Watershed Sentinel magazine Indigenous Junior Reporter Mentorship program 2021

Application Deadline: June 18th 2021

Watershed Sentinel magazine invites applications for its new Indigenous Junior Reporter Mentorship program.

Our goal with this program is to contribute to capacity-building in journalism in western and rural Canada, through hands-on learning opportunities with direct mentorship by an experienced Indigenous journalist. Skills will be developed through an especial focus on environmental reporting, but will be applicable across all types of reporting.

This program is open to Indigenous youth aged 17-25 living in western and rural Canada. There are no prior educational requirements – what’s most important is a passion for sharing stories that need to be told, and genuine interest in journalism as a potential career path. The program is built around a (flexible) one-year framework. While it includes payment for training hours and finished articles, it is primarily a learning opportunity, designed to provide young writers with training and hands-on experience in all aspects of journalism.

Successful applicants will be mentored to build hands-on journalism skills through:

• Participating in regular bimonthly story workshops as a guide to story development, and to gain experiential learning & hands-on skill building: steps from conception, to interviewing, to copy writing, editing, and publication.
•  One-on-one support with an experienced Indigenous reporter to maintain story quality and technical standards throughout story development.

With this support, program participants will write 1-2 short form articles for publication in each issue the Watershed Sentinel magazine (5 issues per year). Some stories will be assigned, and program participants will also be encouraged to develop and pitch their own story ideas.

This opportunity is open to Indigenous people, ages 17-25, living anywhere in western and rural Canada, from remote communities to urban centres. We encourage you to apply!

Details:

Deadline to apply: June 18 (selection for interviews by June 25)

Program duration: One year (5 magazine issues)

Remuneration:

1. Training stipend – $20/hr for up to 10 hrs per issue (each issue is produced over approx 2 months);
2. Payment for completed articles – 25c/word for 1-2 short form (approx 500 word) articles per issue.

Program size: We will select two participants/mentees to start, and may take on a third in the future.

How to Apply:

Apply by email to claire@watershedsentinel.ca until June 18.

Please include:

1. A statement of interest, explaining why you are interested in and would be well suited for this program
2. Your resume
3. 1-3 samples of your own writing (of any kind, does not need to be published)

Further info:

Workshops and direct mentorship will be with Odette Auger:
Boozhoo, Odette Auger Ndishnikaaz, niin doonjii Sagamok Anishnawbek through my mother. I live on Klahoose, Homalco and Tla’amin traditional territories.

I’m a freelance journalist covering health and wellness – applying an Indigenous lens to include land, language, culture.

Aside from Watershed Sentinel, my recent work has been with IndigiNews, APTN National News, The Discourse, republished by The Toronto Star, North Shore News, and other media across Canada.

Official Website: Indigenous Junior Reporter Mentorship program 2021