Free Press Unlimited Call for Climate Change Fellowship Programme.

Climate Change Fellowship

Deadline:  24 December 2023

Free Press Unlimited (FPU) is implementing a programme called “Core Support for Independent Media in the Southern Neighbourhood” with the support of the European Union from 2021 to 2026. The main objective of this programme is to provide comprehensive bespoke core support to pluralism, independence, and resilience of the media sector in the Southern Neighbourhood to withstand existing threats.

The overall strategy of the programme aims to: 

• Objective 1: improving sector capacities to safely produce and share more high-quality content within and outside the Southern Neighbourhood
• Objective 2: improving business viability and resilience among the independent media outlets in the Southern Neighbourhood
• Objective 3: strengthening existing regional networks to more efficiently convene communities of practice in the Southern Neighbourhood.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is greatly affected by the changing climate which leads to all kinds of new challenges for the region. Extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels in the Mediterranean and water shortages in other parts pose incredible challenges on people and governments. 

Free Press Unlimited believes that journalism in the MENA plays a crucial role in tackling great societal challenges in relation to climate change. Independent information is imperative for both climate accountability towards governments and the private sector, and climate adaptation and building resilience of local communities. The voice of local communities affected by climate change deserve to be heard much more through the media. At the same time Free Press Unlimited aims to provide journalists with the opportunity to develop journalistic approaches that go beyond highlighting the problem, but come with constructive and solution based stories which can be meaningful to local communities and decision makers. Support to journalists in the region can also address safety mechanisms since climate reports can sometimes have security implications.
 

Climate Change Fellowship Programmes

Two Climate Change Fellowship Programmes for journalists in the Southern Neighbourhood will enable 20 fellows to tell a better climate story and inform their audience by creating stories that go beyond highlighting the problem and come with constructive solutions.

The first Climate Change Fellowship programme will cover the following topic: How are young people mobilizing for climate action (creation of citizen/political movements, activism, information campaigns, etc.)? 

The second fellowship programme will cover the following topic: Climate change and innovative methods for green economy and energy transition (recycling, renewable energies, green hydrogene etc.) 

The two fellowships will consist of:

• Training and individual coaching throughout the fellowship when producing one story in two different formats (article, podcast or video) on climate change (January – February – March 2024)
  
  Within an 10 week period, successful fellows will write and publish one story fitting in one of the above topic. Fellows will receive training at the beginning of the programme on basics of environmental journalism, information sources and journalistic angles. The fellows will also benefit from coaching throughout the  programme period from an experienced trainer/mentor on the writing process, selection of sources but also with the publication of the story. Free Press Unlimited will offer visibility of the material produced. All the fellows will receive financial support of 500 euros.
   
• Unlimited access to Free Press Unlimited’s TOTEM platform. TOTEM is an online platform that helps journalists and activists use digital security and privacy tools and tactics more effectively in their work.
   
• Two community of practice events (April 2024). During the first one, climate change experts will be invited to share knowledge on environmental issues in the MENA region and their experiences in that field. All fellows will have the opportunity to pitch their story. The second one will be the closing ceremony. The 6 best stories will be awarded (1,000 euros).
   

Who is invited to apply for Climate Change Fellowship?

Eligible individuals must fulfill the following criteria:

• Be a journalist or a graduate in journalism
• Operating in one of the following countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia
• Willing to comply with core journalism principles (fact-based, accurate, independent, fair, impartial, accountable, etc.)
• Addressing one of the two above climate change topics and providing means to publish content productions (commitment from one or several media outlets to publish the applicant’s content)
• Having the technical capacities and experience in podcast or video production
• Proving commitment from one or several media outlets to publish their content (article and podcast or article and video)

Evaluation of successful candidates will be based on motivation, relevance of applicant’s climate change issue / story in line with the two proposed fellowship topics, reach and impact of applicant’s issue/story, approach to core journalism principles. Additionally, the jury will also look to ensure a balance across target countries, and proposed story themes. A total of 20 fellows will be selected.
 

Commitments of applicants

Successful applicants will be expected to:

• Produce and publish a story on two different formats (article, podcast, video) on one of the above topic before 31 March 2024
• Active participation in group/peers-to-peer/individual coaching sessions between 15th January 2024 and 31 March 2024
• Strong involvement during two events in April 2024 (exact date to be determined)
   

How to apply (procedure)

Please submit your CV and motivation letter, which explains the specific reason for applying, the topic you want to address about and the story you propose to write, and how it fits with the first or second fellowship programme. If you are working for an independent media outlet, you need to enclose a letter of support from your chief-editor (or network/ad-hoc group). Applications can be submitted in Arabic, English or French.
 

Timeline

• Until 17th December 2023: possibility to ask questions, no questions will be answered after this date 
• 24 December 2023: application deadline
• First two weeks of January 2024: fellowships announced
• 15 January 2024 until 31 March 2024: training, coaching, writing and publishing the two stories
• April 2024: participation to the two events described in the above section.

Please submit your application before 24 December 2023 to fpumena@freepressunlimited.org. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the same email.

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