ABOUT THE WORKSHOP, YOUNG PACIFIC LEADER PROGRAM, AND TONGA
About the Workshop/Benefits of Participating:
With our team of U.S. and international experts in media, journalism, climate change, and resilience, and with fellow young leaders, you will:
Increase your knowledge about innovative journalism techniques
Increase your knowledge about Pacific regional issues (e.g., climate change, resilience)
Learn how media and journalism can promote and advance Pacific regionalism
Increase your skills in narrative writing and storytelling
Enhance your skills in practice and planning, collaborative problem-solving, project development from concept to completion, information literacy, research and reporting techniques, and journalism ethics
Expand your networking with fellow young leaders, journalists, and professors from the U.S. and Pacific region, and learn about other cultures
Apply for a seed grant to conduct a project in your community that applies knowledge gained during the workshop sessions, and will receive ongoing mentoring
Receive a Certificate of Completion
Include program completion on your resume or C.V.
Examples of Workshop Sessions
The Evolving Media Landscape and Issues Facing the Pacific
Climate Crisis in the Pacific Region
Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
Resilience in the Pacific Region
Future of Media Literacy and Journalism: Challenges and Opportunities
Ethical Principles in Journalism
Promoting Pacific Regionalism
Media Literacy and Skills
Effective Sourcing and Fact-Checking
Field trips focusing on (a) climate change and resilience, and (b) writing a story or opinion piece
About the Young Pacific Leaders Program
“The Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) program is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific.
Through a variety of programs and engagements including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, YPL seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region and strengthen ties between the United States and the Pacific.
YPL focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region: education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, economic and social development.”
ABOUT TONGA
Tonga is a beautiful Polynesian nation in the South Pacific. Nearly three-quarters of Tonga’s population live on Tongatapu, the main island. The workshop will be held in Nuku’alofa, the capital, on the island of Tongatapu, which is encompassed by stunning limestone cliffs, reefs, and a lagoon.
Top attractions in Tonga include the Mapu'a 'a Vaea Blowholes, the Haʻamonga ʻa Maui stone trilithon built by King Tuʻitātui in the 13th century, and the Hufangalupe Natural Land Bridge. Tonga has direct flights from Nadi, Fiji (about a 1 ¾ hour flight; distance about 870 kilometers) and Auckland, New Zealand (about a 4 hour flight; distance about 2,000 kilometers).