The Northern Journalism Training Initiative is hosting a showcase and celebration of graduates from its recent training program in Hay River.
According to a news release, seven participants from Hay River, Fort Smith and Yellowknife completed the month-long community journalism training program where they learned new skills, practised familiar ones and created written, audio and video stories.
The organization said the event will showcase those stories and “celebrate a new cohort of journalism storytellers and sharers in the North” over a meal of caribou stew, fried fish and bannock.
“The Northern Journalism Training Initiative is committed to building a vibrant storytelling ecosystem in the North, where Indigenous and local knowledge is not only valued but elevated,” project director Kaila Jefferd-Moore stated. “We don’t give people a voice; we empower them to use their own voices through multimedia storytelling, media literacy, and by demystifying the media production process.”
Participants in the training program spent time on the land with Kátł’odeeche First Nation knowledge carriers Peter Sabourin, Henry Tambour and helper Reg Young and spent an afternoon at Midnight Racing Kennels with Anthony Beck. They practised setting up media gear, sound-gathering, multimedia reporting and interviewing skills. The program also included a speaker series of Indigenous and northern storytellers and journalists.
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The showcase and celebration is open to members of the public of all ages. It will take place on Thursday from 6 to 8 pm in Doug Wieterman Hall on the second floor of Hay River’s community centre.
The Northern Journalism Training Initiative is a MakeWay project that provides journalism training opportunities to Indigenous and northern people.
The organization’s community journalism training program is a month-long intensive program that equips participants with foundational storytelling and multimedia skills. The program is delivered in a different region of the NWT each year
“Media plays an important role in shaping how we understand the world, and it is essential that the voices of Indigenous and Northern people are not only heard but are at the forefront of telling these stories,” Premier RJ Simpson stated. “The Northern Journalism Training Initiative empowers Northerners to share their distinct perspectives, knowledge systems, and stories with their communities and the world.”
