Mission Statement:
Neighbor 2 Neighbor is a groundbreaking effort in citizen journalism that hyper-localizes the notion of “by the people, for the people.” With its embrace of the newest media tools and trends, N2N will play an integral role in CCTV’s effort to provide Cambridge residents with a trusted source of neighborhood news and information.

The primary goal of N2N is to encourage citizen participation in community issues. The citizen journalists selected to participate will be responsible for creating media based on local issues, and will teach community groups and activists multimedia skills to encourage continued community discussion and cultivate a network of interested and active citizens.

Participant Interests:
- The wide spectrum of issues that affect Cambridge residents
- Fact-finding and the pursuit of ethical journalism for the benefit of society
- Community media, media reform and the ways in which several of the latest innovations in media and technology can be combined to tell stories, as well as the necessity of sharing those skills with activists to broaden their capacity to reach community members

Participant Qualifications:
N2N’s citizen journalists must be excellent communicators and have …
- An innate curiosity, civic-mindedness and desire to learn more about the City of Cambridge and its neighborhoods
- The ability to see a community’s diverse issues through different lenses, comprising an objective approach to newsgathering, and to envision a plan for local networking and organizing that will drive a system of “community pluralism”
- Some experience with nonfiction storytelling*
- A full understanding of the multimedia landscape and readiness to acquire web and video skills that will be used to drive projects to completion
- Self-motivation, which includes the ability to independently focus and get tasks accomplished while considering and incorporating the ideas and opinions of others
- A creative mind, an outgoing and friendly personality, and the willingness to be flexible and adapt to the changing needs of this developing project

Technical Skills/Requirements:*
Applicants must submit one or more samples of work that demonstrates their ability to write and produce electronic media. This could be a website, digital story, or any combination of print (essay/editorial, literary piece, etc.) and audiovisual elements that showcase writing and production skills.

Program Expectations:

- Attend neighborhood-oriented meetings and work with community members to identify and explore issues that are pertinent to the zip code being covered
- Complete training requirements, including a CCTV orientation and all production and theory classes scheduled for citizen journalists
- Attend weekly Neighbor 2 Neighbor meetings
- Fulfill monthly production obligations, which will include 6-10 minutes of video for CCTV’s channels, and may include the embedding of video, text and photographs on CCTV’s website
- Empower local individuals to spread the impact of their message using digital media/web skills
- Facilitate open discussion via blogging, email and community meetings in order to maintain dialogue with citizens

Compensation / Terms of Commitment:
Once applicants are selected for N2N, they will be asked to participate in a trial run to ensure they are a good fit for the program, and vice versa. After completion of the first program, if participants have demonstrated success, they will be asked to stay on board for the remainder of the twelve months, and they will begin to receive a modest stipend for their work on a monthly basis.

Benefits:
- A monthly stipend for a commitment of 20-25 hours per month
- Full access to CCTV’s classes, equipment and facilities
- The experience of being part of a cutting-edge opportunity in new media -- a great resume builder for anyone interested in pursuing a career in the news and/or media industry

Please submit all application materials in person at CCTV or as an email attachment.
Application Deadline: August 17th, 2007

Contact:
Julie Adler
617-661-6900, x124
Julie@cctvcambridge.org