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rabble.ca and the Institute for Change Leaders are delighted to launch the Jack Layton Journalism for Change Fellowship.  Now comes the difficult task of deciding who wins the inaugural fellowship.  Vote for one of the three finalists by October 10. 

Six years ago, Canada lost a great leader. NDP leader Jack Layton inspired people by example, demonstrating that working together for social and economic justice is possible and achievable.

We announce this fellowship in Jack’s name, and hope it becomes part of his ongoing legacy. The fellowship supports emerging writers and journalists who are passionate and engaged in developing unique voices in social-change reporting. The fellowship is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen media democracy in Canada, while offering mentorship and growth for new voices.

Our three judges had the challenging task of selecting a shortlist from over 100 applications submitted. We were all wowed and honoured by the calibre of applications submitted, and thank all the applicants for their creativity and enthusiasm.  It was not an easy task to pick finalists.  

The fellowship covers issues that matter to our readers in the progressive community.  Therefore we invite YOU to help decide who the successful applicant is! 

Listed below are the names of the shortlisted candidates with links to two samples of their writing. We invite you to review the submissions and then make your choice at this link.

Read the pieces below, and then click here to tell us who you would like to see selected for the first Jack Layton Journalism for Change Fellowship.  Your criteria in evaluating the articles should be that the writing is (1) factually accurate, of course, because at rabble.ca, we strive to be accurate, and (2) compelling, because social justice reporting should compel us to take notice and action. 

Our three judges will review reader choices and weight this into a final decision. 

Please note: The voting process constitutes a change to the original judging process. After noting the high quality of applications, a decision was made to introduce the public engagement element to provide more exposure to more applicants, and introduce a role for our readers (the rabble). Reader votes will not be made public.  Applicants were notified of this change as we navigate and seek to improve the selection process for future Fellowships.

For background, here is the original announcement for the fellowship.  

The short list  (in alphabetical order)

Monika Dutt

Megan Kinch

Phillip D. Morgan

Please vote here.

You have until October 10 to vote!

Final results will be shared the week of October 15 

Check back on the site or on Facebook (link) or Twitter to find out results. Or, sign up to our free weekly newsletter to be sure not to miss results. 

Thank you to our judges! 

JORGE BARRERA is host and producer of APTN’s Nation to Nation, and Ottawa Bureau correspondent. He has worked across the country and internationally. Before joining APTN, he worked for Canwest News Service, Sun Media and the Moncton Times & Transcript. He also worked in Caracas, Venezuela, for an English-language daily. Jorge has won a 2011 Canadian Association of Journalist award and was the J-Source 2012 newsperson of the year.

JACKIE WONG is a Vancouver journalist and facilitator interested in urban health, race, and equity. She is facilitating workshops for drug users and overdose responders to share their experiences and knowledge in a series of public storytelling events about B.C.’s overdose crisis this fall. Her writing about housing, homelessness, race, and mental health has been published nationally. Her forthcoming long feature exploring the connections between the 1990s HIV/AIDS crisis and B.C.’s current overdose crisis will be published in Maisonneuve this winter.

VICTORIA FENNER was one of the first podcasters at rabble.ca, having started her podcast at rabble in 2005, back when few people knew what it was. In 2014, she became the executive producer of the rabble podcast network and is enjoying her exploration of the ways that print, audio, and video journalism are converging on the Internet. She brings over 30 years of journalism and production experience in community radio, and at the CBC. Victoria has worked in all sectors of the audio production industry, including at community radio stations in the United States and Canada. She is currently a video art grant recipient from the Ontario Arts Council, where she is exploring synergies between sound and image. 

We’d love to give more opportunities to talented, emerging writers, so please support the Jack Layton Journalism for Change fellowship with a donation.