Volunteering on a Journalism Internship Placement in Romania with Projects Abroad

  Romania

Brasov

Term: Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: All Year Round (you set the start and end dates)

Description: Welcoming volunteers of all abilities, a placement on our Journalism Internship in Romania gives volunteers huge scope for gaining journalistic experience and a real insight into life in the mountainous Romanian province of Transylvania.
You don't need to speak Romanian to join our Journalism Project. All we ask for is a good standard of written English and the enthusiasm to help put together a magazine that will prove interesting to both locals and visitors wanting to find out more about life in rural Romania. Living in this fascinating country, you'll have no shortage of inspiration for stories to research and write about, greatly enhancing your CV as you do so.

For volunteers who are on a gap-year looking to get onto a related university course, or those looking for employment following graduation, a Projects Abroad journalism placement can set you on the right track. This journalism placement is also suitable for working journalists and experienced professionals who wish to take a career-break or broaden their horizons.
Print Journalism Placements in Romania with Projects Abroad

On our Journalism project, based in Brasov, you will work for a new magazine called "Satul", which translates as "The Village". The magazine was created by, and is edited by Adrian and Ana Andrei, a young couple with great vision. During their travels through rural Romania, Adrian and Ana were touched by the richness of ancient Romanian traditions that still manage to survive, despite Romania's increasing globalization. They decided to create "The Village" in order to help keep alive the spirit of rural identity with its many different manifestations in modern Romanian life.

The first edition of "The Village" will be printed in May 2009 and every two months after that, with plans for it to soon become a monthly publication. It will be comprised of 80 to 100 pages (depending on the size of the English section), and to start with 3000 copies will be printed.

Your role as a Journalism Volunteer in Romania:

Projects Abroad volunteers working at "The Village" will be responsible for producing the magazine's English section. As the magazine will be distributed through a network of hotels, traditional restaurants and small rural guesthouses, our volunteers' work will contribute greatly to making sure that ancient Romanian traditions and customs are known to local and foreign tourists, and that they are remembered and valued.

As a journalism volunteer you will have the opportunity to visit Romanian villages at least once a fortnight in order to get to know rural Romania and report on it. You will interview mayors, teachers, craftsmen, priests and simple peasants; you will research into their way of life and struggles dealing with the modern world, and determine how these ancient traditions have survived in urban life.

During your time with "The Village", you will gain valuable experience in all the processes involved in putting together a commercial magazine. You will have the opportunity to learn how to research, write, proof-read, edit and analyse an article, but you'll also be able to help with taking photographs to illustrate your own writing, design the pages that will host your work, and be involved in the distribution of the magazine.

We greatly value the skills that you will gain working for "The Village" and we expect you to share them. In order for you to use these skills to the benefit of the local community, we have started weekly Journalism Clubs in two local primary schools. Under the supervision of our Journalism Manager, Alexandra Ichim, you will coordinate 6 to 10 children in each school to create a small monthly school newspaper. The children are selected based on their English level and writing skills, photography, drawing and computer skills. The children then take on all the roles that are involved in the creation of a publication: reporters, editors, proof-readers, photographer and designers.

This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely within the local community please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period. The magazine is a bi-monthly publication so by joining the project for two weeks you may not be at the placement when the edition is printed.

This placement is also available for 16-19 year olds as a 2-Week Special placement.

Highlights: Romania is an amazing country. The Carpathian Mountains covered in pine forests are its spine. The hills and plains of the three historical provinces, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania emerge from these mountains. The Southern border is defined by the Danube. The Danube Delta, an exotic paradise for birds and fish, lies in the small Romanian province of Dobrogea, which has 150 miles of coast on the Black Sea.

The people who live in this country, the Romanians, share their world with Hungarians, Saxons, Gypsies, Turks, Tatars, Armenians, Jews, Russians and Serbs. The Romanians themselves never forget that they are the Latin people of Orient, descendents of the ancient Dacians.

All accommodation is organized, paid for, and monitored by Projects Abroad. All project placements are regularly visited and checked. We require high standards of supervision and accommodation, which are verified before you arrive in Moldova.

This project offers the opportunity to become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: No qualifications, experience or languages required.

Cost in US$: From USD 3,045 up

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range: 16-70

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Romania Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992