Our at WORK submission category is for volunteer placements that focus on advocacy development, placements that included field visits to document the work of a local NGO in vulnerable communities, and/or for those who prefer to make a first-person, journalistic submission. Submissions in this category provide a first-hand account of work being performed by local NGOs, the issue(s) such work is intended to address, and how/if the work’s goals are being met.

Specifically, River of Life seeks revelatory journalism that informs and inspires a more just and democratic world. Journalistic and media-related articles dealing with globalization, development, ethics, gender, race, culture, politics and social change in LDCs are encouraged. Our editors are looking for the expression of both the volunteer and the host NGO perspectives, particularly in learning best practices, overall findings, or recommendations from the comparison and contrasting of volunteer/host perspectives.

While all research methodologies are welcome, please note that this submission category tends to focus on articles within the qualitative tradition. Thus, articles should be casual in tone, and investigative, informative or experiential in nature.  In particular, submissions in this category can be prepared as either:

> Hard-hitting, investigative reports (e.g. exposing corruption, bias)

> Thoughtful, provocative articles which challenge the conventional wisdom concerning issues of national importance

> Timely, people-oriented stories on issues such as the environment, labour, the media, health care, consumer protection, and cultural trends

Regardless of approach, each submission in this category should include the following:

> Issue/situation: Describe the specific development targeted by the organization and provide a background on the country-specific setting

> Objective/intervention: Describe the specific project/program of the organization you are documenting, its intended delivery, its current status, its challenges, and successes to date.  Describe your volunteer role in relation to this project/program

> Observations/field report: Provide a first-person account of your experience and observations in the field

> Conclusion and recommendations: Explain how the organization’s work goals are being met, and what “next steps” are required to increase relevance and effectiveness of the intervention(s). Consider how this approach might apply to other countries

> References: If applicable

View sample at WORK paper. Download sample RiverOfLife-ResearchPaperatWorkBrown paper.