WHO/ICFJ Road Safety Reporting Training of Trainers 2020 for Journalists from Developing Countries

Application Deadline: September 30th, 2020

In continuation of this effort to empower journalists by equipping them with best practices and expertise on road safety reporting, ICFJ is excited to launch three Training of Trainers (ToTs) series that will create a core group of 30-45 journalism trainers who will scale the program’s impact across 15 target countries from the Americas, Western Pacific and South-East Asia and Africa.

The virtual ToTs sessions are designed to enable select local journalists to independently develop the capacity within their local networks for improved and increased road safety coverage. These online training courses are meant to maximize interaction between participants and their trainers, facilitate group discussions, and ensure that trainers are able to address the questions and concerns of participants. The selected participants should be able to support journalism on road safety, but more importantly, become trainers and mentors and eventually conduct their own road safety reporting trainings. 

Apply
ICFJ, with the support of WHO invites journalists to apply to the 2020 Road Safety Training of Trainers. The ToTs will be a series of online workshops beginning for the first cohort in October of 2020. Each cohort, containing 10-15 participants,  will attend three online workshops (approximately three hours each) in the fall of 2020. The program will culminate in an online summit for all 30-45 of the participants from across the regions. The ToT is limited to the following countries: 

• Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia
• Western Pacific and South-East Asia: Bangladesh, India, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia 
• Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda

The training sessions will span over three weeks and convene virtually four times to cover topics such as traffic system perspectives in target countries, links between road safety and the Global Development Agenda, investigative reporting and incorporating road safety resources like the WHO Global Status Report, localizing road safety training to engage more journalists, and producing data-driven road safety reporting that engages audiences. The program is open to journalists who have demonstrated an interest in road safety reporting. Experience conducting trainings is not necessary, but applicants should be able to discuss a rough training plan including what groups they will target for training in their own country. Each online session will last approximately three hours. Participants should commit to attending all virtual sessions.The tentative dates for each cohort are as follows:

• Africa: October 20, October 23, October 29 and November 5, 2020.
• Latin America: October 27, November 3, November 10 and November 13, 2020
• Western Pacific and South-East Asia: November 16, November 23, November 30 and December 3, 2020.

In early 2021, ICFJ will gather all three cohorts for a virtual reconvening to give participants the chance to workshop their training plans further.  ICFJ will then offer small grants to support participants to lead their own road safety reporting training. Participants interested in this competitive process will be required to submit a short proposal, identifying how they wish to implement their independent training, how many journalists they expect to reach, as well as a brief budget proposal outlining expected costs. 

In addition to the funding support, ICFJ will provide one-on-one virtual mentorship to participants as they plan their training after the ToT trainings. Participants will be expected to plan and execute their own local training in early 2021.

Applicants will be asked to provide the following: 

• An essay outlining their interest in the program and what they hope to gain from it;  
• A description of their news organization and/or any journalism associations and groups they belong to; 
• A brief letter of support from an editor or newsroom manager confirming their support for the applicant’s participation in the program; 
• A sample of a story, preferably related to road safety and/or injury prevention; 
• A commitment to implement at least one road safety reporting training locally;
• Selection will be based on the journalists’ professional qualifications, relevant experience such as demonstrated interest in the topic of injury prevention or road safety, English-language proficiency, and endorsement by a newsroom manager. 

Interested applicants can apply by filling out this form. 

The application deadline is Sunday, September 30th, 2020 (11:59pm U.S. Eastern Daylight Time). 

For further questions about the program, please email lballonbecerra@icfj.org.
 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the WHO/ICFJ Road Safety Reporting Training of Trainers 2020