Columbia Links is a journalism skills-building and leadership development program for youth and teachers in Chicago Public Schools, housed at Columbia College Chicago. Through workshops, mentoring, and the creation of youth-produced publications, Links works to build expertise, relationships, skills and opportunities that connect students, teachers and volunteers through journalism, in the process revitalizing youth media in Chicago. Read more

Teens in the Columbia Links journalism and news literacy program presented their findings on violence as a public health problem and how communities such as Chatham, Roseland and Beverly prevent violence at a recent town hall meeting, “Don’t Shoot, I MUST Grow Up”, on the Columbia College Chicago campus. The town hall meeting was moderated by WBEZ South Side Bureau reporter Natalie Moore.

Links’ investigative team (I-Team) of five Chicago high school students researched and analyzed the strategies that some communities have been using to successfully fight back against violence. A panel of adults involved in violence prevention work spoke about their efforts at the town hall meeting. Audience members asked questions of students and adults.
You can read thei I-Team's reported stories in the PDF at right titled “Treating the Violence Epidemic.”

Click here for the remedies and profiles of the investigative team of teen reporters and the adult speakers and presenters featured at the town hall.

Missed the town hall? You can see it all by clicking here.

Columbia Links reporter Belany Contreras talks about her essay addressed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to NBC 5. Her essay, along with 21 other essays and letters also addressed to the mayor and superintendent, are in the booklet "Don't Shoot, I Want to Grow Up."

Spring 2012 Columbia Links reporter Precious McClain reports at the 12th World Nobel Peace Summit.

Natalie Moore, WBEZ South Side Bureau Reporter, Town Hall Meeting Moderator, 2012

Laura Washington, Town Hall Meeting Moderator, 2011

Don Terry 2010

Renee Ferguson 2009

Renee Ferguson, award-winning TV investigative reporter, was on hand to launch the largest issue ever of r_wurd magazine—48 pages. The magazine features stories written by high school students who participated in the journalism academies in the Columbia College Chicago Links program. In this issue, 26 Chicago-area schools were represented.

Ferguson greeted students with news that she had read each of their stories. In her keynote address, she recounted the essence of their stories, acknowledging the students by name and thanking them for their reporting.

Here is an excerpt from her speech: “I feel powerfully connected to you and what you are doing . . . . I came to understand that allowing people to be heard . . . helping the invisible to be seen through the media was a powerful weapon in the fight for social justice in America and in the world. Now I see you taking up that fight for justice. . . . If you students who produce r_wurd and “Green in the City” are the future of reporting in America, I have renewed confidence in what we can become. Whether you’re professional journalists or citizen journalists your generation is fearless in reporting what you see. I am so grateful for that!”