Thanks to a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation, LinkAsia will offer paid internships beginning Summer 2013 and into the 2013-2014 academic year. Students selected to serve as interns will also serve as LinkAsia ambassadors when they return to their college campuses. Please feel free to circulate this posting through your networks. We will be accepting submissions through Monday, March 25th, 2013.
 
LinkAsia Student Ambassadors is a year-long internship program that provides undergraduate and graduate students in Asian Studies the opportunity to apply their academic learning in a professional journalistic setting. The program provides year-long mentorship, leadership development, journalism training, and hands-on experience creating a dynamic weekly television series. Offered to seven college students each year, the program includes a two-day intensive workshop in San Francisco, followed by a ten-week paid summer internship at LinkAsia’s San Francisco and Washington DC offices. Following this summer experience, LinkAsia Student Ambassadors will return to their individual campuses to engage their communities around Asia through the content of LinkAsia.
 
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LinkAsia Student Ambassador
Job Description and Qualifications
 
KCETLink is looking for qualified students to become LinkAsia Student Ambassadors for the summer of 2013 and the 2013-2014 academic year. This is a paid internship opportunity, although students have the option to waive payment.
 
About KCETLink
Link TV uses media and the power of stories to engage, inform and inspire its audiences to participate in transformational, sustainable change on issues of global importance. Link TV is operated by KCETLink, the new independent public transmedia organization formed by the merger between KCET and Link Media in December 2012. KCETLink is a viewer-supported 501c(3) organization. For more information please visit www.LinkTV.org or www.KCET.org.
 
About LinkAsia
From Beijing to Tokyo, from Seoul to New Delhi and beyond, LinkAsia takes viewers into media about Asia -- from Asia -- offering unfiltered insights into one of the most diverse, fast-paced regions of the globe. Each week, LinkAsia brings you a unique half-hour program that combines everything from the official state news from Asia's top television networks to the trends and conversations rising through Asia's blogs and social media. Viewers can access LinkAsia on LinkTV (DIRECT ch 375/DISH ch 9410), on KCET in Los Angeles, on public television’s WORLD Channel, and online at www.LinkAsia.org.
 
Job Description
Ambassadors will spend 10 weeks working at KCETLink’s San Francisco office and in the LinkAsia studio. The internship will begin on June 10, kicking off with a 2-day workshop that will include orientation, grassroots leadership training, shadowing staff, guest speakers and technical instruction. Ambassadors will receive the unique opportunity to work in editorial selection, translation, production, script writing, and creating blogs and pieces for broadcast during their 10-week tenure in San Francisco. After the 10 week internship, Ambassadors will go back to their campuses and work to create awareness of LinkAsia. As this is a YEAR-LONG commitment, Ambassadors will be provided with mentorship from a LinkAsia staff member, who will check in with them throughout the year, and help them craft their own grassroots efforts to raise awareness about LinkAsia on their campus. Examples include: organizing a guest speaker to visit their campus, reposting LinkAsia materials on social media. Upon completion of the year-long program, Ambassadors will receive an additional stipend.

Qualifications
- Bilingual strongly preferred (English and an Asian language)
- Must be able to travel to San Francisco and arrange housing independently.
- Must be able to make a year-long commitment (Summer 2013 and Academic Year 2013-2014).
- Freeman Scholars highly encouraged to apply, Non-Freeman Scholars and bilingual Asian language speakers also welcome.

How to Apply
Please submit your resume and cover letter explaining why you want to be a LinkAsia Student Ambassador toLinkAsiaAmbassador@linktv.org. Please also include a self-made video explaining in both English and primary Asian language the reasons for your interest in this internship. Please post to YouTube or other video hosting site and provide a link in your cover letter. Submission deadline: Monday, March 25th, 2013.

FAQs

Q: What exactly will I be doing as an intern for LinkAsia?

A: Our interns make valuable contributions to the show every day. They monitor and translate social media from China and Japan, they blog about issues that matter to them, and they occasionally write and shoot their own contributor pieces covering top stories in Asia. Our LinkAsia Ambassadors will also have an opportunity to work on their journalism skills. And we're hoping to provide resources that will help selected candidates prepare for their career. Here are a few examples of contributions from our current interns:

Yohei, our intern from Osaka, Japan, had a personal connection to LinkAsia's coverage of a global soccer match-fixing scandal linked back to Asia. He offered his own take on the scandal from the point of view of a Gamba Osaka fan.

And Jing, from Beijing, China, founded the blog Ministry of Tofu, and is now learning the ropes of broadcast and online video production at LinkAsia. Last year she was blogging about the criticisms of Chinese lawmakers photographed flaunting expensive high fashion products during China's People's Congress. This year the People's Congress tried to scale back on spending, and Jing advanced to making a video about the changes.

Our LinkAsia Ambassadors will also have an opportunity to work on their journalism skills. And we're hoping to provide resources that will help selected candidates prepare for their career.

Q: I don't speak an Asian language. Does this automatically disqualify me from being selected to be a LinkAsia Ambassador?

A: No! We are considering all applicants for LinkAsia Ambassador. Knowing whether or not someone speaks an Asian language helps us match applicants to projects. For example, someone who is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin can help us research stories on Sina Weibo, or someone who is fluent in Thai can help us translate Tweets from Thailand. However, someone who is an English speaker only might be matched with post-production, outreach, or collaborating with a non-native English speaker on projects.

Q: What exactly will I be expected to do for LinkAsia once I return to campus in the fall?

A: Most of our LinkAsia interns leave San Francisco with a deeper understanding of how media works. And they kind of get the hang of how to put together their own stories. They also begin to understand how LinkAsia can be a resource for people who are studying Asia. So, during their 10 weeks in San Francisco LinkAsia Ambassadors will develop their own unique plan for continuing to work with LinkAsia once they head back to school. We're open to ideas. You may want to continue writing blogs and find a way to repost your stories on a university news site. Or maybe you're more interested in planning events and want to see someone who was a guest on our show give a talk on campus. We've also worked with professors and classes as mentors remotely, answering any questions students have about what goes into creating an international news program. As part of the terms of the grant, we will expect you to fulfill this portion of your commitment, but it may look different for each ambassador.

Q: I've never made a video introduction before. What exactly do you want us to post on YouTube?

A: The LinkAsia Team uses applications like Skype and Google Hangout quite a bit to talk with show guests and contributors. Most team members are also comfortable editing video content for web bulletins for the Link TV News App, or for the weekly episodes of LinkAsia. We're asking for video introductions to test your ability to be on camera and produce your own content. Keep your introductions simple, and tell us a bit about yourself. Feel free to get some help from your tech savvy friends who can help you finish and post the video. Use your mobile phone, camcorder, or your webcam to shoot your video. Sites like YouTube and Vimeo have very in depth help sections if you get stuck

Is the world out of balance because we do not understand the dreaming?

When I watched the new show, Dreams, Visions and Realities I was struck by how important it is that these two worlds come together... The dream time and the waking... the inner and the outer. It seems this conversation shows how it can be done... it shows us possibility of another way of being. One connected to the other, seamlessly.

As Dr. Stephen Aizenstat says in the show, dreams are important because they connect us to our essential nature and help us to navigate towards our true direction. It is a space we need to respect for there is an intelligence at work. What if every human was navigated by their true nature? How different would our relationships, sense of belonging, and the dynamics of our world, be?

One of the reasons we created GLOBAL SPIRIT is to engage you, our community, in a lively discussion -- and through the miracles of technology, this is possible. So please participate by watching the show on January 22, 9pm ET/6pm PT on Link TV or online, and engaging in the live chat with Dr. Stephen Aizenstat to follow. It's easy! Just go here.

You can post questions in advance here below, or on Facebook. Please invite your friends. We look forward to being with you on January 22. You never know... asking the right question of a dream specialist might just change your life.

"What I got from the show Mystical Experience is seeing the beauty of universal diversity when wisdom, patience and respect are in the conversation." - Shahid Muhammad, chat participant quote via Facebook

Question: Does fearfulness lead to aggression and fundamentalism? Do those on the spiritual path go through a fundamentalist stage? What is the best way to address fundamentalism inside and with others? What can we learn from this new understanding about how we work with those that come from a fundamentalist perspective?

From Memorial Day to Veterans Day, Dog Bless You, a non-profit community created by explore.org founder Charlie Annenberg Weingarten, will celebrate dogs and soldiers in America through a new campaign called Dog Bless USA. Funds raised by a challenge grant on the Dog Bless You Facebook page will be used to give service dogs to war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). explore.org will donate one service dog to a veteran suffering from PTSD for every 5,000 "Likes" on the community page, up to 100 dogs or $500,000.

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects as many as 20 percent of military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This crippling anxiety disorder causes anger, depression, major stress, fear, agitation, and numbness. Hidden from sight, PTSD isn't as obvious as physical injuries but can be just as serious. And sometimes the best therapy is the companionship of a service dog.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and an assortment of dog and veteran related organizations have come together to raise awareness of PTSD and the healing role that dogs can play in people's lives. This unique campaign offers people a chance to participate in spreading the word and raising money simply by clicking "Like" on the Dog Bless You Facebook page. The community page is comprised of over 260,000 people already, and features photos, videos, and discussions aimed and educating and inspiring. Join today.

Egypt: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has made significant changes to his Cabinet to placate those accusing the new government of being slow at implementing reforms. However, protestors do not see the reshuffle as sufficient and continue to protest against the government. Egyptian state-run television reported that preparatory work will start on September 18 for the Egyptian parliamentary elections, which were recently postponed to November.

Bahrain: Leading opposition group al-Wefaq National Islamic Society announced its withdrawal from Bahrain’s national dialogue. It attributed the withdrawal to Manama’s failure to accept any of al-Wefaq's reform proposals, including initiatives for a constitutional monarchy, an elected government, and for drafting a constitution. Bashra al-Hindi, a member of al-Wefaq's dialogue delegation said, "The existing administration [does] not care for a real dialogue." Three other opposition groups said they may also pull out of the talks.

Tunisia: Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said violence in the country is aimed at preventing elections from taking place. He warned that extremist political groups are trying to derail the date of the elections but confirmed that they will be held on October 23, as scheduled. Tunisia's recent protests led to the death of one person during a wave of riots that swept the capital Tunis and a number of other cities.

Syria: Syrian security forces continue their military operations in cities and town throughout the country. According to the Syrian Coordination Committees, ten people died in the al-Khalidiya region in Homs when a funeral was targeted by gunfire. The crackdown led to the deaths of several of people, including a 12-year-old boy, and to the injury of dozens. This military escalation was met with massive demonstrations in a number of areas as part of what was named the Tuesday of "Nashama al-Furat" by the Syrian opposition.

Link TV and ViewChange.org are proud to present the world broadcast premier of the documentary To Educate a Girl. Produced by Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky, in collaboration with the United Nations Girls Education Initiative and UNICEF, this film explores the necessity of increasing access to education for girls in the developing world. Link TV's Caty Borum Chattoo has written an article for the Huffington Post expanding on these issues and giving background into the film and the monumental goal of achieving gender equality in education:

For millions of girls around the world, going to school is a life dream that's out of reach. Why? Early marriage, child labor, pregnancy, lack of access, violence. Solving the problem is a gauntlet deeply grounded in cultural traditions and the ripple effects of poverty -- seemingly impossible.

In 2000, then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued the challenge: How can the nations of the world work together to stop the gender inequality around education?

His declaration, a formal recognition of the terrible tragedy of leaving an entire generation of girls behind, established the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), a partnership that includes UNICEF and other organizations working around the world to provide equal access to education to girls by 2015. And as it turns out, educating girls is not just a moral duty or altruistic pursuit. As data from UNICEF and others now document, providing girls in the developing world with an education is a key link in the fight to alleviate global poverty and its many implications, including HIV/AIDs, challenges with sustainable development, and on and on...

Read the rest at the Huffington Post's Impact blog

Live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Join producer Lisa Aliferis for a screening of Who Speaks for Islam?: Muslims on Screen at 7pm on Thursday, May 19, at the St. Mary Magdalen Parish Hall (2005 Berryman @ Milvia, Berkeley, 94709).

Entry is $15/person, and  all proceeds benefit School of the Madeleine Parents Association. (Free parking available in large lot entered off of Berryman @ Henry Street)

This one hour program is a highly informative look at how Muslims have been depicted in American film and television and how those portrayals are evolving away from negative stereotypes and toward more nuanced and balanced characters.  The show's host is Ray Suarez correspondent on PBS's The NewsHour and former host of Talk of the Nation on NPR. Producer Lisa Aliferis will answer questions immediately following the screening.

Can't make the screening? Watch online!

Note that this is not a fundraiser for Link TV, nor is LInk TV hosting the event.

The immediate threat of violence permeates throughout the documentary No Child is Born A Terrorist, as explore.org filmmaker Charlie Annenberg confronts an ever-present feeling of potential danger. Yet one calming influence exists in the form of a man who seems to stand above it all, everyone's friend and guide into an unknown world. That man, the great Juliano Mer-Khamis, was killed on Monday, April 4th, shot to death outside the very theater he hoped would provide alternative outlets besides aggression.

Juliano Mer-Khamis, right, with Charlie Annenberg and Zakariya Zubeidi

Mer-Khamis was a living bridge between Palestine and Israel. Half Palestinian, half Israeli, he was an actor who devoted his life to increasing cross-cultural understanding and artistic expression in one of the most oppressive areas of West Bank, a refugee camp in the city of Jenin. It was there where he opened The Freedom Theater in 2006 along with Zakariya Zubeidi, former military head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Mer-Khamis was the son of Arna Mer, a prominent Jewish Israeli political activist, and Saliba Khamis, a Palestinian Christian. Arna Mer opened the original theater in 1987 as The Stone Theater, and Juliano was devoted to carrying on his mother's legacy. Mer-Khamis documented his mother's work in the 2004 film "Arna's Children," which won first prize a the Canadian International Documentary Festival. His best-known roles were in the 1985 film "Rage and Glory" and 2000's "Kippur."

Charlie Annenberg and the explore Team traced the steps that Mer-Khamis walked everyday, getting a firsthand view of this unique man's influence and dedication. The camp is home to more than 16,000 Palestinian refugees, half of whom are under 18. Mer-Khamis' work gained extra significance in this atmosphere, instilling an understanding of tradition and culture in Palestinian youth. In the film, Charlie conveys that, "The theater gave the kids in the camp a stage to express their joy, their frustration, anger and hope."

Palestinian security forces have made an arrest in the killing, although the suspect has yet to confess. With Mer-Khamis' death, No Child is Born a Terrorist becomes a living tribute to a person that described himself as "100 percent Palestinian, 100 percent Jewish" and sought to create a foundation for peace beginning with the youth. In the film, Mer-Khamis states his belief in Palestinian youth, saying, "As human beings, if you give them meaning, if you give them something to live for, they are not going to become terrorists, they will not be violent." His work will live on through The Freedom Theater.

Watch the explore film, No Child is Born a Terrorist, online now:

(Euronews: 1226 PST, April 5, 2011) The situation in Misurata -- the rebels' last major stronghold in western Libya -- is increasingly catastrophic as the latest amateur video footage shows. Evacuees from the city said forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are staging a "massacre" there.

A resident of the besieged city, a spokesman for the Libya Freedom Group, talked to Euronews and described conditions: "The water has been cut off for about two weeks and the electricity is cut off for about three days and the food is running low for the people right now.