bold idea
Recruit India’s rural poor, who have been excluded from the traditional media, to produce and disseminate local language news content, allowing them to claim a voice in the global decisions that affect their lives.
Personal Bio
Jessica is the Founding Director of Video Volunteers, a nonprofit advancing the right to voice as a cornerstone of inclusive democracy. Her organization supports marginalized communities to document local challenges, organize around solutions, and turn grassroots stories into real change—positively impacting over 40 million people to date through India’s largest network of community media creators.
Jessica began her career in broadcast journalism in New York but was drawn to social change through storytelling. A pivotal experience training rural women in video sparked her belief that those most excluded from public debate must be empowered to lead it. She has since spent years immersed in the realities of rural India, building a bold vision for citizen-driven media that informs governance.
She is a TED, Ashoka, and Echoing Green Fellow, and has been honored by the Waldzell Institute and Junior Chamber International Osaka. Video Volunteers has won awards from the Knight Foundation, Edelgive, and many others. Jessica also co-founded ActforGoa, a collaborative platform for environmental action in her home state of Goa.
-
Organization/Fellow Location ?
Our most recent information as to where the Fellow primarily resides.
-
Impact Location ?
Countries or continents that were the primary focus of this Fellow’s work at the time of their Fellowship.
-
Organization Structure ?
An organization can be structured as a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid (a structure that incorporates both nonprofit and for-profit elements).
- Visit website