Project aimed at training Aboriginal reporters in northern Ontario

The need to tell Aboriginal stories by Aboriginal writers from northern Ontario is at the core of a project initiated by Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), a Canadian-based media development organization.
“The idea is to build up a slew of correspondence across northern Ontario of people who can report from their communities,” said Robin Pierro, communications manager for JHR. “So community-based reporters who can tell Aboriginal focused stories from the Aboriginal perspective.”
In its 10 years of operation, JHR has worked primarily in Sub-Saharan countries in Africa helping to develop the capacity of local journalists to report on human rights and governance issues. But last year, the organization decided to work within Canada and, after a month of research, decided to focus on northern Ontario and partnered with Wawatay Native Communications Society.
“In the end, (the aim of the project is) to reach the larger Ontario audience through those stories,” Pierro said. “To really ensure those stories are getting out of the community and everyone knows what’s going in their own province and the country.”
To accomplish this goal during the one-year project, two expert journalism trainers will be hired to work in six remote First Nations communities in northern Ontario, training five local journalists per community in print and radio reporting. Each trainer will work in three communities for three months at a time.
JHR also hopes to engage up to 50 community members per cycle through community forums.
Fort Severn, Weagomow, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Attawapiskat, Moose Cree and Constance Lake have agreed to take part in the project.
The project will also have a Thunder Bay component consisting of bi-weekly workshops for both Aboriginal journalists and local media reporters.
“Through the consultations we’ve done over the past year, the overwhelming need that’s being identified in the Thunder Bay is to mitigate the tension between the journalists and the Aboriginal community” Pierro said. “And to make sure the two groups are working together and there’s networking and relationships being built.”
The Thunder Bay workshop series will run for nine months for a total of 17 workshops that targets 30 attendees per session. Topics of discussion would range from techniques for reporting in Aboriginal communities to how mainstream newsrooms operate.
The project still needs a source of funding. Along with submitting grant applications, JHR has entered the project in the Aviva Community Fund competition. Targeting local and national initiatives that incite positive change, the competition has three voting rounds where the winning project(s) will receive its proposed funding. Aviva provides a total of $1 million to the competition.
The first round of voting ends Oct. 15. Once registered through the website, anyone can vote once per day until the end of the round. The project can be voted on by going to: www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf14612.