Deadline: February 22, 2024.

Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is holding a workshop on fisheries journalism in Belize City in April 2024, to equip journalists in Belize and surrounding countries with the skills necessary to report on the protection and sustainable management of fisheries in the Mesoamerican Reef region. 

The workshop will be held in Belize City from April 12-14, 2024. They plan to select between 12-15 participants, with 3 spots reserved for journalists from neighboring countries: Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala. Applicants will be notified if they have been selected by mid-March at the lates.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1. Journalists based in Belize, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala are eligible for this opportunity. For journalists who are employed as staff at their media outlets, written permission from their editor is required to attend. Both staffers and freelancers will need to secure a written commitment to publish any stories that may result from the workshop.  
2. For the purposes of this workshop opportunity, they will accept applications in English. Applicants must have a sufficient understanding of English to participate in the workshop, although stories may be produced in any language. 
3. Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio, multimedia). We welcome applications from early-career journalists and experienced reporters with a track record of covering fisheries issues.   
4. They encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff at all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community-based. 

BENEFITS

1. Accommodation and transportation will be provided to journalists selected from outside Belize City, EJN will also cover airfare for journalists selected from Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala.
2. All participating journalists will receive a stipend for food and other incidental expenses. Journalists traveling into Belize City from elsewhere in the country or region should expect to travel on April 11 and return home on April 15.  
3. The workshop will be conducted in English. Participating journalists will learn about fisheries management issues at the local, country and regional levels, including threats to fishery populations, the perspectives of local fishers, current measures in place to monitor and manage fisheries, proposed solutions to prevent decline and more. Expert speakers from the Mesoamerican region and elsewhere will join in-person or virtually to answer questions and lead sessions.  
4. In addition to classroom sessions, one day will be spent on a field trip to a relevant location. The specific details of the field trip have yet to be confirmed, but it will allow participating journalists to better understand fisheries issues from a local on-ground perspective.

APPLICATION

• Click the ‘Apply now’ button at the top of the page.    
• If you have an existing account, you’ll need to log in. Since we recently updated our website, you might have to reset your password by clicking the “Forgot password?” link in the log in page. If you don’t have an account, you must register by clicking “Log in” on the top right of the page and click the “Sign up” link at the bottom of the page that opens. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create an account, and here for detailed instructions on how to reset your password.    
• If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click ‘Save Draft.’ To return to the draft, you’ll need to go back to the opportunity and click ‘Apply now’ again to finalize the application. Applications should provide a detailed budget in an Excel spreadsheet with justification for the amount requested. Download the budget template now by clicking on this link.    

Apply through the OFFICIAL LINK