Exile Media Hub

Become part of our buddy program

From June 2024, a unique place for refugee journalists, media professionals and artists will be created in Schmerwitz. The Exile Media Hub offers up to 30 people a first home where they can live, learn and work together. Our tailor-made program includes comprehensive training on the use of AI in media production, programming, data analysis and the fight against disinformation.

We are looking for buddies from the region for the residents of the Exile Media Hub. Become part of this exciting project and support refugee media professionals on their way to a new future!

Interested? Here we answer the most important questions:

Who is behind the Exile Media Hub?

The Exile Media Hub is organized by MiCT, a non-profit organization that has been supporting journalists and media professionals from conflict regions and developing countries for 20 years. MiCT already runs Exile Media Hubs in Berlin as well as in Ukraine, Pakistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Georgia and Kenya.

Together with the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark, MiCT is implementing this innovative project for refugees in Brandenburg. Other project partners are the municipality of Wiesenburg/Mark and the Coconat in Klein Glien.

What is my role as a buddy?

  • You are a reliable and professional contact person for your buddy.
  • You plan and go on one or two excursions with your buddy.
  • You support your buddy in making professional contacts and networking.

When does the Buddy Program start and how long does it last? The Buddy Program starts on 12 July and runs for five months until the end of the year.

Is there any remuneration? There is no financial compensation for your volunteer work as a Buddy, but as a thank you, you can use our beautiful new co-working space in Schmerwitz for the duration of the program. We also organize a monthly meetup with all buddies, and at the end of the program you will receive a certificate of your volunteer work.

How much time should I plan each month for the buddy program? This is entirely up to you and depends on how much time you can spare and how your relationship with your buddy develops.

What criteria are used to assign buddies? We strive to find suitable matches based on professionalism and interests. Therefore we ask you to fill out the following questionnaire.

Questionnaire

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What is Exile Media Hub?

Exile Media Hub Brandenburg – A new home for refugee media professionals

From June 2024, a new place will be created in Schmerwitz for journalists, photographers, podcasters and illustrators whose lives are under threat in their home countries and who have fled to Germany to continue their work here in safety.

The media professionals are supported in continuing to reach their target groups in their home countries from exile and to network with the German media and creative scene.

The Exile Media Hub initially offers up to 30 people a first home to live, learn and work together. Fast internet, studios for podcast and video productions, co-working, as well as rooms for yoga, exhibitions and conferences are also available to the neighbors in Schmerwitz. Events and cultural events are planned and visitors from Brandenburg and Berlin are also very welcome.

An innovative educational program will be launched to give residents access to the latest technologies in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The program, which is specifically tailored to media professionals in exile, offers comprehensive training on the use of AI in media production, programming, data analysis and the fight against disinformation. The aim of the program is to provide participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve their career opportunities in the modern media industry.

The background

MiCT is a non-profit organization that has been supporting journalists and media professionals from conflict regions and developing countries for 20 years and is running this innovative project for refugees in Brandenburg together with the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark. The project partners are the municipality of Wiesenburg/Mark, the Coconat in Klein Glien and SAM e.V.

MiCT is one of the network partners of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, the German government’s protection program for media professionals. Residents can therefore also become members of the MiCT Fellowship for Critical Voices, a worldwide protection program and a community of more than 500 journalists. At the Exile Hub Berlin, fellows can use the co-working space or stay overnight in one of the apartments, for example.

The Exile Media Hub Brandenburg is organized in cooperation with the Maison des Journalistes in Paris. This institution has been hosting journalists from all over the world since 2002. More than 550 journalists from 85 countries have found refuge at the Maison des Journalistes.

The project is initially being funded until the end of the year by the three ministries of the state of Brandenburg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy, the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection, as well as by Amazon.

MiCT already operates Exile Media Hubs in Berlin as well as in Ukraine, Pakistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Georgia and Kenya in cooperation with UNESCO, the Federal Foreign Office, the JX Fund and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative.

www.mict-international.org


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