At its core, climate justice recognises the disproportionate impacts of climate change on developing countries, low-income communities, and communities of colour around the world. The inescapable irony lies in the reality that these groups are composed of people and places least responsible for the climate crisis.
At the foundation of climate justice, is the search for solutions to deal with the core causes of climate change, without failing to address a wide range of social, racial, and environmental injustices that exist.
Is a participatory and rights-based approach being used in the development of climate policies? Are affected communities being included in the development of climate adaptation and mitigation projects and strategies? Is there fair and just treatment, equitable decision-making, and climate financing?
These are some of the many questions the climate justice lens brings into focus.
We’re happy to announce a new and exciting partnership with Open Society Foundations, diving into this critical theme through our Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship.
The opportunity
Over the course of 6 months, each of our selected fellows will learn from a range of environmental, storytelling, and journalism experts, while practically applying their learning in articles aimed at sharing the national and regional climate justice debates, with the primary intention and focus on publishing powerful stories on climate justice.
With 1-1 access to the experts and mentoring, our selected fellows will also engage in an array of workshops to build their climate justice knowledge and their journalism skills.
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In addition, this team of Caribbean journalists will get the chance to put what they’ve learned into practice, by engaging in new media journalism, through podcasts, social media storytelling, and newsletters.
This fellowship will take a holistic and career-building perspective as we actively integrate our fellows into the building of a fruitful community for Caribbean climate journalists, storytellers, and communicators.
Boost your climate justice reporting knowledge
Throughout the 6 months of this fellowship, our fellows will gain exposure and networking opportunities, interacting with each other and the trainers.
Some of the areas this programme will cover:
- Understanding the concept and key pillars of climate justice
- How does climate justice apply in the Caribbean?
- Telling the stories of climate justice
- The basics of climate reporting
- Digital journalism and the new media landscape
- Deep dive into social media as a storytelling tool in climate and environmental journalism
- The role of multimedia in telling the climate justice story
Our expectations
- As a selected fellow, you will be supported to publish one climate justice feature story in a local media outlet each month during the fellowship. These stories can incorporate written, audio, photo, or video journalism.
- You will have to pitch each of the stories to your journalism mentor each month, before working on your story.
- You will be required to attend:
- Group calls
- Training sessions
- 1-1 calls with your mentor
- You will work alongside the Climate Tracker team to organise and conduct new media engagements through:
- Podcast episodes
- Instagram LIVE sessions
- Twitter Spaces
- Newsletter contributions
- In the last 2 months of the fellowship, you will get the chance to publish a final collaborative story. You’ll be partnered with 2 other fellows from other countries and will be challenged to collaboratively pitch, investigate, co-draft, and publish an insightful climate justice story that can be simultaneously published by each fellow.
We believe in the power of collaboration and trust that this experience will build on the learning environment we foster in our programmes. In this way, we hope to build a pan-Caribbean professional network that can continue to build on the learning journey throughout each of our fellow’s respective careers.
And you will be at the core and forefront of the foundation of that network!
These pieces will also be co-published on Climate Tracker alongside individual podcast episodes explaining the investigative journey behind each of the published stories.
Isn’t that exciting?!
Major benefits…
💰 Monthly stipend
📢 Global exposure of your profile and your stories
👋🏽 Networking opportunities
🤓 1-1 training with technical experts and climate journalists
We invite you to apply if you’re…
- A Caribbean journalist interested in covering climate justice
- A Caribbean journalist with some experience in covering environmental issues but needs some guidance and training in reporting on climate justice
- A Caribbean journalist with some publications under your belt, interested in gaining knowledge and certification in climate justice
- A Caribbean journalism, media, or communications student with at least 1 year experience reporting or some publishing already done in the past year, looking for the chance to increase your knowledge and publishing profile
- Able to commit at least to fortnightly group and individual meetings with your team and your mentor, respectively
- Able to commit to attending our training sessions
Important to note, this opportunity is open to young, passionate climate journalists from around the world. We welcome applications from all age groups and backgrounds, but especially encourage younger journalists to apply, even if you feel like they might not have as much experience other candidates.
We hope you’re interested! Here’s how to apply….
Simply tell us how this fellowship could potentially benefit you and your career!
Submit your application by 23rd September, 2022
I’m extremely thrilled about this fellowship and I’m looking forward to the fantastic stories that will be told! If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to reach out:
- Dizzanne Billy – Caribbean Regional Director – dizzanne@climatetracker.org
I’ll be happy to hear from you and give any guidance you may need in your application process. And while you’re at it, be sure to join our Caribbean Climate Trackers Facebook group.
All the best!
GET TO KNOW CLIMATE TRACKER
Climate Tracker (CT) is a non-profit organisation that aims to support, train and encourage more and better climate journalism around the world.
We believe in the power of journalism, but we know that many young journalists don’t have the training, resources, or support to tell the stories they want to tell. We know that this challenge is even greater in those countries most affected by the climate crisis. Learn more.