Call for Online Volunteers: Join the Young Environmental Journalists

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), UNDP, and UN Volunteers (UNV) launch a second round of the ‘Young Environmental Journalists’ campaign, to address environmental and human rights impacts in the mining sector in four resource-rich countries: Colombia, Kenya, Mongolia and Mozambique. This joint campaign aims on empowering young volunteers between the ages of 18-31, to raise awareness about, and have a voice in decisions around management, and use of mineral resources.

Summary

Moreover, the 70 selected ‘Young Environmental Journalists’ will work with the joint Swedish EPA – UNDP Environmental Governance Programme (EGP) to produce inspiring stories of change and build a strong network of young journalists and environmental and human rights defenders.

The best stories and interviews will be published by the Inter Press Service (IPS) and other media outlets in the four program countries, including Kenya’s Daily Reporter and In-Depth News (IDN).  In addition to that, the stories will be promoted via UN, UNDP, EGP website, and on the Swedish Environment Protection Agency platform.

Eligibility

In order to participate in the campaign, volunteers need to be

• Between 18 – 31 years of age, and register with the UNV online volunteering platform.
• Fluent in English and at least one of the local languages in Colombia, Kenya, Mongolia, or Mozambique.
• The process is open to all, regardless of citizenship but demonstrating knowledge about environmental and human rights issues in the targeted four countries will be an asset.
• No traveling is necessary.

Certification 

The online volunteers who complete the mandatory online courses and participate in all virtual meetings will receive a certificate from UNV, UNDP, and the Swedish EPA. They will also receive a certificate from the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Process

Moreover, seventy selected candidates through the UNV online volunteering service will take part in online training courses, including the UNITAR course on environmental governance of the mining sector, and participate in a series of webinars with journalists, editors, and experts from August to November 2020.