Apply for Environmental Watchdog Journalism Workshop - Germany / 3-7 July 2017

The Environmental Watchdog Journalism and Storytelling Workshop is a learning-and-field-work opportunity for journalists from the Central and Eastern Europe who are actively working on issues related to climate change, clean energy and environmental protection, among others. The potential applicants have to demonstrate relevant experience, ability to work creatively in English language, willingness to write and publish journalistic materials for a newly established cross-border virtual newsroom - bluelink.info, and to be available for the whole duration of the workshop from 3rd to 7th July 2017. The deadline for registration is Friday, June 23, 2017. Registration is available online via the form: https://bluelink.typeform.com/to/lDetQl

There is no participation fee. All travel and accommodation costs related to travel to and stay in Germany will be covered by the organising partner - Heinrich Böll - Brandenburg.

The workshop will be placed in Potsdam and Hamburg (overlapping with the G20 summit). The participants will have the opportunity to meet, talk to and interview relevant experts along the workshop schedule, to travel from Potsdam to Hamburg and attend the G20 Solidarity Summit on 5-6 June. The workshop would also provide practical knowledge of the feature story writing and the professional and ethical standards of quality journalism in public interest, among other techniques. The last day is intended for writing, reviewing proposed articles and receiving editorial feedback.

Trainers: Pavel Antonov, Ph.D., manager of the Bluelink Virtual Newsroom project and an Executive Editor of the foundation, and Mathias Richter, Ph.D., journalist experienced in environmental protection reporting.

Preliminary schedule:

July 2 or 3, 2017 - arrival in Potsdam, Germany
July 2 - 4, 2017 - 2 overnight stays in Potsdam/Berlin
July 4 - 6, 2017 - 2 overnight stays in Hamburg
July 6 - 7, 2017 - 1 overnight stay in Potsdam/Berlin
July 7 or 8, 2017 - departure

The Environmental Watchdog Journalism and Storytelling Workshop is the second of total three workshops under the BlueLink Virtual Newsroom: Strengthening post-socialist environmental watchdog journalism and regional story exchange on „climate change and clean energy“ in East Central Europe Project, which the Bluelink foundation is implementing in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll - Brandenburg foundation under the financial support of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The project's duration is 2 years, its outcomes - an active virtual newsroom and more than 50 authentic journalistic materials of diverse perspectives from different countries in Europe, are expected until April 2018. By then, the journalists who have participated in the workshops are welcomed to join the virtual newsroom as freelance contributor - journalistic work would be supported by the dedicated project budget available for that purpose. 

For more information about your Registration, please contact:

Mr. Pavel Antonov, Executive Editor, BlueLink Foundation, office(@)bluelink.net; or
Ms. Rebecca Ruff, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Brandenburg e.V., Tel.: 0331 20057819, ruff [at] boell-brandenburg [dot] de

Find out more about the Project here.