Community College Civic Info Challenge: Takeaways from an interactive design summit

Across the South, community colleges have long served as anchors of resilience, acting not only as centers of learning but also as lifelines for information, connection, and recovery. From responding to natural disasters to addressing everyday community needs, these institutions are uniquely positioned to support the flow of reliable local news and civic information—yet their role in this space is often overlooked.

The Journalism + Design Lab’s report, “Community College Civic Info Challenge: Takeaways from an interactive design summit,” fills that knowledge gap. The report highlights practical tips and lessons from the J+D Lab’s November 2025 Civic Info Challenge Design Summit in Asheville, NC, a two-day, invitation-only gathering of staff and faculty from our cohort of Southern colleges, along with about two dozen educators, journalists, media leaders, designers, and community weavers from around the US. 

Together, Summit attendees workshopped the Civic Info Challenge cohort’s innovative project ideas and co-created a collective vision for how community colleges in the South can support local news and civic information ecosystems. 

What follows is a look at the people, projects, and insights shaping this work—and a glimpse into how community colleges can help reimagine the future of civic information.

Here are some of the key themes and corresponding takeaways that emerged from the Summit, which we detail in our full report:

1. Prioritize service-driven programs that center community needs over content production. Community colleges should design journalism programs that center listening, community care, and civic impact—treating students and residents not just as content producers, but active participants in how news and information flows in their communities. 
2. Build journalism programs with the real-world conditions, constraints, and opportunities of community colleges in mind. Effective community journalism programs must account for community colleges’ unique structures by securing early leadership support, breaking down silos, and leveraging existing campus resources to overcome institutional barriers.
3. Design curricula that position journalism as an essential “survival skill” for navigating today’s information landscape. Journalism education should emphasize adaptable, process-driven “survival skills” like critical thinking, listening, and community-centered reporting that can be applied beyond traditional media careers.
4. Strengthen trust by embedding community engagement and collaboration into every aspect of the work. Slow, intentional community engagement—empowering local leaders, embedding listening practices, and ensuring programs are accessible and responsive to diverse community needs–creates more sustainable and authentic programs. 
5. Reimagine the role of community colleges as key builders and sustainers of local news ecosystems. By fostering civic imagination and collaborative visioning, community colleges can position themselves as innovative hubs that strengthen and reshape how reliable news and information flows. 

You can download the PDF of our report here, and read it in full below. In the report, you’ll also find:

• A letter from the J+D Lab team describing the Civic Info Challenge and how this program is meeting a big moment for local news;
• Overviews of each community college’s program ideas, along with information about each of the colleges and their communities; 
• A look at how community colleges and local news orgs in NC are building resilient news infrastructure;
• What’s next for the Challenge program and the cohort colleges.