Generation Justice’s mission is to inspire youth to become media makers committed to social transformation. Through intentional design, Generation Justice provides youth with media making experience, community awareness, empowerment, confidence, and a place of belonging. Generation Justice creates media from the principles of equity, inter-generational connectedness, and civic engagement. Generation Justice has a commitment to racial and gender equity in media making, which increases understanding, tolerance, and commitment to balance in the gathering and telling of stories. As a result of a strong track record of supporting youth through middle/high school and into college, Generation Justice has successfully began to evolve into a pathway for youth of color to pursue journalism.

Our objectives for this project are guided and informed by the bleak state of affairs in the journalism and media fields today. For example, one report states that only 21.8% in television, 12.9% in newspaper, and 11.8% in radio are journalists of color. We are addressing this particular inequity through an intentionally designed fellowship for youth of color currently in the process of attaining their higher education or recently completed. Through an innovative, social justice-based, and intergenerational framework, this fellowship will act as a main point of entry for those fellows and our youth participants to become the next generation of socially responsible and civically engaged journalists of color in New Mexico and nationally. Fellows will be provided with invaluable exposure to the fields of journalism and media making through interactions with local, national, and international journalists, many of them people of color.

The Generation Justice Fellows Program will propel youth of color, poor youth, and youth with disabilities to further their commitments to journalism/media careers by training and networking with professional journalists and by showcasing Generation Justice youth work. Generation Justice will give fellows opportunities to build their own journalistic voice and gain valuable organizational and networking skills while working with seasoned journalists. In turn, the fellows will offer the same to the middle/high school age youth, creating a positive cycle of learning, challenge, accomplishment, and evaluation.

 

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[accordion title=”Duties and Responsibilities”]

The Fellows will be responsible for the following:

• Guiding the middle/high school youth in the areas of radio broadcast and blogging and on-line media
• Upholding high-quality media standards
• Organizing and participating in a training program with local and national journalists and media activists
• Increasing the exposure that middle/high school students receive in radio and print media via our various media partners
• Implementing best practices for Positive Youth Development
• Participating in evaluation of the fellowship
• Tracking media products

In order to fulfill the responsibilities, the Fellows will be given support, guidance, training, and compensation.

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[accordion title=”Professional Development and Training”]

At a local level, fellows will be offered opportunities to learn about these fields from professionals that span the spectrum of today’s media environment in New Mexico: radio, online/print, television, mainstream, alternative, and public. Fellows will help to create media products (blogs, radio segments, video interviews, digital stories) on civic and social justice issues. These products will be published and distributed in the three major formats that Generation Justice works in (radio, online, and television) through our outlets as well as those outlets provided by our media partner organizations (NMPBS, New Mexico In Depth, and KUNM).

In addition, fellows will be provided further networking opportunities through innovative hands-on trainings conducted by nationally and internationally recognized journalists of color (i.e., op-ed writing, building portfolios and resumes for journalism careers). Personalized opportunities to engage with these seasoned journalists will be a key method for strengthening our fellows’ knowledge and commitment to civically engaged journalism.

Finally, through weekly work with Generation Justice youth producers, many of them young people of color in middle and high school, our fellows will learn and exercise positive youth development best practices so that they too can begin to mentor the next generation of journalists of color. This intergenerational model allows for a constant exchange of knowledge sharing and skills building. Ultimately this will ensure a steady flow of young, professionally trained, people of color committed to reshaping the fields of media and journalism in more equitable ways.

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[accordion title=”Terms of Award”]

The award is for $13,800. The fellow will work 25-30 hours each week from Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 through Thursday, July 31, 2014.

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[accordion title=”Selection Criteria”]

Required:

• Recent college graduate or current student with a background in media making, communications, or journalism.
• Excellent communication, organization, and time management skills
• Proficient in written communication
• Experience with print editing
• Experience working with youth

Preferred:

• Experience in audio and video editing
• Currently living in or from New Mexico
• Commitment to social justice and equity

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[accordion title=”Application” last=”last”]

Deadline for receipt of application is: Fellows for 2013-2014 have been selected, but please check back next year for information on the 2014-2015 Generation Justice Fellows Program and Deadline

Requirements:

• A 2-page letter of application specifically addressing the fellowship description, duties and responsibilities, criteria and answering the following question: Why is it important to have more culturally diverse journalists on a local and national level?
• Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic and work experience. Letters should include telephone numbers for verification.
• Short writing sample.
• Resume. Also include examples and links to your media work (i.e., radio broadcasting, audio editing, videos, blogs, etc)

To download the application, please CLICK HERE.

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For more information, send an e-mail to: admin@generationjustice.org