Posted May. 25/06
Carleton’s School of Journalism and Communication will send six more journalism teachers and more than a dozen media interns and exchange students to Rwanda this spring and summer in the second phase of its journalism partnership with the National University of Rwanda.
Carleton journalism interns will take up work terms at The New Times or enroll in classes at the National University of Rwanda.
Designed to address the shortage of journalism educators in Rwanda by building the university’s capacity to teach journalism and to improve media standards in the country, the partnership — dubbed the Rwanda Initiative — provides access to visiting teachers from Canada and established media-training workshops for journalists.
In January, project leader and assistant professor Allan Thompson, retired Carleton journalism professor Roger Bird, Montreal Gazette reporter Sue Montgomery, BJ/87, and CBC producer Sylvia Thomson, MJ/94, traveled to Butare as visiting lecturers. Now a new delegation — media trainer Michelle Betz, MJ/94; CBC journalists Lucy van Oldenbarneveld and Andy Clarke, MJ/92, BA/88; Maclean’s magazine chief photographer Peter Bregg, Carleton journalism professor Kanina Holmes, MA/95, BJ/92; and Robert Lacroix from Carleton’s Instructional Media Services — are taking their turn.
With financing from Carleton International, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Canada Fund for Africa, this phase of the project will place particular emphasis on public engagement with Canadians. It includes a media internship program for Carleton journalism students at a Kigali English-language newspaper and enrolment at the National University of Rwanda for two exchange students.
For more information, visit rwandainitiative.ca.