On navigating a working life

Travelling styles + the latest global journalism opportunities 🌐

WorldWise readers—

I’ve never really followed a ‘career path’, however attractive that kind of strategic attitude has been on several self-doubting occasions. Over time I came to realise that what truly drives me is a different notion of achievement; a process more akin to that of a creative than say a white-collar worker.

I’m musing a bit around that idea today, with help and inspiration from a fine post by Sarah Hendren’s occasional undefended / undefeated here on Substack.

📢 This is the last regular email you’ll see from me as the newsletter takes the usual break over the Northern hemisphere summer—though this time, expect the occasional dispatch while we recharge our batteries and plan ahead for a new season. As ever, thank you for reading.

Anita

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MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication

INSIDER | views & experience

How do you travel?

It’s safe to say that travelling makes for some of the best experiences; and also some of the worst.

One scenario that’s almost guaranteed to cause trouble is when you set out on a journey with someone whose travelling style is very different to yours (especially when neither of you knows that’s what you’re getting into).

We all have a way, an approach to how we venture into the unknown, even if it’s in pursuit of the same destination. Some plan every detail possible in advance. Others meander and never get there. In the shades between, you might have those who meander for a bit but not too far, stopping at regular intervals to check their bearings. You might have more adventurous meanderers, ready to reassess their destination if the journey throws up something else that’s enticing enough.

There’s little doubt you’ll know who you are in this scenario. But I wonder if we can say the same for how we navigate a working life, or a ‘career’ if you will. Are you a planner, certain of your destination? Do you feel a little lost? Or are you happy to feel your way through?

I suspect that, whatever your answer may be, it’s not really a conscious or deliberate choice. There are just so many factors that come into how we make our way. Part of it may have to do with conditioning—simply how we’re used to muddling through what we have to get through. Part of it may have to do with our clarity and sense of purpose about a specific destination. A big part of it usually has to do with the limitations and opportunities—or lack thereof—that come our way (enter the politics of equality).

But maybe there’s value in getting conscious about how we travel, and how it serves us—or not.

Over time, I’ve tuned in to a style of navigating that feels comfortable. It wasn’t so much a choice as an acceptance of what drives me, vs. what I simply can’t muster the energy to pursue.

In fact, is it ever a ‘choice’—and do we even want to exist in that kind of “choosing-controlling” stance, as Sara Hendren calls it in this wonderfully thought-provoking undefended / undefeated post, which is ostensibly about architecture / design / disability etc. but really goes much deeper into questions of how we live.

In delving into hidden meanings behind how we design spaces to dwell in, Hendren draws inspiration from David McPherson’s The Virtues of Limits:

McPherson writes that the limiting virtues are grounded in the dispositional substrate of an “accepting-appreciating” stance toward the world, as opposed to the “choosing-controlling” stance that is the naturalized, invisible, and totalizing definition of 21st century technocratic freedom. No one wants life without choices, of course. But McPherson writes that the limiting virtue of loyalty — especially “loyalty to the given world” — is one way to cultivate this accepting-appreciating posture and to enjoy the freedom that it brings.

Later on, Hendren cites philosopher Charles Taylor to put forward a critical stance on the “relentless quest for self-optimizing authenticity”—before concluding with a rejection of “the flexible, modular, all-purpose and all-choices” design, in favour of creating spaces that grant an “enhanced autonomy”.

I have a lot of resistance to any ideas that reject self-development and choice: take them away, and the quest to live a full life can easily be defeated into a dead-end. What does resonate is the placing of value on a way of navigating that finds freedom and creativity in constraints.

The truth is that how we navigate through working (or other) lives is often shaped more by limitations than by choices. It’s tempting to pour energy into smashing through those limitations; and that’s often the way to go. But maybe, sometimes, the real way forward comes by tuning into them instead—deciding if they are constraints we want or need to accept—and finding freedom to do our best work within the space they create.

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OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media

grants+funding

• GLOBAL | The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters are offering grants for three science journalists to attend the Kavli Prize week in Oslo Norway, from 31 August 31 to 4 September—closing 8 July.

• GLOBAL | The Bertha Challenge is offering a year-long fellowship for activists and investigative journalists whose work focuses on farming and the climate crisis—closing 12 July.

• GLOBAL | Women and nonbinary journalists are eligible to apply for the IWMF’s Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism, which offers up to $5000 to support a project reported and published in English anywhere—closing 14 July.

• GLOBAL | Science journalists who live in a lower-income country can apply for the WFSJ’s Louise Behan Reporting Grant to support a locally relevant science story—closing 15 July.

• ASIA | The Earth Journalism Network is inviting content producers in the Philippines to apply for a grant and training to create engaging climate-related information on social media—closing 15 July.

• LAC | Journalists interested in reporting on education issues in Brazil can apply for a grant offered by the Society of Education Journalists and Itaú Foundation—closing 20 July. (Portuguese)

fellowships+scholarships

• LAC | Mongabay’s Latin America office is offering a scholarship for journalists who want to tell stories about oceans from Chile, Mexico or Peru—closing 21 June. (Spanish)

• LAC | Climate Tracker and FES Transformación are inviting journalists based in selected Latin American countries to apply for a scholarship to cover the 16th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity to be held in Cali, Colombia in October—closing 23 June.

• LAC | The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, which aims to enhance leadership among professionals who collaborate to address local and global challenges, is open for applications from citizens of countries in the Caribbean—closing 1 July.

• GLOBAL | Early-career journalists based anywhere in the world can apply for the Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship, which offers a nine-month fellowship with Durham University and Reuters to undertake an investigative project—closing 15 July.

• ASIA | The year-long Asia Foundation Development Fellows Program is open for applications from journalists and other professionals from Asia Pacific with a track record in addressing climate change—closing 29 July.

training+events

• LAC | The Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo is accepting applications for its Science and Health Reporting Training Program taking place from July 22 to August 23—closing 23 June. (Portuguese)

• ASIA | Young journalists from Asia and Europe are invited to apply for a seminar on AI in journalism, to be held in Hungary from September 9-12—closing 23 June.

• GLOBAL | Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction are inviting participants to a free webinar about key trends and insights from the latest Resilience Index—closing 26 June.

• LAC | Media professionals are invited to register for masterclasses offered as part of The Gabo Festival taking place in Bogota, Colombia in early July—closing 5 July.

• AFRICA | The ACOS Alliance and IREX are inviting journalists based in East Africa to participate in a three-day safety training course—closing 5 July.

• LAC | Brazil’s National Federation of Journalists and online school De Olho na Rede are offering the online course "2024 Elections: Combating disinformation with journalism", aimed at preparing journalists for upcoming local elections in Brazil by addressing topics such as media literacy and tools for combating disinformation—closing 6 July.

• MENA | CNN Academy Abu Dhabi is inviting applications from students or fresh graduates who are from or based in UAE to participate in workshops and training sessions on how CNN gathers information, verifies sources and produces content—closing 14 July.

awards+competitions

• GLOBAL | Grist has opened submissions for the short story contest ‘Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors’, which invites writers to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world—closing 24 June.

• GLOBAL | The International News Media Association (INMA) is accepting applications and nominations for its 30 Under 30 Awards, which aims to find 30 rising stars in news media—closing 28 June.

• GLOBAL | Journalists whose work defends democracy and human rights are invited to apply to the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize, sponsored by the European Commission, which this year emphasises a range of issues including gender equality, sustainable growth and forced displacement—closing 30 June.

• GLOBAL | Cassava Republic Press is inviting submissions for its inaugural Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize, which aims to amplify Black women writers as knowledge-makers across Africa and the African diaspora—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is inviting media professionals from selected African countries to apply for its Media Awards, with pieces that delve into the complexities of peace and security issues—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | Ugandan journalists and editors who cover conservation issues can apply for the Conservation Media Awards organised by Uganda’s Wildlife Authority and WildAid—closing 30 June.

• AFRICA | The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) is calling for nominations for the 2024 Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism, which recognises journalists and publishers for integrity and fearless reporting to serve the people of South Africa—closing 30 June.

audio+visual

• GLOBAL | Global Health Film is inviting participants to an online screening of the film Transcendence, followed by a discussion with the film directors, NGOs and healthcare professionals who work with victims of torture—closing 26 June.

• MENA | The Red Sea International Film Festival is inviting applications from filmmakers based in Saudi Arabia, Africa, Asia and the Arab world, for its fourth edition due to take place next December in Jeddah—closing 5 July.

• MENA | The Marrakech International Film Festival is seeking entries from MENA-based filmmakers for its 2024 edition, starting in November—closing 31 July.

pitches+positions

• MENA | Agence France-Presse (AFP) is looking for a journalist to cover news in Israel and the Palestinian Territories from its Jerusalem bureau—closing 23 June.

• LAC | The Science Panel for the Amazon is accepting nominations for its Youth Advisory Committee to help mobilise the next generation of scientists in the region and ensure its work reaches a broader audience—closing 24 June.

• GLOBAL | The New York Times is offering an Editing Residency which provides early-career editors with up to two years of extensive training and support in the newsroom—apply now.

• GLOBAL | Axios is recruiting remote, experienced copy editors to help shape, structure, and edit newsletters and news stories as needed—apply now.

• LAC | South Pole is looking for a Colombia-based freelance copywriter for climate, nature, and sustainability content—apply now.

resources+tools

• Breaking into journalism: How to get your first byline - International Journalists' Network

• How to investigate IUU fishing - Pulitzer Center

• How investigative journalists can fight back against health misinformation – Global Investigative Journalism Network

• How to use social media to land your next job - Devex

• A mental health guide for journalists facing online violence - IWMF

• ‘You don’t need to be an extrovert’: Top tips from broadcast journalists - JournoResources

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HIGHLIGHT | press calendar dates

• 67th Meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council | 17-21 June

• OEWG 3: Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution | 17-21 June

• 14th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG-14) | 25-28 June

• World Refugee Day | 20 June

• The 26th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) | 23-29 June

• Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development | 1-5 July

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VIEW | insight & global news

ICYMI—Catch up on the latest VIEW post, which focused on the environment, leading with story about tough trade-offs in Kenya.

After the invasion: restoring land vs. making a living

PLUS—Find more opportunities and news updates on our LinkedIn page, including a recent post on media coverage of cobalt mining in the DRC that features an interview with filmmakers Fiona Lloyd-Davies and Robert Flummerfelt, which was hosted by Global Health Film.

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🤍 A big thank you to those of you who continue to support my time and energy for the project through a subscription (you can do that here).

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PS. |

Source: The AI Revolution: Part 1 & Part 2

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