Training on Digital Storytelling on Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Journalists will be exposed to the basics of climate science and intricacies of effective storytelling and video story production techniques to prepare them to confidently deliver engaging digital climate change stories. This intensive week-long training focuses on empowering journalists to effectively communicate the critical issues of climate change and resilience building with a focus on climate-resilient agriculture.

Through this training, journalists will learn how to demystify the complex language of climate science and make it accessible and relatable for the average person. Moreover, this training seeks to humanise the work carried out by the Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems (GRAPE) project. By personalising climate change and illustrating its impacts and responses, the journalists will play a vital role in fostering understanding, awareness and preparedness within communities.

At the end of the training, participants are expected to produce a high-quality digital story centered around climate adaptation and climate-resilient agriculture, which can be published by local, regional, and international media outlets.

Objectives

• The training will capacitate journalists from South Asia with essential skills in visual climate storytelling to cover different aspects of climate-resilient agriculture including local initiatives, challenges, and solutions in Hindu Kush Himaya (HKH) region.
• The training will provide strategies for effectively and engagingly communicate the on-the-ground realities of climate change, particularly around agriculture and climate resilience. It will equip participants with the expertise to develop and present scientifically sound stories that are easily accessible and understandable to the general public.

Structure

• The course will focus on four tracks critical to digital storytelling:
  • Climate journalism and storytelling track
    • Introduction to the basics of climate science and overview of climate change in the HKH.
    • Deep dive into GRAPE activities, the challenges they address and exploring climate resilient agriculture as a topic.
    • Understanding climate adaptation, climate resilience and their limitations, and learning to distinguish false solutions and greenwashing from useful, scalable climate solutions.
    • Review of effective climate communication strategies that can be incorporated in different types of storytelling products.
  • Video production and editing track
    • Hone technical skills in video production and postproduction including the initial research, scripting and storyboarding process, technical and shooting tips, equipment check, audio capture techniques, interview setups.
    • Build film direction and storytelling techniques including types of shooting styles, filming relevant b-roll, narrative styles, creative choices for specific types of outcomes, and integrating science/experts into stories.
    • Expert session on filming techniques to achieve high quality cinematic footage with minimal equipment and limited time.
  • Editorial and pitching track
    • Brainstorm direct and indirect impacts of climate change on agriculture and agrarian communities and beyond.
    • Introduction to second order and third order impacts beyond the visible first order impacts to find diverse, interesting, and relevant story ideas.
    • Scoping of right and diverse expert sources to feature in the stories along with science journalism basics on how to cultivate working relationships with experts, find papers and reports and how to keep track of latest developments for continued learning and climate reporting beyond the workshop.
    • International avenues for pitching and publishing climate stories and video reports/documentary shorts and introduction to basics of freelance journalism for international publications.
  • Practical track
    • One-on-one learning whereby participants will apply their learning to complete a short digital project during the training course.
    • Develop the technical and editorial skills required to identify, pitch and produce scientifically accurate, human interest digital stories.
    • Emerge from the training with increased confidence in generating digital stories reflecting the realities on-the-ground in the research sites, with attention to the local context of culture, traditions, gender issues, and interpersonal and social dynamics of each location.

Benefits

• ICIMOD will cover all direct costs related to the workshop, including international airfare, visa processing, local transport, accommodation, and food during the workshop for all selected participants.

Expected Output 

• Upon completion of the training, participants will:
  • Build an understanding on the topics of climate change, adaptation, resilience, climate-resilient agriculture; and cover various elements of a compelling digital storytelling including how digital narratives can help raise awareness on climate change impacts, particularly on the poor and marginalised.
  • Develop awareness of adaptation challenges and linkages between environmental issues, social problems, and the broader economy.

Target Participants

• This training is for freelance journalists from photojournalism, video/documentary, and print/web media who regularly cover environmental issues, especially on climate change and its impacts, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of 3-4 years of video/photo journalism experience.
• Experience in the reporting environment.
• Decent photography, video shooting, and editing skills.
• Proficient in Adobe Premiere or equivalent editing tools.
• Technical understanding of climate change issues, climate change adaptation, and resilience building preferable.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote areas, specifically Western Nepal. This includes the capacity to adapt to challenging field conditions, involving walking and other forms of mobility.
• Proactive and highly motivated to develop expertise in climate science and storytelling.
• Women and participants from marginalised communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit ICIMOD.