Stories Invincible announces Camden event featuring discussion of info needs, fellowship opportunity
Join us on Thursday, July 14 at Nuanced Cafe
Camden’s residents are rarely portrayed in the media in the same way we see ourselves and our communities. Those close enough to Camden know that what truly defines the city is an unshakable, unmistakable, invincible spirit — and that is the story that needs to be told.
As we said in our previous Medium post, the Stories Invincible restorative narrative project will be launching its application process next week at a public information session in Camden. The event will provide an opportunity for Camden residents to learn more about the details of the project, as well as the background, goals, and process of the Stories Invincible initiative.
The program is supported by a subgrant from the Community Info Coop in partnership with the Movement Alliance Project, thanks to original funding from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Local News Lab Fund, a partnership between Dodge, Democracy Fund and the Community Foundation of New Jersey.
Vanessa Maria-Graber, who leads the News Voices project for Free Press, will provide an overview of Camden’s critical information needs and how the stories we’ll tell and highlight as part of Stories Invincible will be different than those we’ve seen in the past. The results of the information needs assessment that Vanessa will present was conducted by Free Press and Outlier Media early in the pandemic, but is still reflective of broader information needs in the community.
Ayinde Merrill, president of Watu Moja — a Camden-based non-profit organization — will also speak on behalf of Erik James Montgomery whose photo series ‘Camden reframed’ exemplifies the storytelling we’re searching for.
The event will run from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 14th, the event will be hosted at downtown Camden’s Nuanced Cafe — a frequent of locals and gathering place for work, art, and artistic performances — located at 225 Market Street, just blocks away from both Rutgers Camden and The Victor building. Food and refreshments will be provided to attendees, courtesy of Nuanced Cafe and catered by resident Chef Barry Fillmore.
Our agenda for the evening is as follows:
- 4:30 pm — Welcome, introduction, and food
- 4:40 pm — Stories Invincible project overview
- 5:00 pm — Overview of Camden’s info needs and restorative narrative journalism
- 5:15 pm — Local artist feature: Erik Montgomery with Watu Moja president Ayinde Merrill
- 5:30 pm — Break
- 5:40 pm — Review scoring rubric and application process
- 6:00 pm — Frequently asked questions + answers
When the event concludes, we’ll open the call for submissions for Camden-based journalists and media makers to apply for fellowship funding from a pool of $40,000 to support projects that will address the city’s information needs and uplift stories of resilience and hope. Attendees will also be given an opportunity to schedule one-on-one coaching sessions with Center staff to help prepare their grant applications and shape their proposals.
If you live or work in Camden and have a story about the city and its people that you feel needs to be told, click here to sign up for updates — and make sure to sign up to attend this event!
Registration is free, but you must RSVP via this Eventbrite listing below:
Questions? Send an email to Cassandra Etienne at etiennec@montclair.edu.
Reet Starwind is the Stories Invincible project coordinator for the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. He is an artist, educator, and organizer in the Camden area working with the Center to elevate restorative narratives about Camden’s residents and history. Contact Reet via email at reet@storiesinvincible.org or on Instagram at @mrstarwind.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit CenterforCooperativeMedia.org.
