When young activists interested in in journalism and SDGs meet for the first time after months of articles and research, the magic happens! The training dedicated to LADDER’s Citizen Journalists took place in Strasbourg on 19-21 November.

More than 60 citizens and non-professional journalists coming from Europe, the European Neighbourhoods and beyond, are the protagonists of the network of Citizen Journalists of LADDER project.
The network of Citizen Journalists was set up at the beginning of 2016 with the aim of raising interest, sharing information, telling stories of good practices and denouncing situations of mismanagement to be solved about several topics. All topics are related to DEAR (Development Education & Awareness Raising) and to the implementation of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

From education to tolerance, from clean energy to development, passing by inclusion, migration and engagement: within 2 years more than 130 articles on local actions for global impact have been shared!

A few weeks ago, an external committee of communication and advocacy officers went through the contribution of the network, selecting 18 Citizen Journalists who demonstrated a particular commitment and attention to the mission, with articles and interviews of relevant quality, sharing with us important insights from their local communities, the good practices they got in touch with, telling us the stories lived through the eyes of responsible citizens.

The 18 selected journalists, coming from 13 different countries and including 3 continents, have been invited in Strasbourg to take part in a training on communication and journalism, including the use of social media, storytelling, photo session and ethical photos. The training has been led by ALDA’s communication team, with the precious contribution of an external expert on photography, Giorgio Algeri. At the end of the training, the group attended the Final Conference of LADDER project, where they have been awarded by Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA, for their commitment and great performance.

Not only a training, but a real moment of exchange, growth and encounter has been the result of the Citizen Journalists training. As a long-term result, the journalists expressed their will to go on in their activity as an autonomous group of ambassadors of sustainability, beyond the end of the project itself, with a common slogan that will drive them towards next adventures: “Citizen Journalists – Together is better!”

Useful resources:
Have a look to the photo gallery
Discover our network of Citizen Journalists
Read the articles of the network
Read more about the LADDER Final Conference
Watch the video of the training