UJW 2010: A Reflection

By Sheena Carey

Although my role this summer has been largely as “shadow” coordinator of the Urban Journalism Workshop – aka Rose Richard’s “Mini-me,” I have also had the fortunate opportunity to have a wonderful perspective on the strengths of the workshop and some insight into the possibilities for future workshops.

This year’s young journalists have proven to be a lively, engaging and talented group. I’ve watched them come together over interviews, stories, and photo ops – their subjects’ as well as their own – and my, they are a very photogenic bunch!

It’s been a joy to see many of them come into their own – who knew we’d find such great storytellers, videographers, and photojournalists? I was well aware of the potential, but to actually come face-to-face with such talent, I truly believe that the future of journalism is not so dire as has been predicted. Even though many of these young people will not become professional journalists, I know they have gained some skills that will serve them well no matter their career choices.

The days have been long but their energy has kept me going each and every day. I’ve learned a lot about the program and why it has been so successful for so long – 25 years! I’ve also learned a bit more about this age group and hope to apply this combined knowledge to next year’s workshop.

I appreciate the hard work of the UJW staff: Gary Rummler – an amazing journalism teacher and editor; Carole Burns and Jen Janviere – our multimedia mavens extraordinaire; Sonja Richard, Vanessa Harris and Zach Taggatz – the counselors who kept things running smoothly and the young folks safe after hours; and finally, Rose Richard – UJW’s heart, soul and chief fundraiser (and taskmaster) for many years who is now passing to baton to me.

I look forward to next year’s group, but will keep this year’s group close in my thoughts as I plan for the future of UJW.

Whether you are going back to a home that is across the country or across town, safe travels to the 2010 Urban Journalism Workshop participants and have a great rest of the summer and a successful school year!

Sheena Carey is the Internship Coordinator for the Diederich College of Communication. She is currently helping coordinate the 2010 Urban Journalism Workshop at Marquette.