MediActions Professional Exchange Program

Deadline: 27-Jun-23

Apply for the MediActions Professional Exchange Program, a 30-45-day funded placement with a media organisation in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, or the Balkans and enrich your journalism and media management skills.

MediActions is a unique chance to work with a prominent media organisation, learn from their expertise, and also share your knowledge and experience with them. MediActions professional exchanges can last from 30 to 45 days. The exchanges will take place in early Autumn 2023 (Sep-Oct). By participating in MediActions, journalists, senior editors and media managers can choose a suitable host organisation in any country of Eastern Europe, Central Asia or the Balkans.

The Prague Civil Society Centre has made a list of recommended organisations who have already expressed willingness to host MediActions participants. These organisations are based in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Czech Republic or Bosnia and Herzegovina. Host organisations can communicate with participants in either English or Russian language.

They are open to supporting collaborations with organisations from these regions not on their list. Info on how to propose an exchange with an organisation not on their list can be found.

Applicants should decide what they want to gain from their professional exchange and how to achieve it.
As part of the application process for MediActions, the applicant must submit a proposal with a general concept for their professional exchange.
Once selected, shortlisted applicants will be asked to elaborate a more detailed plan of their MediActions exchange in direct communication with their host organisation.
Successful candidates will get financial support to cover the travel, insurance, accommodation and living costs related to their exchange.

What kinds of proposals will be accepted?

Applicants should have a well-developed idea of what they want to achieve with their MediActions professional exchange. It can be a media project, skills development, or any other idea that you want to collaborate on with a host organisation. Applicants are free to propose any topic.
They are especially interested in proposals involving investigative journalism, data journalism/data visualisation, solutions journalism, broadcast journalism, community journalism, visual storytelling, support to independent media and boosting media literacy, and media management (monetisation, fundraising).
They welcome proposals on other topics, but these applicants will have to find a host organisation on their own and explain in their application why that specific theme is important for their country.
At this stage of the selection process, applicants will need to:
- Explain what they expect to gain from the expertise of their host organisation;
- Describe the project they will work on doing the exchange programme;
- Explain how the knowledge and experience gained during the exchange will contribute to the work of the applicant’s organisation.
Applicants who are shortlisted to participate in the programme will be required to create, together with their host organisation, a concrete plan with descriptions of the tasks and activities that will take place during the exchange and how they will help the applicant reach his or her goals.

What is covered?

The flight tickets, visa expenses, health insurance, accommodation and the host fee to the host organisation are covered by the Prague Civil Society Centre. The participants of the programme will also be given per diems that will cover their food, local transportation, telecommunications and related costs.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals working in one or more of these fields:
- journalists;
- editors/senior editors;
- media managers (or media professionals who plan to enter media management).
Applicants should have proven experience and commitment to their field in their country or region.
They accept applications from citizens of the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Current and former Prague Civil Society Centre fellows cannot apply.

Details