Olivia

I'm Olivia and I'm 18.

I'm currently on a gap yah.

Journalism is arguably one of the most competitive industries to get into. Without experience breaking into the industry becomes even harder.

As a result of this, I will be taking part in Bolivia Express's journalism programme.

Here's a bit about BX taken from the organisation's website:

"Bolivian Express (BX) is an organisation founded in 2010, which aims to strengthen ties between Bolivia and the English-speaking world through immersive work experience programmes geared towards media production. Over the past two years, BX Magazine has become Bolivia’s foremost English-language publication, distributed in print for free across the country, and online for the rest of the world. Over 100 people from around the world have already taken part in Bolivian Express, and we’re currently on our 45th issue. "

I applied in December and after an interview was offered a place with BX in August. The programme is highly competitive with around 5 to 7 people from across the world selected to take part each month.

Programme participants "work" for around 20 hours a week (we're not paid ☺), researching topics, conducting interviews for articles and volunteering in the local community."

Previous experiences of voluntary work include dressing up as zebras and monitoring crossings - a scheme devised by the mayor of San Francisco to reduce antisocial behavior.

I'd like to write focus on members of the Afro-Bolivian community in the Yungas region, my insipiration stemming from an article I read not too long ago.

My blog - olivia4bolivia2015.wordpress.com documents my journey to Bolivia, fundraising attempts and short stints of journalism-related work experience along the way.

Buckle up!