Jessica Mayberry Founder|Video Volunteers US / India

Jessica Mayberry is the founder and executive director of Video Volunteers. Jessica founded Video Volunteers after spending a year training rural Indian women in filmmaking as a W.J. Clinton Fellow of the American India Foundation. Jessica is a TED Fellow and a Fellow of Echoing Green, an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs with high-impact solutions. In 2009 she was recognized as an Architect of the Future by the Waldzell Institute of Austria, and in 2010, as an Outstanding Young Person by the Junior Chamber International Osaka. In 2011, she was one of the top fifty people shortlisted for the Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, out of over 1000 applicants from 66 countries. Prior to starting Video Volunteers, Jessica worked in TV news in New York at Court TV, the Fox News Channel, and CNN. She has served on the board of Free the Children, the world’s largest organization of “Children Helping Children” and on the Advisory Council of Counterpart International. She holds a degree in Modern History and Modern Languages from Oxford University, from which she graduated in 1999.

Stalin K. Managing Trustee|Video Volunteers India

Stalin K. is a documentary filmmaker, media trainer and human rights activist from Gujarat, India. Stalin has directed 15 documentaries and has won several international awards for his films. He has produced six community radio programs, designed more than 20 rights-based campaigns and conducted over 300 trainings in film making and participatory video, street theatre, radio production, and development communications. As an activist, he has been deeply involved in the relief efforts of the 2002 Gujarat riots, and of the Kutch earthquake of 2001, during which time he helped to create a community radio program that was instrumental in delivering information to the victims.

Stalin is the Convener of the Community Radio Forum-India until 2009 and was one of the core group that drafted the legislation that made community radio legal in India. He is also on the Executive Group of Girls Count, a coalition of organizations that is working to stopping the declining child sex ratio in India His film work on the issue of untouchability has helped bring international attention to Dalit issues, most notably his 1996 film Lesser Humans on manual scavenging, and his feature-length 2007 film IndiaUntouched, winner of the Mumbai International Film Festival. This film surveys the existence of untouchability across 8 states, four religions and all social classes in India. He teaches communications, film and grassroots activism at a number of the most senior institutes in India and has lectured at Berkeley, Stanford and NYU, among other institutions, and also advises foundations and NGOs on their communications and participatory media strategies. One of his greatest passions is training rural men and women in leadership and in expressing themselves powerfully, and he spends as much time as possible in the field, working directly with communities. Until 2008 he ran Drishti Media in Ahmedabad, an organization he co-founded at the age of 23. You can read his personal blog here.

Manish Kumar Program Manager & Principal Trainer

Manish’s expertise is in documentary film-making and community video training. In his four years with Video Volunteers he has trained more than 200 community people to make films and use media to create awareness in their communities. Prior to coming to Video Volunteers, Manish served as a Program Associate at Community Enterprise Forum International.
Manish interned at Doordarshan News, where he gained experience with mainstream media. He has directed the film, “Bahin Tonye Kahah Jathis,” which focuses on the exploitation and trafficking of Tribal girls to Delhi for domestic work. Manish has a Post Graduate Diploma in Development Communication from the Mass Communication Research Center at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and a degree in mass communication from Bharti Vidya Bhava, in New Delhi.

Jessica Mayberry Founder|Video Volunteers US / India

Jessica Mayberry is the founder and executive director of Video Volunteers. Jessica founded Video Volunteers after spending a year training rural Indian women in filmmaking as a W.J. Clinton Fellow of the American India Foundation. Jessica is a TED Fellow and a Fellow of Echoing Green, an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs with high-impact solutions. In 2009 she was recognized as an Architect of the Future by the Waldzell Institute of Austria, and in 2010, as an Outstanding Young Person by the Junior Chamber International Osaka. In 2011, she was one of the top fifty people shortlisted for the Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize, out of over 1000 applicants from 66 countries. Prior to starting Video Volunteers, Jessica worked in TV news in New York at Court TV, the Fox News Channel, and CNN. She has served on the board of Free the Children, the world’s largest organization of “Children Helping Children” and on the Advisory Council of Counterpart International. She holds a degree in Modern History and Modern Languages from Oxford University, from which she graduated in 1999.

Deb Feyerick

Deb Feyerick is an award-winning CNN correspondent whose stories have taken her across America and overseas to cities like London and Rio de Janeiro. Feyerick specializes in international terrorism, criminal justice and law enforcement. As part of CNN’s investigative team covering 9/11, Feyerick received a National Headliner Award and was nominated for an Emmy for her reporting on al Qaeda. Feyerick reports on a range of stories including international child abduction, drug trafficking on the US-Mexico border, Somali pirate attacks, the life and death of Senator Edward Kennedy & earlier his nephew John Kennedy Jr., religion in the recession, genetics, and the environment. She is trained on surviving war zones and delivered a cow while on assignment covering falling milk prices.Feyerick has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Columbia University. In her spare time, she blogs about life as a working mom. She has been on the board since Feb 2011.

Raj P. Kondur Partner|Ascent Capital

Raj P. Kondur is a partner at Ascent Capital, a leading private equity firm focused on India with ~$600 million under management.  He previously founded and was CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions, a leading back office processing and customer care company based in Bangalore. Raj co-founded and was Managing Director of Chrys Capital, India’s largest independent private equity fund. Raj is actively involved with several non-profit organizations in India.  He is a founder and Board Member of The Akshaya Patra Foundation (www.akshayapatra.org), a school-based feeding program that currently feeds over 1.2 million children every day.  Raj is a former professional tennis player and attended college in the US on a tennis scholarship.  He has been featured numerous times on CNBC, in BusinessWeek, Time, Newsweek, Harvard Business Review, and in the leading business publications in India. He has a BBA from Georgia State University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Lieve Fransen MD, PhD|Europe 2020, Social Policies

Lieve Fransen, MD, PhD, is director responsible for Europe 2020: Social Policies in Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission. She first got involved in VV as a member of the jury of the King Baudouin Foundation Development Prize, for whom she conducted a site visit of Video Volunteers in 2008.

Since mid-November 2011, Dr. Lieve Fransen has devoted herself to promoting social justice and the values of solidarity in the context of Europe 2020 Strategy. The mission of her team is to improve and modernize social protection systems and develop policies to combat poverty and exclusion of disadvantaged groups. The directorate of Dr Fransen enhances stakeholders’ involvement, partnership with civil society and other institutional actors in order to achieve together better governance practices both at national and at European level.

Before starting work at Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Dr. Fransen was the Director in charge of Commission Representations in Directorate-General Communication. Her ex-directorate is responsible for the conception and realisation of the information and communication policy of EU in cooperation with the other Institutions and the Member States, for the coordination of the activities of the Commission Representations in the Member States and for political reporting.

Dr. Lieve Fransen was also the Head of Human Development, Social Cohesion and Employment Unit for the European Commission’s Directorate-General Development, and was the Vice-Chair of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). During a distinguished career in international public health, Dr. Fransen has worked as Public Health Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Mozambique; as Task Manager of a research programme on pregnant women and new-borns in Rwanda; and as Director of a research programme on sexual and reproductive health in Kenya. Dr. Fransen was the founder and Director of the AIDS Task Force of the European Commission from 1987-1993 and has since worked within the Development Directorate of the European Commission. She is the author or co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and of numerous policy documents and reports to the European Council and Parliament.

Dr. Fransen is Medical Doctor with a PhD on Social Policies. She was awarded the National Order of the Lion of the Republic of Senegal in 1991 and the Jonathan Mann Award in 2001 for special merit on Human Rights and Health.

Francesca Kress Ph.D

Francesca Kress, Ph.D is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in New York City and Warwick, New York. She is a member of the board of the Jericho Project and the American Classical Orchestra.  Francesca is also a board member of the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian at the Customs House in New York. She has been on the board since the board was created in 2007.

John N. Mayberry Chairman|Core Asset Management Company

John N. Mayberry is the Chairman of Core Asset Management Company. He is a member of the bar of the State of New York. Jack received a BA with honors in Greek and Latin from Swarthmore College and earned a JD from Yale Law School. He has been a member of the board of Planned Parenthood of New York City(PPNYC) since 1991, co-chair from 1995–1997 and Treasurer and Secretary from 1997–1998. Since 1998, he has been a member of the investment committee, which oversees PPNYC’s endowment. From 2002 to 2009, he served as chair of that committee. From 1994 until 2008, Jack was a member of the board of the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, and served on the Finance and Investment Committees. She has been on the board since the board was created in 2007.

Freeman Murray

Freeman Murray has worked in the high tech industry in California and India for the past 12 years. He worked in the Java group at Sun Microsystems and at a variety of startups including IUMA, Mixercast and Kendara which he co-founded and sold to Excite@Home in 2000. In 2001 he set up the Murray Internet and Education Fund through which he has provided support for numerous tech related education projects such as, Curriki.org, the Digital Studyhall, Video Volunteers and the Vigyan Ashram.

Nancy Vick

Nancy Vick has been active in the fields of Marketing and Strategic Planning for many years. A former Senior Vice President of Ammirati & Puris Advertising, New York, Nancy worked on industry analysis, strategy development and competitive positioning. Nancy was educated at Cornell University and received her MBA from IMD, Lausanne, consistently ranked by the Financial Times as one of the world’s top five Business Schools.During her five years in Switzerland, Nancy was a Research Assistant to the Faculty of IMD and, under their supervision, published several international cases in Marketing and Strategic Planning with the International Case Clearing House (ICCH) at Harvard Business School. She helped advice MBA students on their required real-life consulting projects and presentations. Nancy was also appointed as IMD’s first International Director of Marketing and Communications for both the Executive Education and MBA programs of IMD. Nancy is an active participant and volunteer in the Arts in NYC and serves on the Boards of The American Classical Orchestra, a period instrument orchestra, (President Emeritus), and Quill Productions, an educational, entertainment non-profit that brings history to life through story and song. Nancy has travelled widely and continues to sing with several music organizations in both New York and Connecticut. She has been on the board since April 2011.

Eva Haller Board Member Emeritus

Eva Haller sits on the Board of numerous international organizations, including The University of California Santa Barbara Foundation, The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Counterpart International, and The Medici Foundation. She is currently Chairwoman of  Free the Children, Sing for Hope, and Creative Visions, and brings years of fundraising experience to Video Volunteers. She has been on the board since the board was created in 2007.

Martha Spanninger

Martha Spanninger is a Peabody award-winning documentary producer and broadcast journalist with more than twenty-five years of experience.  Most recently she was Executive Producer at Starfish Media Group, where she joined Soledad O’Brien to help with the launch of her production company.  Spanninger developed, staffed, and oversaw editorial and production of 6 broadcast documentaries and dozens of segments of digital content for CNN, Al Jazeera America, HBO, Cover Girl, AARP and other outlets. “The War Comes Home” and “Black and Blue” premiered on CNN in 2014.   Trailer: The War Comes Home.  Her career has included assignments with PBS (“Now on PBS”), ABC (“20/20”), NBC (“Dateline”), CBS (“CBS Reports” “West 57th”) & MTV, and numerous independent projects.  From 2005 – 2008 she served as the Senior Supervising Producer of NOW on PBS, the weekly public affairs broadcast created by Bill Moyers.   She has had the good fortune to collaborate with independent producer/directors and major broadcast, cable and public media talent including Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, Andy Lack, Bill Moyers, Soledad O’Brien, Jane Pauley, Morley Safer, Diane Sawyer, Howard Stringer, Meredith Vieira, and Jeff Zucker.  Spanninger is a graduate of Swarthmore College where she has served on the Board of Managers and the advisory boards of War News Radio and Life Long Learning.

Dina Madhani

Dina Madhani is a Vice President of Social Media & Marketing at Viacom Media Networks. She leads all social media, marketing and partnerships for MTV World. Previously Dina worked as a Marketing Director at Bravo Media and prior to that marketing MTV and VH1’s digital channels including MTV2 and VH1 Classic. Dina graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and earned her MBA from New York University. 

Dina is on the Communications and Visibility Committee of VV.

Jay Newton-Small Washington correspondent|TIME

Jay Newton-Small is the Washington correspondent for TIME. She writes about everything from foreign policy to Washington politics to national trends. She’s covered stories on five continents for TIME from conflicts in the Middle East to the earthquake in Haiti to the Scottish independence movement and the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.

After joining TIME in 2007, she covered the presidential campaign hitting nearly every primary and caucus and traveling extensively with Senator Barack Obama. Before TIME, Newton-Small was a reporter for Bloomberg News, where she covered the White House, Congress and the 2004 presidential campaign.

Newton-Small received an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University and a double B.S. in International Relations and Art History from Tufts University. The daughter of two United Nations diplomats, she grew up abroad, living in such places as Asia, Africa and Europe. She is fluent in French.

Davia Temin Chief Executive Officer|Temin & Company

Davia Temin chairs the board of Video Volunteers. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Temin and Company, a global marketing strategy, reputation and crisis management, and C-suite coaching consultancy.  Davia is a frequent television guest and public speaker on issues of crisis, reputation, rebuilding trust, resilience, women’s leadership and the media. She is also a columnist for Forbes.com and writing a book about crisis management.  A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia, and former Trustee of Swarthmore and The White House Project, Davia is currently First Vice Chairman of the Board of Girl Scouts USA, and on the boards of several other media organizations. She has been on the board since the board was created in 2007.

Robert Mueller

Robert Mueller currently runs PHB Inc., an Employees Welfare Benefit Plan and Trust. Prior to that he was the CFO of the Delaware Valley Friends School.

Krishnamurthy Vijayan Promoter & Managing Director of Charioteer|Investments for Livelihood

Krishnamurthy Vijayan is the promoter and Managing Director of Charioteer, Investments for Livelihood an organization committed to investing and using the “power of the cheque” to help Social Enterprise in becoming better businesses. Charioteer is registered with SEBI as a Category I (Social) AIF.

Before embarking on the journey of an impact investor, Krish had a stellar career in the Indian Mutual Fund industry, raising from a probationary officer in UTI in 1986 to the CEO of JM Mutual Fund in 2000. He later went on to be the Executive Chairman JPMorgan AMC and MD, IDBI AMC. With 25 years’ experience in the mutual fund industry of which 11 years was at Chief Executive Level, he has been at the forefront of many changes in the industry and was Member AMFI Governing Board, FICCI Capital Market Committee and number of other industry bodies.

He continues to be a trustee of SBI Mutual Fund besides being on the Board of various companies and NGOs.

Siddhant Paul, India

I am a student filmmaker and pursuing my Bachelor of Media Studies (BMS) from Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (UG), Pune. I want to make films which possibly will move you, set you thinking, surprise or shock you or just amuse you. Documentary films have always inspired me because they are candid and genuine. They bring out pure human emotions and nothing can bring you closer to a story as a real life character, a real hero.
Video Volunteers is a great platform for me to understand the basics of documentary filmmaking as well as the intricacies and sensitivity involved in making one. I am amazed and inspired to see the potential the Community Correspondents of VV have. They are not only efficient communicators but also exhibit courage by standing up and speaking out against unjust practices. VV is stirring up a huge movement with every video of theirs that goes online, and I am happy to have an opportunity to contribute to it.

Leah Breen, USA

Leah Breen is completing a B.A in Government and International Development & Human Rights at Colby College in Maine, USA. Before coming to Video Volunteers, Leah spent three months in Jammu & Kashmir. While there, she volunteered with a female-operated trekking company in Ladakh and lived with Kashmiris in Srinagar who shared with her about the many political and social issues of the region (the majority of which India’s mainstream media does not cover). Leah has a deep interest in social entrepreneurship, and an internship at Ashoka led her to VV to better understand the innovative work of citizen and community media in India. During her short three weeks at VV, Leah’s main project focused on campaign design. VV’s amazing team is her reminder that collaborative energy and dedication to an idea can lead to incredible impacts.

Dave Shraga, UK

“I’m a 2nd year student at the University Of East Anglia, in UK, studying International Development with Anthropology and Politics. I came to VV to learn how community media works as an advocacy tool at the local level, from the people’s perspective. The question I arrived with was, ‘what is it about a video, that brings about the desired ‘social change’ when it’s made by a community?’ What I discovered is that video media creates political spaces for the people to bring about social development in the way that they want it.

I’m inspired by my experiences of growing up in Zimbabwe, the challenges of having a physical disability and by a vision of ‘development’ where communities have the authority to make their own decisions. I believe holistic change can only occur from an intrinsic starting point and therefore video media created at the local level provides an opportunity for holistic development.
Living and working in Goa, with Video Volunteers, restored my beliefs about the priceless value of community as a primary resource for daily life.”

Frieder Piazena, Germany

Frieder Piazena writes interviews, portraits and reports for the Berlin based newspaper “Tagesspiegel”. He is doing his masters in sociology at the Humboldt University of Berlin since 2011 emphasising on urban development, Global South and alternative economies. It is his third time in India and this time, he is running a blog about community journalism and its impact on german foreign correspondence as well as the Indian mainstream media.

Eva Hoffmann, Germany

Eva Hoffmann is studying media and cultural sciences as well as European anthropology in Freiburg, Germany with focus on media ethnography. Specialising on documentary filmmaking, she is interested in how community journalism could also change the image of India reproduced in German news. With interviews, reports and posts, she is running a blog trying to answer this questions together with Frieder. For her, VV provides an inside-view into grassroot activism, that could change foreign stereotypes and images about India.

Alice Willatt, UK

“Interning at VV has been a fantastic opportunity to do this and has provided me with valuable knowledge and understanding for my upcoming postgraduate research, which I hope to start in September. I will never forget my time at the VV office, working with such a creative and passionate team dedicated to social justice and community empowerment.”

During her MA in Documentary Practice, Alice became interested in participatory video and photography. After gaining experience in this field in the UK, alongside voluntary work with NGOs at home and abroad, she wanted to learn more about how video can be used in a community media and development context.

Safdar Rehman, India

Safdar currently teaches a bunch of thirty 9 year-olds in a little school in Delhi to jump, scream, and make funny faces (apart from boring things like math, language and social studies). He did his graduation from Jadavpur University,Calcutta in English Literature and did the rounds of the local theatre and film circuit before meandering into the woods. He does, however, passionately believe that cinema will change the world. At Video Volunteers, he hopes to reconfirm his beliefs.

Sumit Sandhu, India

This free spirited photography instructor from Dehradun has worked with prestigious groups like Marie Claire India magazine, designed fashion booklets, traveled the country. In his 2 months at VV he created a special profile video of VV’s Community Correspondent Mohan Bhuiyan.

Joe Schubert, USA

“I have been inspired and motivated by VV’s staff and by VV’s role in enabling community voices. I think the IndiaUnheard program brings the most important “primary sources”- people- to the forefront in addressing and solving problems. I am very excited to contribute to VV!”

Joe studied international studies and economics at Macalester College (USA), where many of his classes focused on human rights, politics and development. Joe previously lived in China, studying Mandarin and researching environmental changes and economic/cultural livelihoods. Editing through (and enjoying!) piles of student essays in Vietnam piqued his interest in journalism.

Kianna Goodwin, USA

“Working with VV is an amazing way to become involved in community outreach and empower people through the medium of film. I believe filmmaking can create democratic spaces and VV is deeply involved in this process.”

Kianna has loved movies since she was a kid growing up in Venice, California. After she grew up and got degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Macalester College, she worked in production and research for socially aware documentary films such as Waiting for Superman, which focused on the state of education in the U.S. She has also worked in non-profits focusing on education, youth and community arts. She loves traveling and living abroad and spent a year in Vietnam working as a teacher. She hopes to keep exploring other countries, other cities, and other cultures and learn as much as possible along the way.

Lara Chandni, India/France

“The IndiaUnheard program manages to turn an elite art form into a tool of empowerment at the grassroots level. It is a revolutionary concept, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”

Lara studied literature in Delhi, and art and film in Paris. She came to Video Volunteers to work on the IndiaUnheard project, an initiative which she finds as fascinating as it is unique. At the office in Goa, she has been involved with editing and subtitling the community videos published daily and writing the articles that accompany them.

Deepansh Bhatnagar, India

Deepansh is a Film-making Majors student pursuing Bachelor Of Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University. He has produced many short films which have traveled in various film festivals. He also has experience in Events and Advertising. At VV he hopes to deepen his understanding of social issues and learn intricacies of film making to create impactful media. He freelances as a video producer, writer, designer and internet consultant.

Anurag Meshram, India

A graduate from Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune, this shayaar has a specialization in Mass Communication. Originally from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, Anurag ‘Bhai’, as he is fondly referred to by our Correspondents, documented our IU training and entertained everyone with his hindi songs & hilarious histrionics.184

James Hotham, UK

ames Hotham was born in England and moved to Hong Kong after completing his university education in the U.K (B.Sc psychology and M.Sc organisational psychology). Influenced by the journalists he encountered in Hong Kong he began to travel and photograph in the Asia region. The lure of photography for James is in its use as a means to document the oppression of specific groups within society. In the last year James has produced a series of stories focussed on the caste system in India and the destruction of historic neighbourhoods in China (www.jameshotham.com). His interest in Video Volunteers is based on VV’s position at the forefront of community media, as well as their skillful use of photography and video as a means to document and monitor the changes taking place within society.

Vishnu Tenkayla, India

Vishnu is pursuing his 3^rd year in chemical engineering from Ramaiah Institute, Bangalore. His interests though mostly lie in the creative fields. He has been editing short films which have traveled in the college film festival circuit. The films he has worked on have won several awards including one for the best short films in the state.

Dixie Chan, Singapore

During her days as a Political Science student, Dixie developed an interest in documentaries centered on social issues and human rights. Since 2 years ago, she has been volunteering for a sex worker’s rights group in Singapore, and has produced short films centered on this issue. Her most recent work included an art installation at The Substation, Singapore’s first independent contemporary arts centre. She hopes to deepen her knowledge of film making and produce films that can inspire people to be more active in social issues.

Ekta Kudale, India

Ekta is currently doing her P.G. Diploma in Gender, Culture and Development Studies from the University of Pune. During her internship, she worked with the Video Volunteers’ communications and focused on the writing of daily IndiaUnheard articles that accompany the video.

Niloo Roshani, Iran

“I believe media is the most powerful platform for social changes therefore I joined VV for my internship and working with them as a researcher. Video Volunteers are doing amazing and creative work on community empowerment which is really appreciable, and I am honoured to work with VV.” Niloo previously studied sociology from University of Pune, India and is currently doing her P.G. Diploma in Gender, Culture and Development Studies. During her studies she found her special interest more in Gender and Sexuality.

Ashish Kumar, India

“Me doing internship with videovolunteers brought me great exposure. I know community media plays an important role in society. I got a unique experience editing for VV’s first web show. I liked the way VV works and how the emphasis is always on the Correspondents. I wish them good luck for their future projects..” Ashish Kumar is pursing his MA Communication (Television and Radio ) from Hyderabad central University. He has worked for prime focus as editor and made his own documentary films on nomadic culture in rajasthan. He loves making short films and likes to work with new technology and likes to be exposed to new things.

Avdhesh Jani, India

“I wanted to within my interests and aspirations. Being a Development and communication student I wanted to reach out to the communities at the grass roots. I had an fantastic experience throughout my internship with VV. If opportunity arrives , I would like to work with VV in future.“Avdhesh Jani is doing his Masters at the Center for Development Communication, Ahemdabad. He has varied interests- political science, law, human rights, culture and cinema. He is a walking, talking comprehensive encyclopedia of Bollywood cinema from the stars to movies to music to mannerisms to the downright arcana.

Nikita Rudrappa, India

“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.“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, USA

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, USA

“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, USA

“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, UK

“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, USA

“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 USA

“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

“I have always been interested in media and dreamt of travelling to India. So volunteering for Video Volunteers was the perfect opportunity to discover the country in a different way, learn of an alternative media and also to use my skills for a good cause.“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, USA

“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 USA

“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

Visvak Sen India

Visvak is ethnic Telugu, born and raised in Tamil Nadu, with a Bengali-sounding name.

He nearly became an engineer before realizing that being rich and content in life did not appeal to him very much. Already a proud owner of several jholas and capable of passionately boring the pants off people on a variety of issues, Visvak decided that journalism was his calling.

Currently, he is on a quest for clarity, in the professional and personal context, and peddles pithy phrases to pay the bills.

Neil Julian Balthazar India

Neil Julian Balthazar is a final year undergraduate student of Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (UG). He has worked with a few other non-profit organizations across the country and, after having witnessed how theatre can have an positive impact on the lives of marginalized sections of society, is very interested to see how video and film can be utilized as tools to empower and uplift communities. Neil is passionate about writing and story-telling, and he’s working towards establishing himself as a writer. At Video Volunteers, he has been writing the daily articles that accompany the India Unheard videos and has helped with the revision of content on this website.

Shweta Jangir India

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies from Symbioisis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune. I am specializing in Audio-Visual communication and want to make films. I have worked in production and research, for documentaries varying from raising AIDS awareness to the education of slum kids in India. I joined VV because I was fascinated by the initiative and thought this would be a great platform to explore documentary filmmaking since my interest lies in taking portraits of people and documenting them along with their stories.And it has been a great opportunity because I have been assigned a job that is interesting and allows me to watch and learn more about this field. For me, the process of documentary is just of discovery.  You follow a leadand that leads you to something else and by the time you finish, the story is nothing like you expected. That’s what’s exciting.

Arnaaz Ameer India

Arnaaz is a second year student of law at the Gujarat National Law University. Pursuing a dual bachelors degree in Law and Social Work provides a healthy background for research and documentation of the existing social scenario in untouched areas of the country.
By working with Video Volunteers, I hope to contribute significantly to creating an awareness of ground reality, and campaigning for a change, where change is needed. Interning with your organization would be a brilliant learning opportunity for me, that will help me broaden my horizons gain a larger perspective on life.

Rinzin Dorjee

I am a Tibetan and came into exile in India in 2000. I have studied till class twelve in Tibetan Children village school upper Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.  In 20014 I graduated master in philosophy and Buddhism from Delhi University. What has stimulated my interest in the subject of philosophy is its capacity to enhance open minded and abstract thinking. It aspires one to seek ultimate reality by digging beneath the surface of the appearance of existence. I think the roots of religious prescription, scientific explanation and literary interpretation are extended to the philosophy. After my master graduation I have also undergone an intensive nine weeks trainers training program conducted by Tibetan Center for Conflict Resolution.

In my free time I like painting, watching documentary movies and reading spiritual guide books.

I will be doing internship at Video Volunteer for three months. I am looking forward to learn many valuable and interesting things from here.

Ameya Gutta India

“Self-representation is ideal and extending empowerment is empathy. IndiaUnheard is a revolutionary undertaking driven by a passionate team. Being a part of VV has been truly inspirational.”

Having interned at ‘maraa – a media collective’ on their community radio and citizen journalism projects, I was encouraged by the influence of media in generating social transformation drawing me to VV. As part of ‘Blank Noise’, an art project based on continuous public participation in tackling street sexual harassment, the immense power of community involvement was magnificently expanded and reworked at VV. Working on the IndiaUnheard campaign acutely reinforced notions of privilege and the tense relationship between the marginalized and the State.

A rootless tourist, nascent feminist and aspiring filmmaker, she graduated with a B.A in Psychology, Literature and Journalism from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore following which she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Gender, Culture and Development from Pune University before coming to VV as a research intern.

Pritam Kokate India

“Video making has taught me a new language through which I can explore my ideas. I came to VV to understand how community media works and worked on editing videos for IndiaUnheard. My experience at VV has broadened my understanding of marginalized communities and their issues which will prove to be useful knowledge when I undertake further research.”

Pritam has graduated with a M.A in Communication Studies specializing in Video Production and complemented it with a Postgraduate Diploma in Gender, Culture and Development studies from the University of Pune where she has also worked as a researcher at the Savitribai Phule Women’s Studies Centre.

Christina Kaempfer Germany

“When I heard about Video Volunteers I was impressed by its simple but still so effective idea to make the world a better place, one video at a time. With Video Volunteers, disadvantaged people get a voice and the chance to report about issues dear to them, themselves.

By giving the power of video journalism, these these activists from rural areas are empowered with a new authentic tool to achieve strong impacts and lasting social changes in their communities. 

I am very curious about this way of using videos in a development and social change context, which is totally new for me. I am currently doing my bachelors degree in Communication Management from University of Applied Science, Osnabrueck, Germany . I have worked various film and radio projects, and marketing in the past in other countries such as Canada and London, and studied marketing and event management in Dublin. However, this work in India with Video Volunteers provides me with some totally new perspectives on how to make social changes and how important it is to be self-motivated to bring a change in the community. It is great to work with so many interesting and creative colleagues who are passionately dedicated to the work on social justice and community empowerment and I am excited about the new skills and impressions I am surely going to get here.

Leonie Wismeth Germany

Leonie is in her last year of her Master’s degree in Media Informatics from Beuth University in Berlin, Germany. In the past, she has worked in several publishing houses and an online magazine. She also contributes to the well-being of her city quarter Wedding, in Berlin on different social projects. She will support the work of Video Volunteers with her insights on multimedia processing and digital compositing for the next months.

Leonie is keen to learn about the way community journalism and documentary techniques are used to create a social impact on-ground. She is already amazed about the enthusiasm and passion of her colleagues working to empower and to strengthen the voice of society. In her free time, she would like to explore the beautiful nature of Goa.

Maren Schmid Germany

I am currently completing my Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. I have a strong academic background in communication research. I have recently interned at a media research company in Germany for five months where I gained knowledge on empirical methods of data collection. In my free time I work as a journalist for a local newspaper, since the last three years as well as for the campus radio station of my city.

I am particularly interested in exploring the impact that the Internet can have on politics and social change. I have joined Video Volunteers because I want to get new insights on media journalism and how different communities around the world use it for change. On a personal level, I also want to feel inspired by journalism again.

My ambition is to develop myself in a professional and also personal way by learning as much as possible about Indian culture, society and media. Since the first time I’ve set foot into Video Volunteers’s office I feel intrigued by people’s passion, video content produced by the community correspondents and the many things about rural India.

Sarthak Danda

Sarthak is currently pursuing PGD in Community Media from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. He is an aspiring photographer and interested in examining how the art can be practiced to empower voices and lives. “My association with VV played a significant role in shaping my understanding of how the media can be used for the upliftment of communities,” says Sarthank.
During his stay at VV, he closely worked with the Training and Mentoring team in making a training film. During his time at VV, he invested considerable time to understand how the camera can be used to provide voices to the marginalized as well as a livelihood. “My experience at VV has boosted me with new ideas and prospective methods to address problems and create an impact,” says Sarthak.

Aparna Gopan

Aparna Gopan is a 22-year-old self-motivated journalist and the founder of “We, the Beasts” an emerging investigative media focusing on Solutions Journalism. At Video Volunteers, she explored news aspects of participatory community media, especially its sustained impact.

“We, the Beasts” is my attempt to break the culture of paid news and mainstream media silence on lives and social deaths that matter,” says Aparna. After graduate in history, she underwent an international leadership course for social visionaries as a Kanthari 2016 fellow. Aparna has
a history of fierce student activism and fosters an undying passion for debate and theatre fascinated by the power of visual narratives.

She continues to explore new ways of using media as a tool to provoke sustainable solutions from within communities.

Emma Harris

Emma is a final-year student, doing Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She has conducted fieldwork in Sweden, Denmark and Armenia on themes such as identity, sense of belonging and imagined communities and she is especially interested in visual anthropology. For the same, she has used film as a way to do research in anthropology.
While being an intern at Video Volunteers she experimented with different kind of visual representation, and a more participatory approach regarding development issues. Emma has extensively helped with research, article and manuals in the issues of gender and trafficking.
Emma wants to further explore the relationship between art and science, and how it is possible to make ethnographic knowledge accessible to people through film. She wishes to combine the components of anthropology and filmmaking in the fields of human rights, conflict resolution, and peace building.

Pooja Bhatt

Pooja Bhatt is a student of Community Media at Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She strongly feels that community media is about for the people and by the people and this belief is what drew her to Video Volunteers. In the two months that Pooja volunteered here, she helped Stalin K, the managing trustee of Video Volunteers, compile the impact at the decadal anniversary of his documentary INDIA UNTOUCHED.

Pooja is keen on working with various communities andlearning how community media creates impact on ground level. So far, she has worked with tribal of South Gujarat for their Community Radio. She previously worked as a communications officer at a renowned NGO before joining VV as an intern.

Abhishek Shah

Abhishek is a third year journalism student with experience in theatre, film and design from Mumbai. He’s interested in structures and networks of power that shape people’s experiences, interests and, often, ability. He looks to Video Volunteers as an organisation committed to the capacity of individuals to bring in change for themselves and their community to achieve their self-defined goals. He wants to learn about VV’s ground-level ethical approach toward its work and improve his writing and analytical skills.

Sayali Shankar

Sayali Shankar is pursuing M.A in Gender, Culture & Development Studies from Savitribai Phule College, Pune University. She is interning with Video Volunteers to understand the behind the scenes research that goes into making these Community Videos and how they play an important role. When Sayali watched the documentary “Hot off the Press”, about women journalists of Khabar Leheriya, Chitrakoot which focused on the genre of community news and how media can be useful tool to produce hyperlocal news, she searched for platforms that exist as alternatives to mainstream media and landed in Video Volunteers for a month-long internship. She is working to understand better, how visual medium becomes a possibility to create social change by the people for the people.

Sandhya Marwada

Sandhya is pursuing her Masters degree in Development Communications from Centre for Development Communication (CDC), Ahmedabad- Gujarat. As a student of Development Communication she has a keen interest in learning about the issues of rural India which are never telecasted or discussed in the mainstream media.
In her time at Video Volunteers, she keenly observed and was inspired by Community Correspondents who, in spite of not getting any formal education in journalism, make video reports on ground issues of their communities to bring accountability in the local administration.
The internship was also a welcomed opportunity for Sandhya to step out of her protective environment and learn to survive in a different setting. Sandhya loves traveling, and hopes to make a travel show one day.

Shradha Shreejaya

Shradha is an ecologist who works with the Sustainable Menstruation Initiative, Kerala and is a campaigner on issues around menstruation. As a volunteer, she worked closely with Jessica Mayberry, the founding director of Video Volunteers in streamlining Video Volunteers’ work alongside the Sustainable Development Goals and also contributing to the Khel Badal, the campaign to dismantle patriarchy.