Journalism Internship

The program

This amazing program supplies journalism interns to news agencies in Morocco to assist them in investigating and reporting on events and news as it happens.  Students with a background in journalism and a good grasp of English are welcome to apply to this program which is designed to give a practical taste of what working within an international agency is all about. Some knowledge of French would be advantageous but is not a prerequisite. While experiencing a new country and culture, students have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience and develop useful skills within their field. Internships are available with local agencies as well as some international agencies such as Sky News and Morocco World News. The internship will be arranged based on the students’ skills and experience and once on-site, they will paired with an internship mentor who will monitor their workload and provide on-going support and assistance.

Goals of this Project:

• Provide journalism interns with quality work experience
• Supply additional support to busy news agencies
• Keep the world up to date on important news and events in the region
• Enable inter-cultural exchange which benefits both residents and international volunteers alike.

How you can help

This program will enhance and develop the skills of any journalism student, while also providing a wonderful cultural opportunity for an intrepid traveller. This is a true internship program, where volunteers get stuck in and truly contribute to a news agency’s work. Interns will write original articles, edit work, develop strategies on social media and digital trends, update social media and be a true member of the news team as they report on news around the region. Interns will find this to be a hugely rewarding internship, gaining real life experience in a developing African nation, networking with colleagues and building a resume of work.

Volunteers will contribute in a number of ways and can expect to undertake the following tasks:

• Editing original content written by the agency correspondents and contributors
• Writing articles in English (news, reports, interviews, op-eds, research papers)
• Assist with social media pages and groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram
• Video/picture editing
• Help in developing Digital Media Planning and Online Marketing Strategies
• Online Strategic Planning and Insights on latest digital trends
• Developing and maintaining a social media strategy that can help the agency secure its leadership in Morocco and enhance its visibility
• Develop monitor and implement social media campaigns
• Develop guidelines and training materials to ensure consistency in style and content for the agency contributors
• Help in drafting proposals for the agency partnerships program with other institutions
• Help in drafting applications for grants and/or fellowships to meet the guidelines of potential donors/foundations.

Rabat is a modern city with wide boulevards, gardens and light, white buildings, for the most part a far cry from the hectic warrens of the other Imperial cities of Marrakech and Fez, but no less steeped in history with its origins going back to the 7th century. The King of Morocco lives here in his palace amid trees and flowers..Ohh! Being an administrative capital, the city is somewhat conservative and serious, but there is some local color to be found in the old part of the city, the Medina, and the Kasbah, where there is a more relaxed atmosphere. Recreational opportunities abound too and a few lovely beaches at hand.

With the city center of Rabat being very compact, all the points of interest are in walking distance. Local Bus services can be very useful and they are marked very clearly. Petit and Grands taxis can be found at the airport, the train station and at Boulevard Hassan.

Rabat Ville’s main train station is right in the middle of the Ville Nouvelle, just a few minutes’ walk to most of the hotels, so it is best to arrive in Rabat by train. There is even a bureau de change and a car rental office on the station platform. The main bus terminal is situated in Place Zerktouni - three kilometers west of the center by the road intersection for Casablanca and Beni Mellal Grand taxis from Casablanca and Fez will drop you off at the main bus station. Rabat’s airport is seven kilometers km north of Rabat and although grand taxis are the only public transport operating from here, it isn’t difficult to catch one. Rabat is a seriously cool place to volunteer!