MAHARASHTRA
Voices of Impacted Communities and Environments
(VOICE)
The VOICE Fellowship brings together 40+ grassroots journalists and storytellers from across India, selected for their commitment to reporting on the health–environment–climate nexus.
Hosted by IISER Pune under the CARE Project, the Fellowship strengthens community-centred, research-linked communication through an interactive five-day workshop and storytelling lab.
2025 was the inaugural cohort. The second batch will begin on 20 September.
The Fellowship
The VOICE Fellowship is a 5-day residential program conceptualized by Dr. Shalini Sharma, where Fellows selected from across the country, and a range of reporting media, become part of an intensive, hands-on & collaborative learning journey.
It weaves together storytelling labs for journalism mentored by award-winning journalists such as Nidhi Jamwal and Hridayesh Joshi, and technical, expert knowledge from the field, as well as from scientists working at the intersection of science, health, environment and climate.
Storytelling and content in one journey.
VOICE nurtures Journalists. Why?
On the ground, journalists are among the first to witness to climate change and its impact in an region, on a community, and and the interconnected ways in which these effects compound and shape a particular context. Their voice matters. Their craft matters. They become first responders through their storytelling by bringing storied and issues of concern to wider publics, making visible that which goes unseen or unheard.
VOICE Fellowship nurtures journalists in their practice, helping strengthen, experiment and broaden their voices. Through conversations with experts and mentors, and exposure to communication nuances, fellows explore ways that they tell stories that matter.
In the video, VOICE Fellowship mentor and journalist Hridayesh Joshi discuss how digital creators can simplify the effects of climate change and health impacts for the masses with YouTuber Rohit Upadhyay,
Pan-India Cohorts
Grassroots journalists and storytellers from across India working in a variety of media. VOICE is enriched with voices from across India.
Batch 1 had 40+ fellows from 18 States*.
Stay tuned to meet the next cohort of Fellows!
The Programme
VOICE ensures Fellows have an enriching multimodal, experience during the week. The Fellowship journey is thoughtfully curated through talks & panels, workshops & games, working labs, mentorship, and dialogues. Multiple formats of engagement and multiple opportunities for networking.
• Storytelling labs
• Panel discussions
• Workshops and Games
• Expert Sessions
• Public Exhibitions
• IISER Lab visits
Collaborative, Hands-on, Multimodal
Meet the Mentors
Hridayesh Joshi
Nidhi Jamwal
Nidhi Jamwal and Hridayesh Joshi are award winning journalists and report regularly on climate, environment and its impact. They mentor the Storytelling Labs and interact with the fellows throughout their journey in IISER Pune. Click on the images to know more about them.
