The Bloggers

In July 2009, ActionAid Australia initiated an exhaustive nation-wide search for talented young bloggers to send on a training mission to Bangladesh.

The nomination process was conducted entirely online, with candidates asked to nominate themselves online through the Project TOTO blog.

Out of the 52 nominees put forward as outreach bloggers, ActionAid shortlisted 12 excellent candidates and put them to the test with three challenges aimed at finding the right people for the job (read about the shortlisting process).

Six of the shortlist voluntarily dropped out of the running – one did so for personal reasons (Antony Loewenstein), while another decided to support the project in a mentoring role instead (Edward Harran). A third (Melissa Russell), dropped out in order to throw her support behind some of the other candidates, while two nominees (Michael Quall and Renee Barnes) were unable to complete the final fundraising challenge. A sixth nominee (Harriet Riley) dropped out due to competing commitments.

With six nominees remaining – Joel Katz, Sharna Bremner, Emily French, Father Dave, Laurel Papworth and Dave Rooney – ActionAid had the difficult task of chosing the next outreach bloggers.

In the end, ActionAid chose Joel Katz and Sharna Bremner as the candidates with the right combination of blogging skills and passion for social justice.

Joel Katz

Sharna Bremner