Content Writer

About this position

Crossroads 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, style and voice of various topics with Crossroads’ support.

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

• Pre-plan interviews and stories in consultation with Crossroads’ Communication Officer and the volunteer Visual Content Creator as well as local volunteers and partners
• Develop editorial line up and book interviews in collaboration with visual content creator and local partners
• Assist in research, planning and execution of video/photo shoots with the support from Crossroads International and partners organizations
• Write, proofread and edit the case studies/articles/social media posts submitted to Communications Officer as per Crossroads’ branding guidance
• Write scripts and develop storyboards as needed in collaboration with the photo/videographer volunteer
• Communicate with interview subjects including coordination with translators to obtain consent, explain how and where stories will be used, put them at ease and encourage them
• Record all interviews and with support from the photo/videographer volunteer so they can later be transcribed and archived
• Collaborate with the volunteer Visual Content Creator to ensure cohesion between visuals and texts Provide crisp and compelling 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:

• Experienced writer or journalist
• Journalistic writing experience in French or English
• Superior communication (oral & written) and organization skills
• 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:

• Ability to write in clear compelling prose in French and/or English
• Strong storytelling, content creation and proofreading 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
• Ability to work with translators
• Unwaveringly positive “can-do” attitude
• Must be well-organized, accurate, creative and detail oriented
• Strong project planning and management
• Skill in visualizing concepts effectively
• 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
• Experience in photography and video production an asset
• Overseas experience 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

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

To find out more, please contact the volunteer team at 416-967-1611 extension 236

Crossroads International is committed to addressing gender-based violence by supporting the innovative work our partner organizations in ending violence against women and girls. 

About us

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