Call for COOPower Young Journalists

British Council is excited to introduce an opportunity to join a ‘Young Journalists’ team in Cyprus as part of this project.

British Council is looking to select four talented young people involved in journalism. This could take any form such as video, radio, podcasts, photojournalism, communications or social media. We are looking for young people who are passionate about social change to join a pool of like-minded people. You will be given the opportunity to capture stories and ideas about social change.

Participants will be able to join digital training on solutions based/responsible journalism by the leading social enterprise magazine Pioneers Post . Young journalist will have the opportunity to visit the UK in summer 2021. As young journalists you will help to capture and promote the progress of the project.

Participants will have subsequent opportunities to take part in editorial meetings and produce articles, video, podcasts, photo essays and other content for publication in media channels, Pioneers Post, British Council and project partners’ channels as well as get advice and training on pitching content to other media.

The project will support the young journalists to develop and publish fact-based reporting, analysis, radio reporting, photojournalism and video content about:

• the COOPower project, its participants, partners, beneficiaries and impact and its wider dissemination
• initiatives to address social issues through social enterprises and cooperatives both local and global
• efforts to promote a more enabling environment for social enterprises and cooperatives
• positive change to national and regional policies for creative and social enterprises
• innovative, collaborative responses to local and global challenges, targeted by the Sustainable Development Goals
• other efforts to build more creative and inclusive economies

These opportunities will be offered to four young journalists, videographers, photojournalists, radio journalists or writers, aged 18-30, who are based in Cyprus.

The training and support will be delivered in English so young journalists will be expected to be fluent in English.

The four young journalists will be recruited through an online application process. To determine short-listed candidates, you will be required to take part in a phone or webinar interview.

Following a successful application, you will be invited to attend a digital training in September covering:

•  An introduction to the COOPower project – who are we all, what do we want to achieve, how are we going to do it, etc well as the overall objectives of the dissemination plan
• An introduction to the social economy and the role of cooperatives, creative and social enterprises: global context and context in the different countries
• An introduction to Pioneers Post: mission and aims, audiences, different types of stories they cover, journalistic guidelines, house style etc.
• Introduction to what does great journalism for positive social change look like Including: an introduction to ‘solutions journalism’, examples of successful storytelling in different media contexts
• How to conduct a successful media interview (general interviewing tips as well as how to ask the right questions – including how to capture the human, business and social impact dimensions of a cooperative)
• How to get the most out of hard-worked stories, including: a/ pitching to other media – what does the media landscape look like for solutions journalists, where might they place their story and how do they can pitch it?
• Sharing and amplification – how they can ensure that their stories have the best reach, using social media, sharing with networks, etc

Additionally, you will engage in active learning and participate in storytelling opportunities with local media and social enterprise professionals. Young journalists will also be invited to attend the COOPAthons and a Country Final in Cyprus. Throughout, they will be expected to post about their experiences on social media.

During the implementation of the project, you will be expected to produce three pieces of your choice (articles, photo essays, podcasts, short videos). Those pieces can include coverage of the COOPAthons and Country Final teams, interviews with people working on the social enterprise or cooperative sector in Cyprus or the UK (during the study visit).

You will also be expected to join monthly online meetings to get introduced to the team and be involved in the planning of the dissemination strategy of the project.

The Young Journalists team will have an active involvement in the planning and implementation of the dissemination strategy of the project with the support of the communications company that will develop it.

Please note, this is a non-paid opportunity.

For further questions, you can contact Marilena Kyriakou at marilena.kyriakou@cy.britishcouncil.org  or +357 99324110.

Find more information at British Council page