Interns and Volunteers

Julia Lechner, Germany

“My internship at VV was for 2 months during which I was editing videos for IndiaUneard. It was a great experience for me. It taught me a great deal about the numerous issues in India that go unnoticed.”

Nikita is currently doing her postgraduate diploma in Television and Print Journalism from the World Media Academy, Delhi. In the last couple of years she has started traveling to various places and realized how much she loves it. After her graduation she aspires to be a travel writer.

Julia Lechner, Germany

“VideoVolunteers, I feel, is a leading organization in building a global network of community media as a trustworthy source of information directly from the persons concerned. Remarkable is, that the community produced contents are successfully implemented on a wide choice of media applications on a regional, national and international level. I see a high potential for further developments with the efforts of VideoVolunteers and I want to use my skills to support these efforts.“

Julia Lechner has previously studied and worked in Communications and Media in London and Berlin. During her work she specialised in audiovisual contents and produced short documentaries for cultural institutions, a national television channel in Germany and DANIDA Foundation of Denmark. With the support from the German DAAD Fund she came to VideoVolunteers to pursue part of her Master degree of „Modern South- and South-east Asian studies“in India. She is very happy to work on a community media project as a volunteer for social media gaining valuable insights into the use of media as a tool of empowerment.

Parthib Dutta, India

“Particularly impressive is how the Community Correspondents fight so hard to get their voices heard through the video reports. To be in touch with them has been deeply inspiring and I hope to continue doing my own films with the same ambition and humanity as they do.”

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Parthib Dutta is an aspiring filmmaker from West Bengal. He graduated from L.V.Prasad TV and Film Academy in Chennai. In his films he is particularly interested to investigate the intentions of filmmakers and how these influence the final film. In his own films he explores the construction of a film as he gives the main character of his documentary space to portray himself on camera. In the edit the personal perspective then collides with the filmmakers view to deconstruct the intentions of the filmmaker himself. At VV Parthib has been editing reports from the Community Correspondents.

Janna Vogl, Germany

“My time at Video Volunteers was short but intense. I like the idea that everybody can participate in creating news and I often recognize how narrow-minded and biased the mainstream media is. Video Volunteers can help to change this.“

Janna Vogl is a sociology student at University of Potsdam, Germany. She worked with women’s rights organisations in Tamil Nadu and conducts research on NGOs in Goa and Tamil Nadu. She helped Video Volunteers develop a metrics system to evaluate the performance of IndiaUnheard. Janna is interested in the role of media in society and possibilities of participation in this important opportunity of voicing concerns about developments in society.

Gregory Walsh, United States of America

Gregory Walsh is a professional filmmaker from Annapolis, Maryland.  His career has included work for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the United States Naval Academy, and numerous non-profit organizations in the Washington, DC metro area. In addition to his freelance and documentary work, Gregory regularly volunteers his skills as a camera operator and editor at Stone Soup Films in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of Towson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media and Film.

Nupur Sonar, India

An aspiring journalist, Nupur is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies from Symbioisis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune. She’s loves writing discovering new places, writing, video editing and is trying her hand at photography during her stay in Goa. Whilst at Video Volunteers, she edits daily videos for the IndiaUnheard program. She is looking forward to gaining an insight on the role of community media in empowering communities.

Tracy Wares, United States of America

“Meeting the Community Correspondents of the IndiaUnheard program at Video Volunteers has been inspiring. I have a profound respect for what they do and the risks they take to speak out about injustices in their local communities. They are the vanguard of the future of investigative journalism and technology based social activism.”                                                                                                                                              

Tracy Wares is a television and feature documentary producer from Los Angeles, CA, USA. Awarded the William J Clinton Fellowship from the American India Foundation for 10 months of service in India, she comes to Video Volunteers to share her experience in broadcast television. Having previously lived in India from 1999-2000 while pursuing her BA in Anthropology at UC Berkeley, she is excited to experience India again with fresh eyes and volunteer her skills with an organization that produces media to impact social change.

Rajyashri Goody, India

“My time at Video Volunteers has been a blast. IndiaUnheard is an exciting program. It has left me amazed at how media can be such a powerful yet practical tool for the cause of empowerment. Can’t wait to immerse myself in this sphere.”

“P.S: Living in Goa is awesome!”

Rajyashri is from Pune, Maharashtra. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Fergusson College, she decided to spend a year volunteering with various NGOs doing inspiring work. She loves photography and writing, and is interested in understanding the significance of media in transforming communities and mindsets. At Video Volunteers, Rajyashri writes daily articles for IndiaUnheard videos, and she also did a photo-documentation of the 3^rd IndiaUnheard Training Camp.

Shawna Russo, United States of America

“I have been wanting to live and work in India for a long time. As a person of Indian descent, it has been important for me to experience India on my own terms. Although this is my sixth trip to India, I have learned so much more about the country as a result of living on my own than I ever had during my previous visits. Additionally, having the opportunity to research the Naxalite insurgency while living and working here in Goa seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to accomplish several of my long-held goals.”

Shawna Russo graduated in 2009 from Tufts University and earned a B.A. in International Relations with a concentration in Global Conflict, Cooperation, and Justice. Shawna’s main academic interest at Tufts was political violence, including terrorism, insurgency, and civil wars. At Video Volunteers, Shawna is conducting preliminary background research for a planned documentary on Naxalites in the Red Corridor of India. She is also working on expansion strategies into the Northeast and Red Corridor for VV’s IndiaUnheard program. After her time in India, Shawna hopes to earn her masters in Security Studies and work in counter-terrorism policy making and analysis.

Grace Anderson, United Kingdom

“I still can’t quite believe that I’m here. The more time I spend here the more excited I get about being a part of this. Everyone has been warm and incredibly helpful. Most of all, they are passionate about what they’re doing. A conversation feels like a full-blown internship in its self. I am learning that self-expression is a vital aspect of social change and the responses triggered by the daily videos appears to re-affirm this. I am inspired by the bravery of the Community Producers and Correspondents.” 

Grace is currently studying International Development Studies at the University of East Anglia. Throughout her undergrad, she spent 10 months in India; travelling, volunteering and attempting to learn Hindi. Last year she has participated in Creating YourWorldView, an online forum for discussions around the discourse of documentaries with the Common-Wealth Broadcasting Association and carried out training by BBC Voices in documentary making. Around studying, Grace works as a carer at a Residential home.

Tonia Crosby, United States of America

“Video Volunteers is an organization that represents my world view. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to explore community media and grassroots movement for change. Agency and voice are imperative and VV is making that possible. I look forward to taking what I learn here and applying it to my work in the future.”

Tonia is completing her Master of Arts at the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies and writing her thesis on the power of community media to generate agency and voice for marginalized populations.  She is the founder of a start-up non-profit called the Urban Expression Project, which aims to engage youth with social justice knowledge through creative expression and digital media networking. She is an aspiring filmmaker and is in the process of creating a film about grassroots peace work in the Denver Hip Hop community. She is an activist, an outdoor athlete and an avid traveller.

Jackie Sawiris, Jordan

“Birthday promise to self: arrive in favourite place in the world in time for sunset on my birthday. So I returned for the sixth time to India, headed straight to Goa, and was early enough to catch sunrise as well. I arrived with a few things I wanted to do, including volunteering at that magical somewhere– which turned out to be Video Volunteers. It’s been a great exchange so far – of skills, information, creativity, food, stories, laughs, music, movies, positive provocation, and how to survive the heat by sticking your head in the freezer for 30 seconds, man– and I can’t wait to see what else is out there in the VV world.”

Jackie Sawiris is a half Jordanian, half Egyptian, Libyan-born, American-raised, Jordan-based writer, filmmaker, and actor. She discovered how truly powerful film can be when she initiated objecDEFY Harassment, an Arab world-based, self-perpetuating initiative that empowers people of all gender identities to combat harassment and regain agency over their bodies and spaces. She volunteered her copywriting/editing skills at Video Volunteers in exchange for learning how to make the perfect cup of chai – and ended up with a whole lot more.

Sarah Chauvin, France

“I have been to India in the past but it is the first time that I have really enjoyed being in this country and working with grassroots communities. The time I spent in Video Volunteers helped me research and understand deeply the issues facing people in this country.”

Sarah studied political sciences in Lille. She first came to India in an exchange program during which she studied sociology in Pune University. Because she is passionate about India and social sciences, she decided to combine the two, and did her master in the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where she studied anthropology with a focus on South Asia. She is currently doing research for the IndiaUnheard program.

Quentin Lecocq, France

“I wanted to discover India for a long time, and especially Indian culture and way of life. I am also interested in alternate world views and ways of thinking. So why don’t put my video experience at Video Volunteers services?”

Quentin is currently working on his audiovisual and broadcasting Masters degree and as an intern has worked for French television and several different well-known video production companies.  Quentin is passionate about filmmaking and cinema—he is himself a filmmaker/editor during his free time.  He has directed short documentaries, short films, and music videos.  At Video Volunteers he is working on a promotional video featuring the voices and work of our community producers and correspondents.

Jason Sayler, United States of America

“Video Volunteers is practicing and implementing the type of communication models I am most interested in pursuing at a long-term career level…I truly believe in empowering communities through the enablement/facilitation of being able to raise their own voice and articulate their needs, wants, desires, and views.”

Jason received a distinction for his MA degree in Media & International Development from the University of East Anglia’s School of International Development in the UK. His studies included looking at the different approaches to development communication and the wider relationships between media and development. Currently in Video Volunteers’ Goa office, Jason is busy writing training manuals for Video Volunteers’ future community correspondents.

Elsa Landard, France

Elsa Landard studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University of Paris and at the Humboldt University of Berlin. She’s passionate about media, information and journalism. She’s especially keen on citizens and alternative media and their role in development and social changes. During her time at Video Volunteers’ Goa office, Elsa has been working on strengthening Video Volunteers’ presence on various social media platforms.

Kamini Menon, Kenya

“Video Volunteers amalgamates my professional qualifications and a deep-seated desire for social change. Their IndiaUnheard program is a revolutionary concept and I feel honoured to be a part of it.”

Kamini Menon grew up in Nairobi, Kenya.  A post graduate in Corporate Communications, Kamini is passionate about editing. Whilst volunteering in Goa, she edited video reports for IndiaUnheard—a program she finds truly fascinating. The videos, covering previously unheard issues, are helping her discover the real India.

Huge Ma, United States of America

“An internship at Video Volunteers is not something I’d call an ‘internship.’ It’s really more of a life experience—there’s nothing I can think of that’s quite like it.”

Huge Ma is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Economics and minoring in International Relations.  He spent the summer of 2010 at Video Volunteers, not only broadening his global perspectives, but developing a greater understanding of social entrepreneurship. At Video Volunteers, he researched mainstream Indian media trends as well as exploring new marketing strategies for Video Volunteers Community News Service ‘IndiaUnheard’.

William Watt, United States of America

“Life is good as an intern at Video Volunteers. I run on Baga Beach every morning, but in my spare time it’s fun to see other less crowded beaches. As for the work, I have been assigned a job that is interesting and allows me to watch and learn more about Video Volunteers. Through creative writing and promoting, I hope to bring awareness to the videos being produced by the CVU’s of Video Volunteers and the CCs of IndiaUnheard.”

William Watt is a student of Visual Communications at the University of Evansville, USA. William is passionate about many aspects of life including athletics, the fine arts, food and traveling. William spent 2 months interning with Video Volunteers where his work focused on promoting the videos made by IndiaUnheard Community Correspondents and CVU producers.

Taijrani Rampersaud, Guyana

Taijrani Rampersaud is an international student from Guyana pursuing her MA in Communication at the University of Hyderabad, India. In her past occupations like teaching, television production and video editing, she has always been involved in programs and projects relating to development and social change. While interning with Video Volunteers she maintained the Video Volunteers’ website and video library.

John Karun Kumar, India

“I have always found video a powerful tool which can tell stories that can have a huge impact on the people watching. The best part of Video Volunteers is that it covers various kinds of social issues and uses video for a great cause, to empower the marginalized and the needy.”

John Karun Kumar is a Communications student at the University of Hyderabad, India specializing in Radio and Video Production. He has done previous internships with the Telugu news channels TV9 and TV5. John always wanted to use visual mediums for social causes and during his internship he edited videos produced by the Community Video Units for upload onto the internet.

Javier Aranda Liebana, Spain

“I wanted to come to India and discover its culture. But, at the same time, I didn’t want to explore India as a tourist. So, I decided to come to Video Volunteers and volunteer my time and see the real India. I want to help underprivileged people. At Video Volunteers I worked in the main office in Baga, Goa for three months. I feel like I have been able to explore a lot of India through my work.”

Javier Aranda Liebana is a web developer from Spain who loves to travel and is keen on learning about different social movements around the world. Currently based in Germany, Javier runs a self-owned organization called JABIT. Javier volunteered with Video Volunteers from March’10 to May’10. During this time he helped build the signature website of Video Volunteer’s Community News Service, ‘IndiaUnheard’.

Sarah Ripper, Australia

“I was fortunate to have an opportunity to be a part of an innovative organization where concrete changes were apparent and entrepreneurial foresight was employed. I gained valuable skills and can’t wait to watch and be a part of future projects which empower and give the marginalized a voice.”

Sarah Ripper is currently completing her communications degree in International Relations and Screen Production at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. She studied at Whistling Woods Film and Media College in Mumbai in 2009 and later travelled and interned with Video Volunteers for three months.

Naomi Hatfield-Allen, United Kingdom

“I came to Video Volunteers for two months to undertake research for my undergraduate dissertation, focusing on what it means to ‘empower community voices’. Whilst here I engaged in many stimulating debates and met lots of wonderful people – it really was a great internship and I was made to feel like I was one of the team from my very first day.”

Naomi is from Bradford, England and graduated in 2010 from Cambridge University with a degree in Social Anthropology. She has a passion for both film and India so Video Volunteers felt like the perfect fit!

Ali Pinschmidt, United States of America

“When I first found out about Video Volunteers I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for – a successful and smart grassroots organization that places the power of video in the hands of those most marginalized, for their own local organizing and community change.  I learned so much during my time with Video Volunteers – especially from the wisdom of all whom I worked with – and am inspired to do similar work here in the United States.”

Ali interned with Video Volunteers for 3 months in 2009 while in the midst of getting a Master’s degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Worcester, MA. Ali’s MA Practitioner Report was a study to envision what a Video Volunteers project in the United States might look like.  She is currently an independent documentary filmmaker working in Massachusetts.

Charlotte Buchen, United States of America

“It was great to be associated with Video Volunteers, an organization I feel happy to advocate. I wish Video Volunteers very best wishes for all its work.”

Charlotte Buchen is a producer and outreach coordinator for FRONTLINE/World based in San Francisco, USA. She volunteered with  Video Volunteers to produce and edit a film about the NGO Akanksha which works to educate slum children in Mumbai. Charlotte holds a BA in Political Science from Vassar College and a Masters from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.