CCBC is equipping students to access, create, and share reliable local information
through two connected initiatives: student-powered media efforts—featuring journalistic podcasts through ACLS/Mellon-funded podcast production house, ForReal Media—and launching the News Literacy Institute. The goal of ForReal Media is to teach students how to create podcasts to bring their voices to the table. CCBC will expand podcasting programs, training students to produce investigative, community-centered stories for outlets like WYPR. The News Literacy Institute embeds critical media literacy across disciplines through faculty workshops and adaptable classroom modules. Together, these initiatives empower students to become trusted storytellers, strengthen local journalism, and foster meaningful, informed conversations about Baltimore and the surrounding region.

ELEVATE is a collaborative program bridging liberal arts and sciences with career and technical education programs. ELEVATE engages college students in meaningful experiences that integrate communication and leadership skills with coursework from these programs. It partners with businesses, public services, and community agencies to create opportunities for career exploration, job shadowing, internships, contextualized learning experiences, and student travel that foster leadership growth and development. ELEVATE focuses on enhancing the civic literacy and leadership skills of college students as they prepare for careers in the workforce, free enterprise, and leadership roles. ELEVATE will launch a signature initiative of Civic Learning Week, a weeklong series of workshops and speaking events designed to strengthen students’ capacity for critical inquiry, fact-based reasoning, and civic engagement.
The program’s goals are to 1) equip students with the skills to locate, verify, and communicate reliable local information related to public services, community resources, and local government, and 2) position FSCJ as a regional hub for civic engagement by preparing students to serve as “Peer Info-Ambassadors,” leading campus and community conversations on local issues and opportunities.

This project will empower students and community members to engage with reliable local information through a student-led vlogcast highlighting stories that matter most to them. Houston Community Voices will help close information gaps in underserved neighborhoods by offering credible, accessible news and resources. Through this effort, participants will be better equipped to stay informed, get involved, and foster meaningful conversations about their communities and beyond.

This project will connect underserved communities—particularly those facing language and access barriers—to reliable, accessible news and resources that reflect their experiences. Houston Community Voices will serve as a broadcast extension of The Egalitarian, HCC’s student-run newspaper, expanding its platform through digital storytelling. By integrating print and digital journalism, the initiative will give students hands-on experience in producing impactful video content that informs and uplifts Northeast Houston communities.

Mississippi faces a critical need for community journalism due to the rapid expansion of news deserts across the state. Small hometown newspapers, particularly in rural areas, often struggle to hire qualified professionals or lack the capacity for in-depth investigative reporting. In response, Jones College, in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi, will establish a coalition of Mississippi community colleges to offer eight-week, noncredit certificates in digital community journalism skills. Jones College will serve as the hub for the community college coalition. This project will build a statewide online platform for curriculum, and support partnering colleges with facilities and equipment.

This project features service learning opportunities for students of all majors to create a set of online resources about local government and community information. A 2023 report identified Arkansas as having the lowest civic health rating among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. NWACC’s project could help fill some gaps in the availability of news, information, and community involvement opportunities. A project centerpiece will be an online, freely accessible repository of resources, including some student journalist-produced news items covering local communities; access to service-learning opportunities; and profiles of area communities—including information about community governance, services, and civic opportunities. Journalism curricula will be central to the project, and students across all majors will participate through service learning and civic engagement-infused Composition II sections.

Around Prince George’s (APG), an idea from Prince George’s Community College (PGCC), will develop and sustain a student-led community news program and strengthen existing partnerships with local news stations. By expanding Spanish-language programming and focusing on stories that impact the campus and surrounding communities, APG will increase local access to news and capitalize on PGCC’s unique proximity to the nation’s capital. APG will also increase the digital footprint of the college’s newspaper and facilitate experiential learning opportunities for students in the Mass Communication and Public Relations and Journalism programs.

San Antonio College will modernize its journalism program while reestablishing its student news publication as a vital source of news for the college and the surrounding community. The goal is to expand The Sundial‘s reach and circulation by developing a weekly digital newsletter that targets approximately 20,000 students and staff, and to create a print vehicle so that both can be monetized to sustain and expand The Sundial‘s reporting and reach.

Santa Fe College will establish a physical space for independent student journalism. While the college has a media studio space restricted for employees with limited student use, students need a lab of their own to develop news media for The Saint Bernard newspaper/Substack and for broadcasting projects, which are the two biggest student demands. These demands will help expand curriculum, refine project offerings, establish new partnerships, and improve student transferability to the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications