ICPAC and BBC Media Action offer journalists a chance to boost climate action in East Africa
The free online course proposes a simple approach to reporting for climate action in East Africa
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) proposes a simple and solutions-oriented approach to complex climate issues. The course was designed for journalists and editors in Eastern Africa to engage in solutions journalism, by improving their knowledge of climate change, its impacts on the region, and viable solutions to adapt and mitigate climate extremes, as well as storytelling skills on what is the defining issue of our time.
“This course provides journalists with the tools they need to produce engaging content on climate change, stories that are relevant to their audience and give listeners, viewers, and readers the information they need to improve their lives and livelihoods in the context of the climate crisis”, said Diana Njeru, Project Director at BBC Media Action.
The short course aims to supplement existing knowledge by using case studies from countries deeply affected by climate and weather extremes. All modules are available in English and Swahili, with plans underway for translation into Somali, Arabic, and Amharic.
“No one can really think beyond their vocabulary. This MOOC is contextualized and tailored to describe the challenges posed by climate change in East Africa, as well as the ways to mitigate it. For this we need local journalists to understand the issue, and translate it into simple words in their local languages”, explained Abduwali Abdi, Training and Capacity Building Expert at ICPAC.
The last modules of the course focus on audience engagement techniques and solution journalism to help reporters identify and report on possible responses to the climate crisis.
The MOOC is free and accessible on mobile phones. Each coursework takes about 15 minutes to complete, and there is no deadline to enrol.
The course was developed by BBC Media Action in partnership with ICPAC, supported by Code for Africa and NORCAP, and funded by the European Union through the CONFER project.
For more information contact us on communication@icpac.net
