The Gordon N. Fisher Fellowship at Massey College in the University of Toronto
Objective . . . to encourage improvement in journalism by offering to qualified men and women an opportunity to broaden their horizons by studying in a university setting
Journalists for Human Rights, an international media development organization based in Toronto, is delighted to announce a new partnership with Massey College in the University of Toronto to offer a new fellowship for a journalist from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, or Malawi, to be awarded in 2011 and tenable for one academic year, September to May, at the University of Toronto.
Fellows are selected first by jhr country directors and then by a committee of leading Canadian journalists and headed by the Master of Massey College. The successful applicant is chosen for professional competence and future potential as an effective and responsible journalist. Both male and female applicants are encouraged to apply.
Applicants must have at least five years’ experience and be full-time news or editorial employees with local newspapers, news services, radio, television, or magazines. Freelance journalists who have been working consistently in the media over a five-year period will also be considered.They should be curious, engaged, smart, preferably extroverted, able to adapt to life in a cold climate for several months, open to learning from a new and unfamiliar culture, and interested in building their profile internationally.
Fellows are free to enrol in any graduate or undergraduate courses at the University of Toronto and use of its many facilities. They will be housed at Massey College, a multi-disciplinary graduate residential college in the centre of Toronto. There are no educational prerequisites for a Fellowship; Fellows do not receive credits or degrees for work done during the year.
The program typically requires auditing at least two academic courses a semester; one academic course must be taken in full and all assignments completed.
In a parallel, extra-curricular program, the Fisher Fellow will meet regularly with his or her Canadian counterparts in informal seminars to discuss contemporary issues with personalities from a wide variety of professions, and will participate in full in any trips organized as part of the program.
To obtain the maximum benefit from the program, applicants agree to refrain from professional work, including writing and broadcasting, during the period of the Fellowship. Personal holidays and travelare restricted to University holiday periods.
The Fellowships underwrite: (1)an eight-month stipend that will replicate the successful applicant’s salary along with any costs associated with the program. The first monthly installment will commence with an end-September payment and conclude with the end-April payment; (2) all university fees; (3) travel expenses up to the cost of economy air fare to and from Toronto for the Fellow; (4) travel expenses for organized trips during the program; and (5) a winter clothing allowance. Please note there is no provision for including family members in this program.
Applications must include a proposal for a plan of study, a statement of the applicant’s experience, a c.v., samples of work and letters of reference.Applicants will first be screened by jhr’s country director before being sent on to head office.
Applications are due January 15th, 2010 and must be sent to the following addresses:
Liberia lkpargoi@yahoo.com , attention Lamii Kpargoi
Sierra Leone stephen.douglas@yahoo.ca , attention Stephen Douglas
Ghana and Malawi jenny@jhr.ca , attention Jenny Vaughan
DRCongo Kinshasa@jhr.ca attention Freddy Mata
Funding for the Fisher Fellowships has been provided by a generous gift from the Alva Foundation to honour the late Gordon N. Fisher, a noted Canadian publisher of the South Press. Administration of the Fellowship will be supported by Journalists for Human Rights and Massey College, the host organization in Canada.
