The BRIDGE Program is a professional development program designed for emerging young professionals in journalism. The goal of the BRIDGE program is to advance knowledge and access to reporting tools and networks of journalism students during a two week summer program, taking place in two geographical locations – Czech Republic and Turkey. Leading academics and scholars of journalism and media from the US, the Czech Republic and Turkey are developing the curriculum which will consist of three main components:

(1) academic coursework;
(2) new skills development;
(3) intercultural learning.

The summer program features academic coursework, mentorship of students’ research, workshops with experts on digital media, roundtables with journalists and policymakers, visits of local media and news agencies in Prague and Istanbul. The program’s mission is to promote greater understanding and create networks among students of journalism and media by learning about and discussing recent developments in Europe, the US and the MENA region.

The successful candidates will receive full scholarship covering: travel cost, room and board and study materials related expenses. The summer program will take place in Prague and in Istanbul.

The Bridge program is organized by Prague Freedom Foundation in cooperation with Zaostreno o.p.s. and ProPublica under the auspices of Faculty of the Social Sciences of Charles University, taking place in Prague and in Istanbul at Columbia Global Centers | Turkey.

Eligibility Criteria - The candidates must satisfy the following requirements:

• Current university students of media, journalism and related fields
• Must have successfully completed minimum of two academic semesters
• Overall excellent academic standing
• Excellent oral and written English language skills (equivalent to TOEFL score of 550)
• Citizenship of one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, Romania, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine or the USA
• Passport valid until September 2015 and ability to travel to the Czech Republic and Turkey

Please, read the following information carefully

Application procedures

To complete the application the following will be required:

• Personal data - Information on your education, professional experience, publications and received awards.
• Copy of college official transcript (in PDF format)
• Completed Recommendation Form
• Statement of Purpose (max. 500 words)
• Curriculum Vitae (in PDF format)
• Article Proposal (Topic: Press Freedom) (max. 500 words)

Requested materials must be submitted in English.

Saving the progress of your application process

The application consists of 7 separate parts. After completing each part, your progress is saved. You can resume your application process after retrieving personal identification code that you will receive via email after completing the first (1) part of your application. You must click the SAVE and CONTINUE button to receive the email.

Candidates may be contacted and asked to participate in a telephone interview. Candidates must provide all of the information requested above. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Completed application including Letter of Recommendation is due by April 30, 2014.

Important Dates and Deadlines