November 10th, 2018, Dubai (UAE)/Karachi (Pakistan)/Queensland (Australia): Empower is a change-making, three-month program for women and girls who want to acquire specialized skills and experience in the fields of communication, publishing, digital journalism, personal branding, online marketing and advocacy. Not limited to the mentioned topics, selected participants will not only get opportunities to work in real world scenarios, but will be matched with and mentored by inspirational trailblazers and field experts.
From conducting interviews of industry influencers to attending events as editorial representatives to organizing digital campaigns and more, interns will be offered a wide array of opportunities to hone their talents through the program. Participants will also get an opportunity to be peer mentored during the internship cycle.
Under the umbrella of Ananke Labs, the internship program is a joint venture between the digital publishing and empowerment platform (Ananke) and WomenInTechPK.
WomenInTechPK is a social enterprise which also runs the largest community of Pakistani women technologists with nearly 5000 members and has spearheading programs like CodeGirls and CryptoChicksPakistan. The community as well as the enterprise is working towards creating an inclusive and balanced future for all women but specifically women who are associated with the tech industry.
“Empower in its essence is what we need here in our community where a lot of students and young professionals are looking for opportunities like these to improve their skillset and get access to the right mentors. I am looking forward to work with Sabin and her team to bring in some new talent and work with them towards our common goal of inclusion,” said Faiza Yousuf, Founder, WomenInTechPK (WITPK).
“The program, Empower, essentially offers women and girls a platform where they can prepare themselves for the future of work in the fields of digital media, journalism, and communication; by equipping them with the necessary skills and allowing them to put these very skills in practical use while in training. Journalism has diversified where finding stories in data has become the mainstay in this fast-paced world. With WomenInTechPk on board, we have an opportunity to teach our interns the dynamic methods of communication and media from a tech perspective as well. It is indeed an exciting time for us to be working hand-in-hand with Faiza and the WITPK platform.” said Sabin Muzaffar, Executive Editor, Ananke.
Empowering the female gender across the global through training is one of Ananke’s fundamental goals on the basis of which the platform was launched. The digital internship program, officially kickstarted in 2016 and has so far trained more than 30 brilliant women and girls from all over the world including Kenya, Nigeria, Australia, Morocco, Pakistan, the UAE and India. “Ananke takes immense pride in designing a program based on diversity and intersectionality. Once selected, the interns, our girls work cohesively together – getting educated about each other’s backgrounds, gaining new perspective and learning to understand and respect others’ points of view; something essential in today’s world,” explained Sabin.
Talking about the benefits reaped by participating in the internship program, former intern Josephine Adeti from Kenya had opined in her letter to Ananke’s Executive Editor: “Ananke has given me a voice, not that it told me what to say at what particular time but it opened my eyes which had initially been shut. It showcased visionary women I knew nothing about. Women whom I had previously perceived to be invented in some kind of fiction. Through these amazing eye opening articles, I began appreciating women in my community who had taken upon themselves to empower other girls and women through various methods. Little by little, my dream of becoming a journalist sprang back to life like a mushroom. I totally loved everything about Ananke. I came to appreciate the effort of raising awareness about various issues that are not spoken of in our communities. I could write a whole ten page article about my experience and exposure through Ananke. I am just so very glad to be part and parcel of Ananke and I want to let you know you have changed a life in some part of the world. The life of a young girl is now taking a better shape simply because you chose to pursue your dream.”
Tracing her footsteps that led to her immense work at Ananke, Editor-at-Large, Melanie Bublyk also reminisced: “As a woman in my mid-40’s, attempting to re-enter the workforce whilst raising children is a challenge. I came across a call out for a global champion of change program facilitated by UN Women’s Empower Women, I was fortunate to have been named a global champion of change. This is where I met Ananke Magazine’s Executive Editor, Sabin Muzaffar. Sabin and I, along with some other champions had built a good working rapport. When our time with the program came to an end, Sabin announced an internship program through her magazine. I was interested in participating as I enjoyed my working relationship with Sabin.”
She concluded: “When the intern program with Ananke was ending, I was feeling a little somber as I was gaining confidence and valuable skills. However, Sabin offered me an opportunity to continue working with Ananke Magazine on a voluntary basis. An opportunity to intern with Ananke Magazine is one that should be embraced, and I highly recommend it to those looking to build their professional skills. It gives women a voice and encourages all women to aim high regardless of the challenges we may face. It allows flexibility when juggling motherhood and parental responsibilities, takes into account time zones and communicating is easier than one might think when working in the digital space.”
Ananke has previously collaborated with other renowned organizations including Women Engineers Pakistan, Women’s Digital League and Circle Women on a one-off, project basis, experiencing resounding success based on former interns’ feedback and growth as well as a high demand in the market. The newly designed program promises to offer four learning cycles in 2019 with the first commencing in January.
Anyone (female) with a passion for learning, media and communications can apply. The opportunity is primarily home-based but work assignments may entail local travel only. Potential interns need to have access to a computer and a decent Internet connection. To apply, applicants need to submit their CVs along-with a cover letter and email: media@anankemag.com
The last day to apply is December 15th, 2018, and only selected applicants will be contacted.