Canadian Mennonite is offering flexible residency opportunities for people passionate about investigative journalism, photo journalism, documentary filmmaking, podcasting, graphic design, editing or some combination thereof.
Residencies will center around an applicant’s project idea. They will last from six to 18 months, paid on a full-time or part-time basis, depending on the project or interest.
MennoCreative starts with the gifts God has placed in the church and the callings God has placed in people’s hearts. We will nurture, affirm, call forth, mentor, challenge, support and share the resulting work with the faith community.
We will offer mentorship, guidance and collaborative opportunities. Mentorship will come either from within our staff, if we have the necessary experience, or outside it.
How do you apply? Start by sending an email to tell us about yourself and your creative idea. From there, we can discuss ways to fine-tune your thoughts. After that, we will ask you to complete a simple application form.
For an initial email, think about how your gift or creativity would contribute to readers, listeners and/or viewers in the broader church. Be specific about your idea. Tell us about your sense of call. How might a residency nurture your spirit and the church? Would there be a role for your home congregation—if you have one—in your proposed idea?
If you have questions, be in touch.
MennoCreative invites people of any age who are:
- passionate about church
- connected to Mennonite Church Canada
- sense a call to investigative journalism, photo journalism, podcasting, documentary film, graphic design, editing or something related (push the limits if you wish)
We will create opportunities both for people seasoned in their field and those starting out.
If you are not sure if you or your idea would fit, feel free to ask us.
We welcome applicants from newcomer/diaspora churches. We would especially welcome collaborations between people from diaspora churches and established churches. Apply as a pair if you wish.
Applicants must be residents of Canada.
What is the timeline? We will accept applications until July 15. Applicants will be informed of decisions by August 6 with residency start dates in September or thereafter.
What is the pay? A resident working full-time hours will earn a salary ranging from $4,300 to $5,000 per month. Residents working part-time will be paid a pro-rated amount in the same range. Funds for expenses will be negotiated depending on the project.
How will MennoCreative residents be chosen? A circle of people from across Mennonite Church Canada will discern recipients of residencies.
Canadian Mennonite will support two to three residents each year.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Contact
creative@canadianmennonite.org
Example projects
The following examples are intended to provide a general sense of the sorts of projects and formats that could fit.
- A mini-book that records what loving the enemy means to 25 Anabaptists around the world.
- A livestreamed listening tour in which a pair of young people from different churches travel around to hear from youth (and/or elders) about being “in but not of” the world.
- A six-part podcast series in which people of differing views have constructive conversations.
- A documentary that follows a member of a diaspora church back to their country of origin to glean wisdom from the church there.
- A travelling photo exhibit that documents Christian seasonal agricultural workers and their Mennonite employers.
- A series of posters (digital and hardcopy) that explore the interplay of faith and digital tech in various Anabaptist groups.
- A series of investigative journalism articles that examine a range of Anabaptist groups (Amish, Hutterite, MC Canada, etc.)—their differences, why they split, their points of collaboration and what might reunite them.
