UNICEF Odisha has launched the Young Women Journalist Mentorship Programme 2022 in collaboration with South Asian Women of Media (SAWM) India, a network of women journalists in South Asia.
Held in Bhubaneshwar, a two-day orientation workshop was held as part of the program. The topic for the conversation as ‘working women and their children’.
The primary objective of the workshop was to empower young women journalists, build their self-confidence, sharpen their reporting and writing skills, and connect them with mentors for guidance. Sixteen women journalists hailing from tribal, rural and underprivileged communities from across Odisha were chosen for mentoring by four senior journalists of Bhubaneswar.
The workshop saw participation from esteemed dignitaries including MSME department’s Principal Secretary Ranjana Chopra, Sambad Group’s Radio Television and Digital Wings Head TanayaPatnaik, OTV’s Co-founder and MD JagiMangat Panda, journalist MonideepaBanerjie, formerly with NDTV, and SAWM president Swati Bhattacharjee along with four senior women journalists of Odisha as mentors.
The welcome address was delivered by Radhika Srivastava, Communication and Advocacy Specialist UNICEF.
Speaking at the program, MSME department’s Principal Secretary Ranjana Choprasaid, “This is a welcome step taken by SAWM and UNICEF. Women are excelling in all fields including media. Across all sectors, there is a need for much stronger representation of women. The mentees will have a great opportunity to interact with senior journalists and learn from them and make a mark for themselves in journalism in Odisha.”
The workshop saw conversations around the experiences and challenges faced by young women journalists on the field.
