Why volunteer
Volunteering at Colombia Reports is an exciting opportunity for people pursuing journalism professionally or for those who have a keen interest in being in the middle of the latest issues occurring in Colombia. No matter what a volunteer’s experience coming in, volunteers leave their time at Colombia Reports with a new array of skills and contacts.
By volunteering abroad with a professional newsroom students and travellers also gain a unique inside perspective into Medellin and Colombia both in and out of the office while at the same time enjoying the support structure offered by fellow volunteers and Colombia Reports staff.
What do volunteers do?
Volunteers will be gaining experience in a professional newsroom through writing, editing, and publishing articles on a daily basis. Volunteers write original pieces and conduct interviews in English and Spanish as well as do on-the-ground reporting in Medellin.
Experience in journalism
Colombia Reports volunteers have a range of experiences and skills which they bring to the office. Many of our volunteers have degrees or professional certifications in Journalism, Media Studies and Communications and work professionally in journalism. However, others come from a range of different career backgrounds with applicable skills and volunteer out of desire to learn about journalism, Colombian issues or even as a career change.
Who volunteers
Colombia reports volunteers have included people from Colombia, USA, UK, Australia, Ireland, Turkey and the Netherlands. Ages have ranged from 19-30.
Costs of volunteering abroad with Colombia Reports
There are no fees or charges to volunteer with Colombia Reports! We consider the time and work that volunteers put into Colombia Reports a mutually beneficial relationship in which volunteers gain quality experience in reporting, editing and publishing in a respected newspaper with a worldwide readership while Colombia Reports gains the energy and skills of a talented group of journalists. Colombia Reports also works in partnership with the Humanity Exchange, an affordable and convenient way to arrange your time volunteering abroard. See www.thehumanityexchange.org for more details on their quality exchange program. Volunteers are responsible for paying for their own travel to Medellin and arranging their travel documents.
Housing
Volunteers are responsible for finding their own housing in Medellin. Colombia Reports offers shared housing to volunteers. Several rooms are available in an apartment shared with the Colombia Reports newsroom. Facilities include an equipped kitchen, furnished rooms, large roofed and open aired porch, internet access, land line and a great location in the middle of the city center. The apartment and office is half a block from Medellin’s main avenue Oriental, and has easy access to the metro and numerous bus lines.
Length of volunteer period
We recommend that volunteers commit to 3-6 months of volunteering with Colombia Reports so that volunteers and Colombia Reports get the most out of the experience. If, upon completing an agreed volunteer period, both the volunteer and the Director are happy with the direction of the volunteer’s work, the volunteer period can always be expanded.
Arranging your volunteer schedule
Most of our volunteers work full-time, Monday – Friday. Working hours are from 8:00am-5:00pm with an hour lunch break. If volunteers have to balance volunteering with other commitments in Colombia, they can arrange a part-time schedule with the Director based around the needs of the publication and the volunteer. However, as what volunteers gain from their experience at Colombia Reports is dependent on what volunteers put into the program, we do not encourage volunteers to work less than 20 hours a week.
Full-time volunteers rotate between three different shifts:
- Early shift: 6:00am-3:00pm / one day a week
- Late shift: 9:00am-6:00pm / one day a week
- Emergency response shift: rotating one-week shifts
Professional Development
Upon arrival to Colombia Reports you will receive training which will equip you to fulfill your role as a volunteer. Volunteers also receive regular assessments and feedback sessions with the workers in order to ensure that their goals are being met and any challenges that volunteers experience are addressed. Colombia Reports also arranges free workshops and lectures for volunteers to attend throughout their time volunteering in order to increase their skills and knowledge of Colombia.
Language
Colombia Reports volunteers are from all over the world, including Colombia. Volunteers come to the newsroom with different levels of both English and Spanish. As Colombia Reports is a Colombian news publication, the official language spoken in the newsroom and the language of written correspondence is Spanish. However, we will support volunteers who are at all different levels of Spanish. Those not comfortable operating entirely in Spanish are paired with a peer during meetings to help with interpretation and to ensure that any doubts are answered.
What you need to bring
Colombia Reports is not equipped to provide volunteers with computers so we ask that volunteers bring their own laptop to work from and a headset with microphone to conduct Skype interviews. If volunteers have them, it is also recommended to bring a camera, a voice recorder and telephone recorder lead with microphone.
How to volunteer
In order to volunteer please send an email of interest to the Volunteer Coordinator Ariel Safdie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your CV and a paragraph outlining why you are interested in volunteering and when and for how long you are available. Applicants will then be selected for a phone interview with the Colombia Reports director. References of current or past volunteers are available on request. Please feel free to email with any questions.
