Media work experience (TV, radio, newspapers)

Product Details

You will rarely find press in Africa that asserts its independence as vociferously as the media in Ghana. Ghana has a population of about 20 million people and yet boasts numerous radio shows, TV stations and newspapers.

Most of the radio stations are independent and are renowned for their energetic phone ins during which no subject is taboo, from the current political issues of the day, through religion to the performance of the local and national football teams (another religion in Ghana).

There is also a huge variety of newspapers from the sober Daily Graphic, reporting the nations daily news, to the trashy Top Story, Ghana’s version of The National Enquirer or Daily Sport.

With such a wide variety of media it comes as no surprise that Ghana boast some of the best training for journalists in Africa. You will spend part of your time with us alongside Ghana’s future writers and broadcasters learning about how to write a feature, the secrets of interviewing and much more. Alongside the formal learning programme you will also spend time on assignment, gaining a wide range of work experience at a local newspaper, TV or radio station.

But you won’t just be making the coffee! If you are good enough, you could also find yourself published or on air, imagine having that kind of experience in your portfolio rather than some time spent on your local rag!

The media programme in Ghana is open to applications for those looking to be overseas from January 2008.

For those looking to head away sooner, why not have a look at our journalism programmes in India, Mexico or China.

Accommodation
During your time with us in Ghana, you will be staying in hostel type accommodation on the outskirts of Takoradi. This will be in a house that we have rented from the local people.

Whether you are teaching, on the journalism placement or working in hospitals, all the volunteers stay together in the same accommodation which means that you are never far away from someone to socialise with in the evenings or travel with at weekends. Usually, four people will share a room. The standard of the accommodation will basic and not be what you are used to at home so please don’t expect all mod cons, but it will be clean and tidy.

The house has running water and electricity, but please be aware that the water is delivered and stored in a tank above the house so there may be times when it runs out, and the electricity supply is unreliable and may often fail. Ghana's electricity mostly comes from a massive hydro-electric plant at Lake Volta. It is not unheard of for the electricity company to simply cut supply when water levels in the lake are too low!

Even though there is running water, there will be no hot running water. Most houses in Ghana don't have hot running water - although some may have small boilers for washing dishes. When temperatures rarely drop below 25 degrees, even at night, you will find that a cold shower in the morning is just what you need!

There will be someone there to look after the house and they will cook your meals, which means that if you can't quite get used to Ghanaian food then they can cook something similar to what you are used to at home.

Takoradi is centrally located for all our projects in Ghana. Travelling around this fairly small city is easy whether you are teaching or on a medical project, your placement will be easy to reach by tro-tro (small mini bus) or even by walking.

Very occasionally, we place volunteers with local families. This is usually during off-peak times when only a handful of volunteers are with us in Ghana. If this is the case we will send you full details of your family accommodation before your departure.

Our staff will be on hand during office hours if you have any general queries and only a phone call away outside office hours if there’s something much more urgent.

Weekends
The cost of the programme in Ghana includes drumming lessons. Music is an integral part of Ghanaian culture so learning a bit about music in Ghana will give you more of an insight into the Ghanaian way of life.

Weekends are free and, depending on how many volunteers are overseas with you, you are based in the same accommodation which means that you can easily go travelling at weekends. Our location in Ghana means that you are close to some of the Ghana's most popular attractions.

Kakum national park, home to our conservation projects in Ghana is a short drive away. The forest reserve at Kakum is famous for its canopy walkway. Those with a good head for heights can literally walk through the canopy of the rainforest thanks to a walkway that spans the tops of the trees. Those without a head for heights can wander the numerous trails that run through the forest, some that have been renovated by Global Volunteer Projects conservation volunteers.

Also within easy reach is the coast. Great if you just want to chill out and relax by the beach and watch the fishermen land their day’s trawl. The coast is also home to the colonial forts, many of the forts were used during the sinister trade of slaves from Ghana and it's well worth taking the tour around them to learn a bit more about Ghana's colonial past.

Further afield, you can visit the vibrant capital city Accra or fishing villages along the coast. Time it right and you might be lucky enough to visit one of the villages during their annual festivals.

Further north, you can journey to the capital of the Ashanti Empire at Kumasi, visiting the huge market for souvenirs to take home. It's this market where you're likely to find the best deals on Ghana's famous Kente cloth as well as numerous hand carved crafts.

Those with a bit more time on their hands can journey further north to Lake Volta or the game reserve in Mole.