ABOUT US

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.

We are committed to:

*Producing high quality, ethical journalism with authentic teen voices

*Creating opportunities for youth who have been marginalized

*Developing critical thinking skills in teenagers

*Broadening the world view of Chicago youth

*Educating students, teachers and the public about the core values of journalism

*Fostering free expression

*Promoting the rights and responsibilities of journalism under the First Amendment

Currently, we offer three student academies: Basic Reporting, Investigative/Multimedia Reporting and Special Reporting.

*Basic reporting academy: Teenagers are taught the basics of journalism, including ethnics, selecting an article/subject, research, compiling data, interviewing and writing. Each student is responsible for writing either a personal narrative that includes interviews or a short article.

*Investigative/Multimedia Reporting Academy: Teenagers are taught how to gather data or primary source information and how to use computer-assisted reporting to do simple queries. Teen reporters learn how to conduct interviews with experts and officials, as well as people affected by the subject of the articles. The teenagers’ work with other participants to produce at least two, in-depth packages; a multi-media piece, such as a Google Map or a slide show, or a written article. Students also learn how to use audio recording and digital cameras to support their articles.

*Special Reporting Academy: This academy focuses on singular subjects, such as police and teen relations or school reform. Teen reporters learn how to conduct interviews with experts and officials, as well as people affected by the subject of the articles. They also produce original research, gather primary sources and write an editorial or suggest a series of recommendations related to the subject. The students then have an opportunity to present their findings to decision-makers.