Journalists for Human Rights (JHR)

The in-Canada portion of this internship will begin one month prior to the intern’s overseas departure. It will be composed of the following elements:

One Month Prior to Overseas Departure—Initial Preparation:
- The intern will receive a comprehensive package of materials via email, providing ample time for the intern to read and prepare himself/herself for the pre-departure orientation and eventual overseas departure. Materials will include: a placement manual detailing the host organization, host country, internship description and other relevant information; the country’s constitution; JHR’s Safety and Security document; pass along notes from previous JHR interns; and other related materials.
- The intern will be asked to write a short outline of the human rights situation in their host country. They will present their report to the group of other interns and JHR staff members at pre-departure training. This will allow the intern to gain a solid understanding of their host country before their departure.
- The intern will be introduced via email to other JHR interns (past and present), JHR staff members and the appropriate people at their host organization. She/he will be encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns with members of this network. The intern will be expected to provide peer-to-peer support to other IYIP interns.

One Week Prior to Overseas Departure—Pre-departure Training:
The intern will participate with other selected interns in five days of intensive pre-departure training, designed to provide him/her with the tools needed for a successful internship. This includes:

DAY 1: JHR Welcoming Session.

- Morning—Welcoming ice-breaker exercise and discussion about IYIP program. Forms and legal documents distributed along with supplementary books and information about the host countries, JHR, human rights, etc. Each intern will present their report to the group, with a question and answer period afterwards.

- Afternoon—Talks from JHR’s past overseas interns. JHR’s executive to talk about JHR’s programs in Africa. This is followed by a discussion on what to expect in the workplace (challenges and highlights), how to overcome challenges and how to make the most out of your placement.

DAY 2: Human Rights and the Media.

- Morning—Workshop led by an African human rights experts. This is followed by a debate on human rights with participants taking different sides.

- Afternoon— Workshop led by an African media experts. Participants will be given JHR’s emergency protocol mechanism and a discussion on JHR’s emergency protocol will follow.

- Dinner—JHR will host an informative dinner for participants where at least four potential employers will be brought in for a roundtable discussion about how the participants should be preparing and where to look for their next potential job.

DAY 3 – DAY 5: Centre for Intercultural Learning (CIL) training, focusing on cross-cultural issues, culture shock, safety and other elements related to living and working overseas.

INTERNATIONAL:
The selected Print Journalism Trainer intern will work with the Ghanaian Observer, the popular independent newspaper in Accra, Ghana. The intern will work with the staff at the Observer to improve their ability to report on human rights and governance issues. More specifically, the selected intern will:

1) Build the capacity of local journalists to report on human rights and governance issues: The intern will work in the newsroom of the Observer. Their job will be to work side-by-side with local journalists, researching story ideas, and ensuring that they are covering the story with integrity and a firm knowledge of human rights and governance. They will conduct daily, on-the-job training with the journalists helping build their capacity to report effectively on human right and governance issues. This will include working alongside local journalists and providing input, guidance and support while they research story ideas, investigate stories, conduct interviews, write and edit stories, etc.

2) Conduct Informal Workshops: Once every two weeks the intern will offer an informal training session open to all journalists working the Observer. Each session will last 2-3 hours, and will focus on techniques necessary to report effectively on human rights and governance issues. The training will be inclusive and respectful of differing levels of ability. Workshops will cover a variety of topics, from basic journalism skills to different human rights and governance issues. Topics will be tailored to the needs of those whom the intern works with.

3) Deputy News Editor Role: The intern will participate in editorial meetings at the Observer. By participating in the story assignment process, the intern will help add a human rights and governance angle to many general news stories.

4) Canadian Engagement: The intern will regularly post to JHR’s Foreign Correspondence website, helping to engage Canadian’s back home in their work and in human rights issues in Ghana.