Crossroads Intern rossroads International is a leading Canadian volunteer cooperation agency advancing equality for women and girls and eradicating poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries in Africa and South America. Crossroads International works in some of the world’s poorest countries where women and girls face great adversity — unequal access to resources and economic opportunities, gender-based violence and limited participation in political and public life
Project description and context:
Crossroads International is recruiting 6 talented and experienced Writers for short term overseas mandates. The Writer volunteers will be gifted story tellers who can manage several projects and paint a picture with their words. We are seeking seasoned creative professionals to capture stories of change and impact and to enable Crossroads to better share and communicate its impact through social media and the web, to support its campaigns and to update Crossroads website with new impactful stories. Together with the Visual Content Creator in his/her team, the successful candidates will plan, develop and also interview, write and edit compelling stories that illustrate the impact of Crossroads International’s overseas volunteer cooperation program producing authentic, inspiring blog and web articles that illustrate global challenges, impact and stories of change through volunteers, partners, staff and beneficiaries. The position is multifaceted and includes overseas travel, cross cultural and cross language interviews where the candidate determines the structure, tone, st
Mandate historical context:
Every year, Crossroads International engages hundreds of experienced volunteers and staff North and South who apply their expertise locally to address poverty and inequality. We invest in local partners who are best positioned to meet the needs of their communities. With them, we pilot innovative approaches to create decent jobs and to empower women and girls to become leaders and live free from violence. Together we are leveraging knowledge, expertise, and dollars to create a more just and equitable world.
Crossroads International’s Skills for Change volunteer cooperation program focuses on building capacity of local civil society organizations to:
- Transform traditional women’s work into viable income-generating businesses through individual and collective enterprises;
- Increase food security by helping rural producers (primarily women and youth) adapt to a changing climate with more sustainable production techniques, innovative financing and access to new markets;
- Unleash potential of youth through entrepreneurial training and young women’s leadership training;
- Decrease gender-based violence and early and forced marriage through women’s rights education, and engagement with traditional leaders, men and boys to encourage behavioural change;
- Empower women and girls through increased access to justice that is gender sensitive, leadership training and participation in decision making and empowerment clubs
POSITION DETAILS
Main responsibilities include
- Meet and work with partner organizations and Crossroads volunteers
- Research, plan and execute video/photoshoots with the support from Crossroads International and partners organizations
- Collaborate with the other volunteer Writer
- Pre-plan interviews and stories in consultation with Crossroads’ Communication Officer and the volunteer Writer
- Write scripts and develop storyboards in collaboration with Communications Officer
- Communicate with photo subjects with help from a Translator, obtain consent, explain how material will be used and where, put them at ease, encourage and direct them
- Arrange products, scenes and backgrounds for content capture
- Collaborate with the volunteer Writer to ensure strong photos and videos to accompany the narratives they are writing
- Manage and edit all video and photography post-production work as per Crossroads’ branding guidance
- Provide content twice a week to the Communications team to use across a variety of channels including YouTube, website, organic and paid social media, email, display advertising, training videos and more
Qualification criteria for selection include:
- Degree, diploma, and/or certification in Film Production and/or Photography, Radio/Television, Fine Arts or related field
- Experienced photo and videographer with a knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud and other specialist software to capture and edit detailed stories
- Proficiency in design and editing software
- Skilled in all areas of photo and video production including shooting, recording, staging and styling, and directing
- Proficiency in using various photo, video, lighting, microphones and other necessary equipment including digital cameras and lenses
- Knowledge and ability to work within a gender equality & women’s rights framework and strong gender analysis
- Experience working or living abroad especially in Africa is an asset
Skills:
- Strong storytelling and content creation abilities
- Superior communication (oral & written) and organization skills
- Excellent time management, analytical and research skills
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and stakeholders
- Ability to successfully work independently and in teams
- Strong skills in cross cultural communication
- Ability to work with translators
- Unwaveringly positive “can-do” attitude
- Strong project planning and management
- Skill in visualizing and shooting concepts effectively
- Skill in production and editing
- Good interpersonal skills
- Flexible and adaptable to adjust to new situations easily
- Ability to work with little to no supervision
- MUST submit portfolio of previous projects
- Overseas development experience is a strong asset
Eligibility criteria:
- Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
- Must be 19 years and older
- Share the commitment of preventing and addressing sexual misconduct
- Willing to conduct fundraising and public engagement activities before, during and after the placement
- In good physical and mental health (medical examination required)
- The volunteer needs to bring their own computer and photo and video material
Personalized support before, during and after the mandate provided by an experienced and welcoming team. The Crossroads’ experience includes the following:
- Daily living allowance (amount varies depending on the country of assignment)
- Plane ticket and local transport
- Medical insurance and vaccinations
- Pre-departure training and re-orientation upon return
Crossroads International is committed to addressing gender-based violence by supporting the innovative work our partner organizations in ending violence against women and girls.
APPLICATION
To apply for this position, we kindly ask that you fill out Crossroads’ online application form.
PLEASE NOTE: We are experiencing some technical issues with the on-line submission, which our IT department is working to resolve, however if you receive an error message when you submit your application , please send your CV and cover letter to volunteer@cintl.org . We apologize for any inconvenience.
Please contact our Program officer – Volunteering if you have any question: volunteer@cintl.org
We thank all applicants but only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
