Deadline: September 29, 2022
Applications are open for the Watershed Sentinel Indigenous Junior Reporter Mentorship Programme 2022. The goal with this programme is to contribute to capacity-building in journalism in Western and rural Canada, through hands-on learning opportunities with direct mentorship by an experienced Indigenous journalist. Skills will be developed through an especial focus on environmental reporting, but will be applicable across all types of reporting.
Watershed Sentinel encourages Indigenous youth to apply from remote communities as well as urban centres. There are no prior educational requirements – what’s most important is a passion for sharing stories that need to be told, and genuine interest in journalism as a potential career path. While the programme includes payment for training hours and finished articles, it is primarily a learning opportunity, designed to provide young writers with training and hands-on experience in all aspects of journalism.
Successful applicants will be mentored through:
- Story Workshops: In two story development workshops per month, you will receive hands-on skill building in the steps from conception to interviewing, copy writing, editing, and publication.
- Direct Mentorship: You will be provided with guidance from an experienced Indigenous journalist to maintain story quality and technical standards throughout story development.
- Publication: You will publish 1-2 articles per print issue (5 print issues/yr). Some stories may be assigned, and participants will also be encouraged to develop and pitch their own story ideas. Stories will be published in print and/or online under non-commercial creative commons license.
Benefits
- Training stipend – $20/hr for approximately 4 hours/month attending story workshops.
- Payment for completed articles – 25c/word to the specified length for 1-2 short form (approx 500 word) articles per issue.
Eligibility
- Open to Indigenous people in Canada;
- Be between 18 and 30 years old.
Application
Apply by email to [email protected] until September 29.
Please include:
- A statement of interest, explaining why you are interested in and would be well suited for this programme
- Your resume
- 1-3 samples of your own writing (of any kind, does not need to be published)
For more information, visit Indigenous Junior Reporter Mentorship.
