Introducing Scholarships for Indigenous Journalism Students in British Columbia - Submissions Now Being Accepted

VANCOUVER, Sept. 3, 2019 /CNW/ - The Jack Webster Foundation is pleased to announce an addition to its Student Journalism Awards program with new, this year, Scholarships for Indigenous Journalism Students, presented by the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF).  $2,000 will be paid towards tuition at the recipients' schools, with up to two scholarships to be awarded this fall.

Earlier this year, the Jack Webster Foundation decided, along with the support of the BCTF, that supporting and encouraging Indigenous journalism students is a meaningful way for the Foundation to respond to the landmark 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in order to address the lack of cultural awareness and knowledge about the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Applications are now being accepted, until midnight, September 29^th, 2019, online only at http://www.jackwebster.com/awards/scholarships-for-indigenous-journalism-students/enter/. Applicants must be B.C. residents who identify as Indigenous and must be enrolled in full-time studies for 2019/20 at a B.C. post-secondary journalism program. Eligible journalism programs are at: the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, Thompson Rivers University, and the University of British Columbia.

Applicants must provide a resumé with names of two references and their contact phone number/email, a statement (100 words) describing one's connection to the Indigenous community, an essay (400 words) on why Indigenous voices are important to the future of journalism in Canada and how one's stories could contribute to truth and reconciliation. For more information visit http://www.jackwebster.com/awards/scholarships-for-indigenous-journalism-students/.

This scholarship program now joins the Jack Webster Foundation's existing Student Journalism Awards which are open to all B.C. students enrolled in their final year of a journalism program. One $2,000 award is available to a worthy recipient from each of the following journalism programs in British Columbia: the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, Thompson Rivers University, and the University of British Columbia. Submissions for these awards are also being accepted online until midnight, September 29^th, 2019 with more information about these awards available at http://www.jackwebster.com/awards/student/index.php?page=info.

The Jack Webster Foundation was founded in 1986 and named after the man who was Western Canada's best-known and most influential reporter. He left his mark on the B.C. journalism scene with his hard-hitting reporting style. In his more than 40 years of print, radio and television journalism, Jack Webster was synonymous with insightful, accurate and unabashed reporting. Today the Jack Webster Foundation carries on Jack's legacy by fostering excellence in journalism to protect the public interest for British Columbians by: holding the annual Jack Webster Awards for excellence in journalism in B.C., awarding annual Student Awards to senior journalism students and now to Indigenous journalism students, awarding Professional Development Fellowships to working journalists, and providing educational seminars for the media.

Thanks to Cision for sponsoring this announcement.

www.jackwebster.com

SOURCE Jack Webster Foundation

For further information: Janet Mitchell, Executive Director, Jack Webster Foundation, T 604-603-4218, E [e-mail]