Scholarship details
Investigative journalists and activists who are striving to expose the impact of misinformation and corruption on the climate catastrophe are encouraged to apply for the 2024 Bertha Challenge Fellowship. The purpose of this Fellowship is to identify those responsible for the dissemination of vast volumes of climate disinformation and to investigate how that misinformation is being utilized to advance the agendas of profit-driven organizations and governments.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged, for the first time this year, the influence of disinformation on national and individual responses to the climate problem in its report published in February 2023. (WG III4). To the journalists and activists fighting disinformation and its impact on the climate crisis: the Bertha Challenge 2024! To the committed experts standing firm on science and thorough analysis: thank you for your work!
The evidence is undeniable: The climate catastrophe is primarily caused by human activities. The vast release of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) is the primary driver of global warming. Extreme heat was experienced during the recent decade (2011-2020). It’s not all doom and gloom; people all around the world are reporting on and organizing to combat the spread of false information and the inherent corruption of the media. There is a rise in anti-fake news activism among the general public. Please consider applying to the Bertha Challenge.
About the Scholarship Provider:
The Bertha Foundation works to make the world a more equitable place. We stand in solidarity with activists, storytellers, and attorneys who are striving to ensure that everyone has access to social and economic justice as well as human rights. The Bertha Film Fund’s mission is to provide financial support for creative interventions that open doors to new ways of combating injustice, particularly in situations where even a modest amount of money can have a significant effect. By placing an emphasis on the role of the audience as a changemaker, we hope to attract projects that consciously include social change into the decisions they make regarding their narratives, forms, and aesthetics.
We are looking for motion picture projects that make an effort to reframe inclusivity at all levels of production as a conscious act of social justice. This includes who is telling, capturing, structuring, and editing tales as well as who owns them. In this context, “having plans for ongoing engagement, support, and care for welfare with communities after the release of a film” refers to the preparation of such plans.
The aforementioned points are of utmost significance for storytelling, which places an emphasis on genuine narratives of resistance and on tales that are risky to tell but absolutely necessary to tell. When telling a story in which the characters, communities, and movements may all be in danger of losing their lives or their means of subsistence, the storyteller has a responsibility to evaluate and eliminate risks, as well as to think about how to present the story in the most responsible way possible.
SeNSS is one of only 14 Doctoral Training Partnerships in the United Kingdom that is sponsored by the ESRC, and they will be offering a handful of fully-funded ESRC doctoral studentships beginning in September 2023. SeNSS is one of the only 14 Doctoral Training Partnerships in the United Kingdom that is sponsored by the ESRC.
Scholarship Sponsor(s): Bertha Foundation
Scholarship Country: United States of America
Scholarship Worth: $64,900
Study Level: Fellowship
Nationality: International Students
Scholarship Offer:
- Bertha recognizes the ground-breaking efforts of numerous activists and investigative journalists who are already working to research and amplify their work and communicate with one another. The Bertha Challenge is designed to help with this by giving participants dedicated work time, places to meet and collaborate with a global group of Bertha Fellows and partners, and funding to create and distribute physical goods that answer the Challenge’s central question.
- Our Fellowships provide:
- Each Bertha Fellow will receive a yearly remuneration similar to their present or anticipated pay at the host organization, not to exceed USD $64,900. Ideally, a journalist would work for a news organization, while an activist would join a non-governmental organization, community group, or social movement.
- Each Bertha Fellow will receive a Project Fund of up to US $10,000 to develop a final product that addresses the challenge given by the Bertha Challenge and is aimed at a particular demographic. Content like articles, movies, podcasts, games, and even theatre productions fall under this category. Joint applications from the activist and media communities will be able to pool their project funds to create larger-scale projects.
- Fellows can use up to US$5,000 from a Connect Fund established to foster cooperation among them.
- Consistent online dialogues covering a wide range of problems, from the latest arguments surrounding the Bertha Challenge question to investigation techniques, news media strategies, narrative, public education, and more.
- Consistent online meetings with Bertha staff and a group of fellow Bertha alumni provide a form of peer and mentor assistance.
- Exposure to relevant partners within and outside of the Bertha network, as well as the building of a global network through the Bertha Fellows programme.
- The Bertha Challenge kicks off with a global gathering of Bertha Fellows.
- The Bertha Challenge will begin in January 2024, and the Bertha Fellows will gather for the first time at the beginning of the Fellowship year in one of Bertha’s associated global retreat spaces.
- Spend time with other Bertha Challenge 2024 Fellows, get to know each other, and share your work and ideas with the group.
- Look for possibilities to improve the structure of each Fellow’s annual project work
- Collaboration opportunities among the cohort should be discussed and framed.
- Discuss the latest developments in the climate situation and proposed solutions.
- Gain insight into cutting-edge strategies for engaging certain demographics from working professionals.
The Gustafsson & Skrondal Visiting Scholarship is administered by the University of Oslo’s Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO). As part of the visiting scholar program, CEMO and the University of Oslo host a number of young researchers from Norway and elsewhere each year.
Eligibility for Scholarship.
- All applicants must submit:
- A filled-out application submitted via the web platform
- A concise resume or curriculum vitae written in English that is no longer than three pages.
- A list of two to four references, including the referee’s name, the applicant’s relationship to each reference, and their contact information
- A signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from the potential host organization, which outlines the compensation to be expected and any other perks that may be offered.
- Previous work is shown here as examples.
Nationality
The Bertha Foundation 2024 Fellowship for Investigative Journalists and Activists is open to all International Students
If a student enrolls in one of the degree programs offered by SOAS University of London, they may be eligible to receive a fee waiver award in the amount of £5,000. This award is available to students who are interested in receiving a degree from SOAS University of London.
Application Procedure
- The application forms, in PDF format, can be downloaded and viewed below. The PDFs are only for use as a reference. To submit your application, please utilize the links that are located above.
- You can view a PDF version of the journalist application form here. Download a copy of the application form for activists here in PDF format.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Bertha Foundation’s 2024 Fellowship for Investigative Journalists and Activists is July 4, 2023.
