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Unity media projects give students hand-on experience By Jennifer Torres While thousands of professionals network with colleagues and sharpen their skills at the convention this year, hundreds of students are getting hands-on journalism experience through new mentoring and online Unity projects. Another 60 are examining diverse perspectives on journalism at a new student campus program. Among the many convention-goers, making lasting connections will be a number of students and professionals who have committed to five years of participation in the new Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., Mentor Project. Each of the four Unity organizations chose eight college juniors or seniors for the program, "Growing Your Own Journalists." Selections were based on student potential to succeed and dedication to journalism. Each student participant has been matched with a working professional of a different cultural background. The pairs are expected to contact each other by telephone at least once every two weeks and to make an effort to see each other. "We want students at work sites, and even mentors to visit universities," said Catalina Camia, Unity president. The project, funded with a $1.3-million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is designed to nurture young minority journalists, Camia said. "We hope that we can help students at an early age to get grounded in the fundamentals of journalism, especially at a time when they're bound to have so many questions," she said. The student new media project is also new to Unity this year, although similar programs have been offered through the individual organizations' conventions. Stefanie Wong, who worked on a previous Asian American Journalists Association newspaper project, said she chose to participate in the new media project this year because she believes it will give her valuable and marketable skills. "Considering the way journalism is heading, this medium will become the new frontier," Wong said. With 11 other students and 12 to 15 mentors, Wong will create news packages and lay them out on Unity's Web site. The goal is to make the convention experience available to anyone unable to attend, said lead coordinator Jason Terrell. Three teams of four students will compile their own stories and will borrow from the other student projects for Internet presentation at http://www.unity99.org/newmedia "We want to give the students the best, rounded experience and the most realistic view of online media," Terrell said. After the success of National Association of Hispanic Journalists student campus programs, Unity organizers decided to offer a similar one here this year, said Ray Chavez, lead coordinator. "This time we wanted to make it a truly multicultural experience," Chavez said. "Each group learned something more about the others." From Sunday through Tuesday, participants stayed at the University of Washington, where they attended journalism seminars and workshops staffed by professional journalists and journalism teachers. Discussion topics ranged from resumZ writing and interviewing strategies to racism and sexism. "I hope that what we started is a new generation of young journalists, aware of and sensitive to these issues." Chavez said. In addition to the new programs, students also are working on three projects that were offered at the 1994 convention: radio, television and newspaper. Twelve radio students worked with mentors to produce five-minute newscasts and a 30-minute newsmagazine. Their work will air on National Public Radio and will be available on the Unity, NPR (http://www.npr.org) and Freedom Forum Web sites (http://www.freedomforum.org). Television project participants were responsible for three newscasts and one newsmagazine show. "Unity News Now," the work of the 40 students involved, will air throughout the day on convention center televisions. The Unity News, a daily publication of Unity '99, is being put together by 40 student reporters, photographers, copy editors and layout designers.
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