Call for Participation: Training for Young Journalists on Reporting on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Issues in Southeast Asia

Deadline: 20 February 2017

UNESCO  has opened applications for a project funded by the government of Malaysia to provide “Training for Young Journalists on Reporting on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Issues in Southeast Asia” to Strength media capacity to monitor and report on climate change in Asia-Pacific.

The training will bring together young journalists, photojournalists and citizen reporters from Southeast Asia, media and climate/environment experts as well as some representatives of development partners in a view to enhance media monitoring and reporting on the globally interconnected issue of climate change.

THE TRAINING – Strengthening the capacity of the next generation of climate journalists

Aims

• Equip the young journalists, photojournalists and citizen reporters with the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to monitor and communicate on climate change in their community, country and/or region,
• Strengthen the network of climate change trackers/reporters in Southeast Asia, and
• Raise public awareness of the adverse impacts of climate change and the attendant efforts at adaptation and mitigation.

Contents of the Training

The training will address the following topics, including a one-day field trip:

• Finding the story: local perspectives
• Climate science: anthropogenic and Green House Effect
• Climate change in Southeast Asia: impacts and adaptation strategies
• Telling the story: photojournalism and news writing
• Social media and advocacy
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) process
• Join the networks – Climate Tracker, Mekong Matters Journalism Network

Participants of the training will have the opportunity to:

• Enhance and practice their journalism and photojournalism skills to track and report on climate change and sustainable development issues from different perspectives;
• Join the networks of climate change trackers/reporters in the world;
• Have their news stories on climate change/environment in Southeast Asia published in the media, partners’ websites or newsletters;
• Engage in debates and raise awareness on the issues of sustainable development that will affect their generation;
• Share a unique intercultural and networking experience with young journalists, citizen reporters and experts from the region.

Eligibility Criteria

The training is open to 18 participants with the following requirements:

• Young journalists, photojournalists and citizen reporters (the participants don’t need to be employed by a media organization, they can be freelance writers or so called citizen journalists who produce, share or distribute public interest content through social media)
• Aged 18-35 years old
• Based or from Southeast Asia
• Having already published articles on climate change or sustainable development issues

How to Apply

Applicants can send their CV together with the articles applicants published and a letter of motivation indicating the following:

• What is applicant’s motivation for participating in the training? How does it relate to their work or study?
• What kind of stories are planning to publish after the workshop?
• What is applicant’s basic knowledge on climate change and journalism skills? What is applicant’s level of photography/photojournalism experience?
• Do applicants have their own camera or Smartphone that applicants can bring?

Applicants can send their applications at the address given on the website.

Eligible Countries: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam

For more information, please visit Call for Participation.