iEARN is excited to announce that it is currently inviting educators, high schools, and youth organizations in the U.S. to apply for participation in its Photojournalism 2.014 program. The program will engage educators and youth in Pakistan, Tajikistan, and the United States in cross-cultural collaboration to help them develop photojournalism and media skills through the lens of Heritage, Hunger, and Food Security. The program will include workshops, webinars, and an online course for educators; photojournalistic education and fieldwork for students; and participation in a regional workshop and exhibition in Tajikistan for selected educators and students at the conclusion of the program. The Photojournalism 2.014 program is made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of State and sponsorship from the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
To find out more, including how to apply for this unique opportunity, please read below.
Program Overview
The mission of iEARN-USA is to enable young people worldwide, working in collaboration and dialogue, to make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of the planet and its people.
iEARN’s Photojournalism 2.014: Heritage, Hunger, and Food Security program seeks to engage educators and youth in Pakistan, Tajikistan, and the United States in cross-cultural collaboration to help them develop photojournalism and media skills through the lens of Heritage, Hunger, and Food Security.
The program will include workshops, webinars, and an online course for educators; photojournalistic education and fieldwork for students; and the opportunity for select educators and students to potentially participate in a regional workshop and exhibition in Tajikistan at the conclusion of the program.
The Photojournalism 2.014 program is made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of State and sponsorship from the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
Program Components & Timeframe
Webinars (February – June)
iEARN will offer several webinars for participants throughout the program. The webinars will be recorded so those whose schedule does not permit them to attend can listen to the recordings.
The webinars will include such topics as: an orientation and introduction to the program and the three different countries participating, presentations by hunger and food security experts and photojournalists, ideas for program implementation with students, and presentations of student fieldwork.
Online Course (February – March)
iEARN will offer an online course for educators.
The 5-week Moodle-based educator course will introduce educators to the pedagogy of global project-based learning and help educators align collaborative projects with curricula and standards. It will also provide an overview of journalism; photography; and issues surrounding food heritage, hunger and food security. In the course, educators will read materials on the principals and ethics of good journalism, characteristics of news, reporting and interviewing techniques, and reliable sources.
The courses will be facilitated by iEARN-USA and iEARN-Pakistan.
Student Training by Educators and Student Fieldwork (February – June)
Educators will work with and train their students in either a classroom or afterschool setting on:
- The subject of photojournalism;
- Issues surrounding local and global food systems; and
- Photojournalistic techniques.
Students will then complete fieldwork where they will conduct photography sessions using lessons learned on street, portrait and subject photography. Next, students will create photo essays and/or news articles and submit them to their educators. Preferably, articles and photographs will be on food heritage, hunger and food security themes. Successful stories will be posted on World Youth News website and other web based platforms.
Educators will:
- Assist participants to document, tag, edit, and share their food systems photojournalism through multiple interactive platforms and social media, in books, and through poster campaigns and other presentations; and
- Empower participants to host community action projects, in addition to their fieldwork.
Photo book Compilation (May – July)
iEARN will publish a “Local and Global Food Systems†photo book composed of a selection of photographs taken by students from each participating country. The photo book will be available to all participants and featured on various sites such as:
- Social networking sites;
- School newspapers;
- Multimedia web sites; and
- SCA web sites and channels.
Regional Workshop and Exhibition in Tajikistan (August)
At the conclusion of the program, iEARN-Tajikistan will host a 3-day workshop and exhibition in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for select educators and students. Please note that this will involve an additional application process in late winter/early spring, with space available to only a limited number of participants.
During the workshop, participants will gain the following:
- Networking with local & national educational leaders and with youth photojournalists and new media partners;
- Demonstrations and presentations on international collaborative projects;
- Panel discussions with government and community food security experts, donors, NGO partners, and public figures; and
- Planning of alumni activities.
Seminars will be live-streamed to improve accessibility and to include participation from youth journalists in other countries.
Online Course
The 5-week photojournalism online course is facilitated by master educators and experienced photojournalists. As the focus is on interaction between participating educators via web-based forums, the online course will use an array of tools for collaboration, including blogs, Skype and Blackboard Collaborate videoconferences, and the iEARN Collaboration Centre and World Youth News website. Not only will participants gain mastery over the materials and start to develop their training curriculum; they will also build lasting partnerships with their national and overseas peers in the course. The professional development online course allows for flexibility in that it is not held in real-time, but instead enables participants to put in their four hours or so of work per week when it is convenient for them.
Program Eligibility
iEARN will select schools and youth organizations to participate in the project on the following basis:
- Ability to include a substantial population of underserved students;
- Willingness to nominate a group of 1-3 motivated teachers or staff members who will work with their students;
- Willingness to nominate a minimum of 10-15 high school students (preferably aged 15-18 years old) to participate in the project. Selected students must be able to complete all project activities;
- Commitment to supporting students and teachers or staff members to work on projects for one year;
- Ability to have at least one computer and camera and an internet connection for the students to use during the program; and
- Willingness to support trained teachers or staff members to train and disseminate learning and resources to other non-participating students and teachers or staff members of the school or youth organization, thus maximizing impact and resources utilization.
Application Process
Please fill out and submit this online form and allow 5-7 days for the processing of your application. Once we have reviewed your application, we will contact you and let you know if you have been selected to participate in the program. We will then send you a Letter of Agreement for you to sign and send back to us.
Please note that we are now at capacity, but are accepting applications for those who would like to be put on the waitlist.
Additional Details
Educators participating in the program will receive a 12-month membership to iEARN-USA. Membership includes unlimited access to all online projects and forums for teachers and students and a hard copy project book. To learn more about how educators, students, and organizations come together to work on joint projects and collaborate and the types of projects available, visit iEARN’s Collaboration Centre.
Got Additional Questions?
If you have any additional questions about the program, please contact:
Nicole Weitzner, Program Manager, Photojournalism, 2.014 program
Email: [email protected], Phone: (212) 870-2693 ext. 4913
