I have had a sophisticated time here at The News School. They provided an internship that allowed me to have civic conversations with my coworkers. Another curriculum that is provided in this program, was working behind the camera and writing articles. Lastly, I haven’t experienced anything bad here, something seems to be new every week or so.
Civic Engagement
The civic engagement I experienced with my coworkers provided many different perspectives and ideologies. We went on a search to interview people on topics that had a negative connotation around them. For example, we, interns spoke about how people should vote and how our vote actually does matter.
The reason for this being is that people in the community have a mindset imprinted in them, voting doesn’t mean anything and it’s not worth it. We interviewed these people and published their thoughts in our articles in order to increase the public’s awareness. The News School also had set up a Westside Youth Empowerment forum. They brought in well-known speakers in the North Lawndale community to speak on present problems.
Work
This internship also allows me to work behind the cameras. They have a nice studio set they use to record podcasts, shows, and interviews. The equipment here is all up to date, nothing is out of date and they are always looking for more pieces of technology to enhance their film.
I personally have worked with cameras and recorded people with amazing stories to tell. If you have any personal skills you’d like to showcase to the people here, they will gladly take that into account. I, myself, enjoy editing and I shared that with my boss.
He later offered let me to edit a piece of film that would be used for a commercial. I also am a journalist here, I simply write articles and get them published with my name on them. I have many work experiences which are good because it expands my knowledge on how those fields play out.
A Normal Day in The News School
What a normal day looks like in the program is you come in, clock or sign in, then you go to your designated workspace and work. You have minor time to talk to your coworkers.
My work involves one six-hundred-word article a day or two three-hundred breaking news articles a day. The work hours ranged from ten to seventeen hours a week. You are capped out on five hours a day.
You can make up all your hours on Saturdays or Sundays. This is very convenient for me because I have school and the lineman with me comes in a little late due to traffic and the distance. This internship works out just great because I get off at seven and I have the rest of my day to do whatever activities I’m passionate about.
When I used to be a part of the social media team, we would have a healing circle with a group of individuals to help us reflect on our past days. The reflections have had a huge effect on my positive behaviors throughout the following week or day even.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the program is quite eligible for students who are still in school. I have had a fun time here since the summer and I plan on coming back. They accept people from sixteen to twenty-four years old.
The things they have me doing benefit the community tremendously. I go from working behind the cameras, to writing articles, and having real-world-based conversations. Due to this program, I can officially say I have left a mark on the North Lawndale community. This is what The News School is about according to me.
Written By: Alexis Medina
Images Courtesy of The News School
