Are you a passionate Indigenous person who loves to write but worries about being good enough to be published? Are you interested in sharing stories of the community you live in?
If any of the above sounds familiar to you, we’d like you to consider applying to the IndigiNews Mentorship Program. This is a paid, part-time four-month mentorship program wherein you would work with the IndigiNews Aunties to learn the skills required to be a journalist.
No previous journalism experience is required. This program is intended to provide a doorway for Indigenous storytellers that want to break into the industry. In fact, if you resonate with any of the points below, we encourage you to apply:
- A journalism student who got discouraged in a traditional journalism program
- A high school dropout
- A middle aged parent who is ready for a new direction in your life
- An Elder with stories you want to share
Throughout the program, your stories will be published by IndigiNews, and you will leave with a CV of published stories and four months of experience working in the IndigiNews storytelling lodge. Ideally, you will continue to contribute to IndigiNews as a freelance journalist even after you move on to other career opportunities in the industry. There are lots of opportunities for Indigenous folks with journalism skills!
To qualify for the IndigiNews Mentorship Program for Indigenous Writers you must meet the following qualifications:
- Be an Indigenous person. We understand that Indigenous identity can sometimes be complex. Our application will allow you to explain your relationship to Indigeneity to us in all of its complicatedness, if necessary.
- Be a writer. This does not mean that you have published something; only that you have spent some time working with the written word in some capacity in your life. Perhaps you’ve been journaling for decades, or enjoyed writing essays as part of your education. Perhaps you’ve got a dozen short stories that you started and put on hold throughout your life. Perhaps you wrote for your college newspaper or your own blog.
- Have 20 hours per week to share with IndigiNews over a four-month period between January and April 2023. The hours are flexible and this position is remote, meaning you can join from anywhere! For this year, we will be prioritizing applications from “British Columbia,” as that is where the team is currently located, but we are open to folks from other parts of “Canada.”
This mentorship program pays $3,000 per month for a total of $12,000 over four months. The mentorship is for adults, but otherwise has no age limitations – folks between the ages of 18 and 80 are welcome to apply. Applicants with lived experience as an Indigenous person will be prioritized.
Apply to be a mentee
Applications for our mentorship program are now closed. We will be in touch with next steps soon.
