Happy holidays to all. As the new year approaches, we are thinking about how best to accomplish the following goals of the NeighborMedia program:

• Connecting audiences that are not yet engaged in the program
• Creating a method to “collect” community issues & identify pertinent topics
• Connecting stakeholders directly to journalists
• Looking for additional models of training (for current and future participants)
• Running local meetings for journalists in the community, for outreach, viewership, etc.
• Fostering potential for citizen journalists to “rub off” their skills onto other people

Our tentative plans for accomplishing those tasks are as follows:

• Having each of our participants conceive of a project or event for their neighborhood.
• Having our participants lead their own “best practices” workshops for each other and their neighbors.
• Targeting underserved communites like youth, seniors, immigrants and tenants–- those who need an outlet for their unique voices.
• Holding neighborhood screenings of NeighborMedia productions.

Ideas so far: Sharon will teach interviewing skills to students at the Area IV Youth Center and have them take over some of the NeighborMedia Live slots; Ilan will show visitors to the East End House and other community meeting centers how to get involved with the website and the program; and a potential youth media collaboration with the Community Art Center and Cambridge Educational Access.

Other ideas? Please post them here. The business card shown was part of one group member's earliest outreach efforts.