Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) and APTN News are launching the Growing Indigenous Storytellers Fellowship Program, supported by the Google News Initiative.

Six Indigenous fellows will have the opportunity to work at APTN News for a period of six months, and connect with a wider network at IJA’s 2025 Indigenous Media Conference. The program will also offer a series of workshops and lectures for both the fellows and broader journalism community.

Seeking to capitalize on the strengths of all four organizations, the partnering groups say demand for Indigenous storytellers and perspectives in the Canadian news ecosystem is higher than ever, but with newsrooms shrinking and a smaller pool of journalists being asked to take on more work, mentoring and development of new voices is falling by the wayside.

“As the first-in-the-world national Indigenous broadcaster, APTN’s mission is to share our Peoples’ journey, celebrate our cultures, inspire our children and honour the wisdom of our Elders,” said Cheryl McKenzie, Executive Director of News and Current Affairs at APTN, in an announcement. “For me, this translates into sacred responsibilities. Of primal importance for APTN News, is to create opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous journalists and broadcast professionals.”

“IJA’s mission, for over 40 years, has been to see our people telling our stories for our communities and that’s what I saw happening at APTN News every day when I worked there, so it was a must for me that our first major partnership in Canada was with APTN News,” said Francine Compton, Associate Director of the IJA. “My dream for this program is for six more Indigenous people to gain the knowledge, confidence and skills to become journalists.”

Google Canada said the program aligns with the Google News Initiative’s commitment to build a strong, diverse, and inclusive news ecosystem.

Interested applicants can learn more here.