ATLANTA (August 3, 2020)…As part of a partnership with The National media outlet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Carter Center announces two new fellows for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism Program in the UAE.
Fellow recipients Deena Kamel and Raya Al Jadir will join an international cohort of journalists who have been awarded fellowships since 1996. Since 1996, the Center has awarded one-year fellowships to more than 220 journalists, connecting them with resources and experts to increase the quality and accuracy of mental health reporting around the world. The program is currently in the United States, Latin America, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and was previously in New Zealand, South Africa, and Romania.
Raya Al Jadir is a freelance journalist and co-founder of the Disability Horizons Arabic magazine, and Deena Kamel is a business reporter at The National, have been awarded Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.
Deena Kamel, left, and Raya Al Jadir, right, have been appointed as recipients of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.
In September, the pair will join the UAE program of the year-long, non-residential fellowship, which aims to increase and improve the quality of mental health reporting in the media.
During their time as fellows, both journalists will be assisted by a local advisory board in the UAE and receive intensive training from experts and mentors in the U.S. to help them accurately report on mental health.
Al Jadir has contributed to BBC Arabic, The Independent newspaper in the UK, as well as The National and Huffington Post. Over the next year, she will seek to report on how pandemic stay-at-home orders have affected the mental health of people in the region who live with disabilities.
Kamel is a reporter at The National whose has reported from cities including Sydney, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; Seattle, Wash.; and Geneva, Switzerland. Previously she was the Gulf transport correspondent for Bloomberg in Dubai. During her fellowship, Kamel will explore the upheaval experienced by the aviation sector during the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the mental health of those working in the industry.
"These fellows reshape how media in the Middle East covers one of the most significant, misunderstood public health problems. Like the fellows before them, they will likely impact their colleagues and newsrooms, and become the point person in their field on mental health issues," said former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The Carter Center provides training, educational materials, mentorship, evaluation tools, and technical assistance to develop a sustainable and tailored program in the UAE. The National manages the program in the UAE and is responsible for the selection of journalists and the adaptation of the program to meet the needs of the population.
Applications for the 2021-22 UAE cohort of Rosalynn Carter Fellows for Mental Health Journalism will open in February 2021. Learn more details and how to apply here: .
Fellows will be assisted by a local advisory board in the UAE and experts and mentors in the U.S. They will visit The Carter Center in Atlanta in September, when they will discuss their fellowship work with a community of journalists and mental health experts and attend workshops on behavioral health.
Since Rosalynn Carter established the Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism Program in 1996, fellows have produced more than 1500 stories, documentaries, books, and other works during and after their fellowship year. Their projects have garnered Emmy Awards, nominations for the Pulitzer Prize, and other awards. See mentalhealthjournalism.org and follow on Twitter for more information about the fellows and tips on mental health journalism.
Contact: In Atlanta, Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org
Contact for fellowship questions: carterfellows@cartercenter.org
Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
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