WHAT A FELLOWSHIP!!

Oscar van Leer Fellowship 2009 for Journalists in Mexico, Kenya, India (Orissa), Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Caribbean Region
Call for applications

The Bernard van Leer Foundation is pleased to announce the inaugural Oscar van Leer Fellowship. We invite applications from journalists in qualifying countries (Mexico, Kenya, India (Orissa), Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Caribbean Region) who have an interest in covering children’s issues.

Three fellowships will be awarded, consisting of high-level professional training in skills related to journalism about early chilhood development and children’s rights. A four-week, expenses-paid professional training course in the Netherlands conducted by the Radio Netherlands Training Centre will be provided to the successful candidates.

This is a great opportunity for young journalists to further their general profesional development and to establish for themselves a particular area of expertise.

About the fellowship
The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international philanthropic foundation based in The Hague that seeks to improve opportunities for disadvantaged young children. It has a long and respected track record of working internationally on early childhood development and children’s rights.

The Oscar van Leer Fellowship commemorates Oscar van Leer, the son of the foundation’s benefactor. The inaugural fellowship also marks the foundation’s 60th anniversary.

One of the difficulties the foundation encounters is that young children’s issues are often poorly understood in media coverage, if they are covered at all. The aim of the Oscar van Leer Fellowship is to contribute to a gradual improvement in the quality and quantity of media coverage of early childhood issues by training up-and-coming journalists, giving them knowledge and understanding that they will be able to apply as they progress in their journalistic careers.

Who should apply?
The fellowship is intended for ambitious young journalists with an interest in children’s issues. We don’t expect you to be an expert in children’s issues already – that’s why we’re offering training. But we want you to be interested in learning more about the issues faced by disadvantaged young children, and the ways in which media coverage can raise awareness and shape opinions of them.

Applicants must be connected to a reputable media outlet, either as an employee or as a frequently published freelance contributor, and must intend to continue to pursue a career in the media. The fellowship is open to journalists in all forms of media, including print, radio, television and web.

Application procedure
You should send us, by no later than 18 August 2009:

A completed application form
A letter of motivation
Your resumé (please include an indication of the reach of the media outlet/s for which you work, in terms of circulation or audience figures)
One example of your work, which has something to do with the situation of children in your country. This could be a piece of writing, a short film or radio broadcast. It can be something you have had published already, or it can be something you produce especially for the purpose of accompanying this application. We would like to publish on our website the work submitted by shortlisted candidates, so if the work you submit has been published already, please ensure this would not cause copyright issues.
See the "how to apply" page for details of where to send your application and in what format.

Successful candidates will be announced on 01 October 2009, and will be invited to a presentation in The Hague on 11 November 2009. The training will take place in early 2010.

Info source: http://www.bernardvanleer.org