Brazil: Two-way Fellowship on Communicating Just Transition Issues 2023

Deadline: 8-May-23

Are you looking to develop your organization’s media or digital skills? Learn how to better engage, inform and inspire through the “Two-way Fellowship on Communicating Just Transition Issues”, a free hybrid course!

This is an opportunity provided by the Lauds Phase 2 programme.

At the Thomson Reuters Foundation they believe that CSOs/NGOs are crucial to doing the diligent work of paving the way in driving Just Transitions to a greener economy. They would like to support such initiatives, drawing on the worldwide experience in communication and journalism and offering a free communication course for organizations in Brazil working in this important sector.

What is Just Transition?

• Climate change is a complex and urgent global challenge, whose impacts increase social inequality among the most diverse populations and, significantly, among workers. As economic sectors are encouraged to adopt more sustainable practices, poorly planned climate action or inaction puts workers in a vulnerable situation, exposing them to conditions of precariousness and insecurity. In this context, the “just transition” represents a path towards a low-carbon economy, in which the future and livelihoods of workers and vulnerable local communities are secured.

Course Structure

• The free communication hybrid course will consist of a series of 4 weeks of training in the which CSOs/NGOs will receive training in parallel with climate journalists. Two of the weekly sessions will be delivered remotely via Zoom, while the remaining two sessions will be held in person in São Paulo, Brazil. There will be joint sessions to encourage knowledge sharing and networking that will allow organizations to create allies in the media and journalism sector to share their work with a wider audience.
• At the end of the program, participants will have access to the Foundation’s alumni club, which will provide a virtual space for continued professional development, consisting of varied activities, including guest speakers, masterclasses, networking, communication plans and sessions on specific topics. Former members will also have the exciting opportunity to be selected as a delegate to the annual Thomson Reuters Foundation Conference in London, with airfare and accommodation included.

What You Will Learn?

• After this course, you will have the necessary skills to:
  • Segment the audience/stakeholders
  • Build key messages
  • Map communication campaigns
  • Improve techniques for conducting interviews and presentations
  • Do digital marketing and use multimedia skills training tools
• By taking advantage of opportunities to share knowledge and network with climate journalists through the program’s parallel Communication and Reporting framework, you will expand your connections and engagement with the media. To facilitate meaningful engagement, you will develop your understanding of the principles of Solutions Journalism as a new angle to communicate your work through journalists and different types of media.
• In addition, you will develop your understanding of the intersection of climate change, inequality and work, the risks that climate change poses and the actions that are currently being taken considering the challenges on cross-sectoral issues that are emerging as the world transitions to greener economies.

Location: Hybrid, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Language: Portuguese

Dates: weekly from May 23 to June 15, 2023

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be full-time CSO employees with a role in communications and media engagement.
• The course will be taught in Portuguese. English proficiency is an advantage.
• Applicants must have a minimum of three years of work experience.
• Candidates must have internet access with a minimum speed of 8Mb/second. (You can check your device’s speed by taking the test at www.speedtest.net). Financial support for the purchase of Internet data may be available during the course period.
• Candidates must have access to a computer to participate in the course; participation from a cell phone or smartphone will not be possible.

Course Format

• A series of hybrid and interactive sessions will be conducted over Zoom and in person. The online sessions will take place over 2 partial days, while the face-to-face sessions will take place over 2 full days in São Paulo. Each of the online sessions will last four hours in the morning with activities and breaks, and each of the face-to-face sessions will last the full weekdays with regular breaks.
• Attendees should be able to commit to offline readings and assignments to be done on their own time during the event or between sessions.
• The course will be taught in Portuguese. English proficiency is an advantage.
• CSO participants should be prepared to discuss their plans for an upcoming communication activity, such as a conference, event or report release, and use this as a basis for implementing new skills learned during the program.
• Participants’ accommodation and travel to and from São Paulo for the 2 face-to-face sessions will be covered by the Thomson Reuters Foundation to a reasonable extent.

For more information, visit Thomson Reuters Foundation.