The Asia Pacific Dialogue Fellowships provide a special opportunity for mid-to-senior career journalists from Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific region to improve their knowledge of issues and developments in the region and thereby contribute to better public understanding.
The Fellowships, funded by The Myer Foundation and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, involve a three-day briefing and orientation program at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre and the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre in Melbourne, followed by a two-week study tour in the Asia Pacific region, with opportunities for professional dialogue and networking.
2012 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Theme: Managing the challenges of climate change and development in China and Indonesia
As developing nations assert their right to lift their populations out of poverty through economic development, attention necessarily focuses on how this can be done in ways that minimise the growth of carbon emissions and support national and global targets.
The 2012 Asia Pacific Dialogue Fellowships will explore how China, the world’s most populous nation, and Indonesia, the fourth most populous, are handling this twin challenge. Their responses are important for their own sake and – especially in the case of China – for their potential impact on the behaviour of industrialised nations slow to move on climate change.
The program of briefings and in-field excursions will hear from government, industry leaders, NGOs and academics on domestic energy policies, renewable energy targets, carbon trading initiatives, and environmental policies and practices. It will also look at changing livelihoods, poverty alleviation and social development policies.
The fellowships will give participating journalists the opportunity to learn firsthand how China and Indonesia are facing the twin challenges of development and climate change. They will also have the opportunity to share insights on these and other issues with professional colleagues from other countries.
Study tour leaders: APJC program director John Wallace and, in China, Professor David Zhang, director of the Australian Studies Centre, and director of the Centre for Environmental Journalism and International Communication Studies at Shandong University, Weihei.
Dates: 11-29 April 2012
Destinations include: Melbourne, Jakarta, Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan and Weihai.
Application deadline: 5pm Monday, 30 January, 2012
Open to: Mid-to-senior career print, broadcast, and online journalists in Australia, Asia and Pacific island nations. Typically, Fellows will have a minimum of eight years’ professional experience. Applicants must have the ability to communicate effectively in English.
Successful applicants will be expected to submit a short paper in essay, article or key point form (no more than two pages) for use in discussions during the dialogue and orientation program. The paper, to be submitted the week before the program starts, should relate to developments in your community that relate in some way to the program theme.
Additional costs: This program is supported by philanthropic grants, which cover most costs. At the same time, employers of Fellows are asked to provide some support – to demonstrate commitment to the program and to help cover APJC administration costs.
Fellows are responsible for visa fees and related expenses. See application form for further information on costs and participant obligations.
Reporting: The program itinerary will include briefings and professional visits on most days, but some time will be available for reporting activity.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be submitted using the APD application form. The application should include:
A statement of interest (no more than 500 words), outlining:
Your supervisor’s letter of recommendation outlining your suitability for the Fellowship and how your participation will benefit your organisation.
Your employer’s statement of support (see application form).
Applications may be sent by e-mail, fax or post:
Email: inquiries@apjc.org.au (write “APD Fellowship application” in header)
Fax: +61 3 9387 9750
Post: APD Fellowships
Asia Pacific Journalism Centre
90 Amess Street, Carlton North
Victoria 3054 AUSTRALIA
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information, including questions about the application process, please contact inquiries@apjc.org.au or +61 3 9387 9740.