The Young Journalists’ Global Podcast Challenge 2018: Expanding the conversation
As the world experiences new, old, and more complex global challenges, it’s important to dig deep to understand the issues, how they affect people, and how they connect to Canadians, because global challenges require global solutions.
The Young Journalists’ Global Podcast Challenge, led by Farm Radio International, invited teams of young journalists to delve into global issues and innovative solutions. The young Canadian journalists were assisted by volunteers from the Uniterra program and local broadcasters to gather voices from inside and outside Canada.
We sincerely thank our key sponsors and supporters for bringing this initiative to the International Forum, organized by WUSC and CECI.
Listen to our submissions from Ghana and Tanzania, which explore two very different challenges: how English and Swahili co-exist; and how marginalized communities are affected by the #MeToo movement — and in both, who’s been left out of the conversation.
English Came with an Airplane (Tanzania)
Tanzania, like Canada, largely operates in two common languages. While Swahili is technically the national language, English is still awkwardly prominent in many official capacities, which can cause both problems and opportunities for Tanzanians, especially when it comes to education and careers. Jacob Hoytema investigates how the two languages co-exist in the country — and who gets left behind in translation.
The team
Mohamed Issa is a television and radio journalist from Morogoro, Tanzania. In 2011, he graduated from the Muslim University of Morogoro with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. For the last seven years, he has been working as a news reporter, producer and presenter for Abood Media in Morogoro. He is married, has two children and enjoys R&B music.
Jacob Hoytema is a journalist and Uniterra volunteer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his Bachelor’s from Carleton University’s School of Journalism in June 2018. Over the summer of that same year, he served a volunteer mandate in communications capacity building at SUGECO, a farmers’ cooperative in Morogoro. He now lives and works in Ottawa.
They were mentored by JP Davidson, the founding producer at Pop Up Podcasting, Ottawa’s podcast studio. He’s helped clients like Greenpeace, CBC Radio, The Globe & Mail, and RBC tell stories and engage listeners. He is also Camp Tech’s Intro to Podcasting instructor and the founder of the Canadian Sound & Story Workshop, and Ottawa Podcasters.
The Left Behind (Ghana)
One year after the global #MeToo movement went viral, women around the world have shared their experiences with sexual violence. The movement has been a platform for people to speak out, but some voices have been left out of the narrative. In Ghana, it’s school-aged children and in Canada, it’s Indigenous women. These are the stories of some of those left behind.
The team
Abdul Kadir Abubakar has worked as a journalist and broadcaster at North Star FM in Tamale for seven years. He is the news editor and host of the sports and agricultural radio programs in both English and Dagbanli. Kadir is also a translator and interpreter.
Maxine Betteridge-Moes is currently volunteering with Farm Radio International in Tamale, Ghana for one year. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University and she is also working as a freelance journalist while on her placement. Maxine is a passionate podcast listener and producer and she has experience living, working and studying in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Alanna Smith is currently the communications manager for a national media firm based in Ottawa, Ontario and a freelance journalist writing for papers like the Calgary Herald and Ottawa Citizen. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Women’s and Gender Studies from Carleton University. Alanna is passionate about radio journalism and has produced and hosted a variety of radio shows.
They were mentored by Nicola Luksic, an award-winning radio documentary producer based at Ideas www.cbc.ca/ideas on CBC Radio One. Her documentary work has taken her to the former Yugoslavia, Chiapas, Mexico and Zambia. She started her CBC career at The Fifth Estate and The Current. She created and produced several short-run radio series including The Bottom Line with David Suzuki and And Sometimes Y — a show on language. As a trainer she has done volunteer communications work with Doctors Without Borders in South Africa, Dignitas International in Malawi, as well as Farm Radio International in Ghana.
Interested in more podcasts?
Listen to last year’s entries into the Young Journalists Global Podcast Challenge here.