Newton, NJ: Sussex County Community College (SCCC) will be offering a free journalist certificate, “Becoming a Community Journalist,” with participants learning skills to cover community-centered news happening in their respective hometowns and county.
The program will offer a hands-on exploration of how journalism works. Participants will learn the tools needed to understand local issues that are affecting their communities and how to report important stories. The certificate will be offered in person and online beginning in March 2024. The in-person workshops will meet eight consecutive Tuesdays from March 26 to May 14, 2024, from 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the college’s Media Center. The online version of the certificate is offered asynchronously. Sussex County College is located at One College Hill Road, Newton, NJ, 07860.
The certificate’s instructor, Professor Cheryl Conway, teaches Journalism I and II at SCCC and has decades of experience as a reporter and editor for community newspapers and magazines. Conway said, “I want the participants to begin thinking like journalists and be prepared to effectively engage with their neighbors and local government. Our aim is to prepare them to become more civically active and get involved in the community media ecosystem.”
The Becoming a Community Journalist program is offered with support from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and Journalism + Design at The New School. The program is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, an independent, publicly-funded nonprofit organization that supports quality local journalism, promising media startups and other efforts meant to better inform people.
Dr. Nancy Gallo wrote the grant application on behalf of SCCC and its Center for Lifelong Learning and is the grant’s administrator. Gallo, who is also the Center’s director, said, “We are so appreciative to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities for choosing SCCC as a worthy recipient of this grant.”
SCCC was one of only three community colleges statewide chosen to participate.
Gallo added, “This grant promises to have far-reaching and long-term benefits for our county and its citizens. The certificate is designed to teach journalism skills and design practices for anyone in greater Sussex County who wants to share stories and information that their communities need to thrive.”
Space is limited for the free certificate. Those interested in registering for the “Becoming a Community Journalist” certificate can check the Center for Lifelong Learning’s webpage on the SCCC website at by calling 973-579-0555 ext. 1277 or emailing ngallo@sussex.edu .
