTURES & ARTICLES: Social Tourism in Colombia’s Comunas
Benmun Damul
Vanderbilt University, USA
“Frames of Tenacity: A Visual Chronicle of Plateau’s Resilience”
Project Site: Nigeria
REPORT WITH PICTURES: Resilient Plateau Project (Dec 2024)
Kelechukwu Iruoma
Arizona State University, USA
“From Decline to Development: How Conflict-ridden Rwandan National Park became a Top Destination for Wildlife Tourism”
Project Site: Rwanda
PICTURES AND ARTICLES: From Decline to Development: How Conflict-ridden Rwandan National Park became a Top Destination for Wildlife Tourism
Jessica Spence
Virginia Tech, USA
“Sustainability Stories: Articulating Agricultural Conflict and Agritourism Conservation Efforts in Ghana”
Project Site: Ghana
PICTURES AND ARTICLES: Sustainability Stories: Articulating Agricultural Conflict and Agritourism Conservation Efforts in Ghana
Grantees are currently completing their reports. Applications are now closed. We are working on determining when the new new application period will be open for 2025.
All work produced by Fellows will be used by Texas A&M University and the Conflict and Development Foundation to advance advocacy and public awareness of critical issues facing international development. Information about the #SMGP grantees and their associated projects will be presented to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. There will be unrestricted access and use of published materials by these entities to advance mutual goals. Fellows will sign a release granting these permissions.
