Call for Entries: Early Childhood Development Reporting Fellowship

Interested in becoming an influencer and leader for children’s development in your country? If producing high quality reporting and solution-orientated stories about nutrition and early childhood development issues is one of your passions, then apply to this year-long fellowship, which will include two international reporting trips as well as continuing mentoring and several virtual webinars.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), in partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, is recruiting for 8 Early Childhood Development Reporting Fellows. The goal of the fellowships is to improve news coverage of child health and form a global network of reporters covering this critically-important issue.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Fellowship is open to journalists covering issues of child health and development for news outlets based in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. An ideal candidate will have previous experience covering early childhood development issues, but journalists who currently cover health or nutrition-related topics and are interested in increasing their coverage of children’s issues are welcome to apply.

Successful applicants must be employed by a news outlet or have a commitment to publish/broadcast from a news outlet to participate. Applicants must be proficient in English. Stories submitted may be written in your native language; however, reporting project proposals must be submitted in English.

THE FELLOWSHIP

This is the second of three groups of fellows that will be recruited over the next two years. The fellowship term for this second cohort will run from October 2017 – October 2018.

During the year-long program, the fellows will receive virtual training, mentoring and financial support to produce regular stories on nutrition and early-childhood development, relevant to their home countries.

The program will begin with a virtual orientation (webinar) after which each fellow will be assigned a mentor who will work with them as they produce stories on early childhood development issues. ICFJ will conduct regular webinars during the year of the fellowship.

The program also includes two reporting trips. ICFJ will send all fellows to a country that is implementing a successful and innovative approach to supporting childhood development. The fellows will meet with early childhood development experts in the field and will produce stories with the help of their mentors.

ICFJ and its partners are currently working on selecting the dates and destinations for both trips. ICFJ will cover all of the fellowship expenses.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., U.S. Eastern time, Sunday, August 6, 2017. Apply here. To become a 2017 Fellow, candidates must complete a Fellowship application. Applicants should include
• A resume or CV
• Examples of stories produced on early-childhood development
• A reporting-project proposal that outlines story ideas the Fellow will pursue and a reporting and publishing/broadcasting plan

The Judging Process:

The winners will be selected by an international panel of judges that includes media professionals and representatives from ICFJ and CIFF.

Selection will be based on professional qualifications, relevant experience, previous reporting on childhood development, and demonstrated impact on policy or development issues.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the program’s duration and period?
The fellowship is a year-long commitment, which will start in October 2017.

Is there a schedule available?
The year-long fellowship will include up to eight virtual webinars (of about an hour each) and two international reporting trips. The first trip will take place in January 2018 and the second around July 2018.

Are there any trips included? To where?
There are two reporting trips as part of this fellowship. Destinations are to be determined but each trip will be to a country where ECD policies and programs are being implemented successfully. All fellows plus their mentors and ICFJ staff will travel together and the trips will last up to ten days.

Who sponsors the travel expenses?
ICFJ covers all of the travel expenses, including visas, flights, hotels and local transportation.

How many webinars do I have to participate in?
We ask all fellows to participate in every webinar (about 8 over the year-long fellowship). The webinars are recorded so that fellows can watch later if they are not able to attend.

How long does each webinar last?
Each webinar lasts for about an hour to an hour and a half.

What is the agenda for the webinars?
Webinars are led by an expert on different ECD issues. The expert gives a brief presentation and then participates in a Q&A with the fellows for about 30 minutes. Fellows can send their questions in advance or ask them live during the webinar.