Deadline: February 8, 2024.

The Self-Investigation today announces the Mental Health Leadership for Fact-Checkers program, a rigorous, 6-month program of training and coaching for leaders of 14 fact-checking organizations. Participants can choose between two cohorts: one in English and one in Spanish.

Fact-checking professionals face a specific set of challenges around mental health, such as time-tight timelines, online harassment, vicarious trauma and strong work demands. Because of this, they believe that having the right tools and strategies to protect one’s mental health and better support their team’, is more important than ever. 

This program is offered free of charge, made possible by a generous grant from the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), and aims to empower fact-checking leaders with the skills to cultivate a lasting culture of mental health awareness and action within their teams. In addition, leaders will receive individualised coaching and accompaniment in implementing change.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Eligible applicants need not have experience with mental health in the workplace. Participants will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Working at an organization that is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network
• In a leadership or managerial role (i.e., responsible for a team or organization)
• Openness to learning and growth around the topic of mental health
• Capacity and commitment to implementing mental health in the workplace.

BENEFITS

Toward the end of the program, participants will also receive a series of guides with recommendations and best practices in both languages to serve as an ongoing resource for their work and for the wider fact-checking community.

What participants will learn:

Through five group training sessions and 1:1 coaching, participants will learn key skills in the following areas:

• The basics of mental health and burnout prevention;
• Addressing vicarious trauma and online harassment in the newsroom;
• Creating a culture of psychological safety in the team;
• Developing digital boundaries in an always-on culture
• Sustaining a mental health toolkit and practices in your organization.

Participants can also expect:

• Practical skills and actionable frameworks designed for fact-checkers
• Coaches and trainers with media industry experience
• Group discussions for mutual learning and support
• Pairing with a coach for 1:1 support during the program
• Written resources and guides for implementing change

Trainings will occur online in two-hour sessions on March 5, April 2, June 4, September 3, and October 1. The expected time commitment is 15-20 hours over 6 months.

Apply through the OFFICIAL LINK