An educational programme for Belarusian journalists ready to go further.
«Journalism School on Saturdays» is an in-person educational programme for Belarusians, delivered under a unified curriculum in Vilnius and Warsaw. It is designed both for aspiring journalists and for media practitioners who feel they need to strengthen their understanding of modern technologies and Western journalistic standards in order to grow professionally.
The educational programme is structured around three modules:
- Module 1 — for beginners taking their first steps in journalism.
- Module 2 — for journalists already working in newsrooms who want to strengthen and expand their professional skills.
- Module 3 — a specialisation track for journalists seeking deeper expertise in investigative journalism, vertical video production, or long-form storytelling, aligned with Western journalism standards.
During the programme, participants:
- Build a strong foundation in journalism under the guidance of experienced practitioner-trainers;
- Gain a clear understanding of how modern media organisations operate and how to navigate a fast-changing media environment;
- Explore the latest practices and standards used by leading global media outlets;
- Learn how journalists can responsibly and effectively use AI tools in their work;
- Acquire essential knowledge of economics and political science relevant to reporting;
- Understand the full life cycle of a news story, from ideas and sources to production and publication;
- Complete internships in media outlets and publish their first journalistic work.
Trainers
All trainers are practicing journalists and editors with teaching experience.
Trainers include: Nasta Roudа, Director of Nasha Niva; Serge Sakharau, Editor-in-Chief of CityDog; Volha Yarokhina, Editor at belsat.eu; Nadzeya Belakhvoscik, Chair of the Media Ethics Council of Belarusian Independent Media; Nina Shuliakova, Editor-in-Chief of Devby.io; Lena Verashchahina, Editor-in-Chief of SALT (a media outlet for media professionals), Aliaksiej Shota Editor-in-Chief of Hrodna.life, and others.
Program development
The curriculum was specially developed for Journalism School on Saturdays by Katya Gorchinskaya, an acclaimed Ukrainian journalist, media manager, and consultant who works with leading international outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and The Kyiv Post. «Journalism School on Saturdays« is a joint project of the Coalition for Sustainable Belarusian Innovative Content (KUBIK / COCOFAB), implemented by a consortium consisting of Free Press for Eastern Europe, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, and Press Club Belarus, with co-financing from the European Commission.
