Peer Learning + Collaboration grantees help to fill in Newark’s information gaps
If we can agree on anything about the last year, it is that accurate and reliable information was — and is — critical to survival.
From guidance on where to get vaccinated to school re-openings, access to information shouldn’t be a luxury reserved only for those who are able to navigate complex networks.
That was the driving idea behind the Newark Peer Learning + Collaboration Fund, which launched in Newark in August 2020. The Newark Peer Fund — which I managed — was part of the larger Peer Learning + Collaboration Fund initiative run by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and funded by Democracy Fund.
The larger Peer Fund launched in 2018 with two key goals: To encourage peer-learning efforts between individual journalists and to seed more news ecosystem collaboration in select cities.
Newark was one of three cities in which the Center chose to host an ecosystem workshop. But Newark was different from the others — Cleveland and Oklahoma City — specifically because of its laser focus on information needs.
The Newark workshop was split into two parts and about 100 people were invited, including journalists, media makers, academics, and community advocates. The first convening focused on discussing information needs in Newark, the news ecosystem here, and the introduction of Outlier Media, a service journalism nonprofit outlet.
The Center partnered with Free Press to add Outlier, as a partner in Newark. After the first gathering, Outlier used information from a text-based survey and data from 211 (a community resource hub) to conduct an information needs analysis. The report found that severe information gaps existed in Newark when it came to information about COVID-19, food, shelter, and utilities.
Outlier presented its findings during our second meeting, during which we opened an open call for grant proposals that used journalism and community collaboration to address the identified information need gaps. The $45,000 in Newark Peer Learning + Collaboration grants were made possible by funding from the Victoria Foundation and The Nicholson Foundation.
More than two dozen proposals were submitted. Our awardees included:
- Krystle Allen, founder, Eyes Like Mine
- Shennell McCloud, Chief Executive Officer, Project Ready
- Kimberly Valene Reid, Principal, KV Communications
- Jeff Billingsley, CEO, Cobblestone Multimedia
- Karshan Ruffin, Volunteer Unit Coordinator/Media Relations Director, Community Youth Organization
Our group of awardees launched their projects in October 2020 and had a deadline of March 2021 to finish them.
Given the pandemic, we knew each project would be challenging in its own way. But I knew each of the organizations we supported were driven by a purpose of community and a spirit of collaboration, and that they would rise to the occasion.
Here’s a look at how each project turned out:
Jeff Billinsglsey, Newark Community News
Grant proposal: The goal of this project was to collaborate with some of Newark’s media makers and create a platform for residents to share their lived experiences, concerns, and solutions as they navigated through life amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project outcome: Billinsglsey used his grant funds to produce audio, video, and photograph content which included, The Newark Community News Show, which featured stories on community organizations such as, I have a Dream, and an interview with Amina Bey, Executive Director of Newark Emergency Services for families.
The takeaway: “The best part of this experience was that a true collaborative working partnership was developed between Brit [Harley], Tehsaun [Glover], and I that serves as a springboard into what we see as stakeholders to expand storytelling and social impact opportunities to empower black and brown Newark residents and creative entrepreneurs through local inclusive journalism.”
Kimberly Valene Reid, Bodega Central
Grant proposal: To work with local organizations to create a central information bank available via text and audio on key topics in multiple languages.
Project outcome: Reid, created the first phase of “Bodega Central,” an app designed to galvanize black and brown residents in the city of Newark by providing information from organizations across the City of Newark that provide critical community services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. During the first phase of the Bodega Central project, Reid assembled a creative and technical team that created a prototype for the app, website, and a marketing campaign for community outreach. For phase II, Reid intends to use the prototype on a small test group to secure more funding to build out the app and expand marketing efforts.
The takeaway: “There are so many things I learned through this project! First, the power of collaboration continues to be solidified time and time again. During this process, I learned to look beyond myself and the circumstances surrounding my immediate circle, and truly pay attention to the plight of those in my community. I gained such impactful insight into not only my community in the North Ward but the City of Newark as a whole.”
Karshan Ruffin, News 4 Newark
Grant proposal: The International Youth Organization proposed to facilitate a project that would bridge the information gaps between communication networks in Newark via a 30-minute news program with three or four segments per show, with a goal to air weekly on Newark’s Public Access channel 19.
Project outcome: Karshan Ruffin used her journalism and public relations background to produce News 4 Newark, a 30-minute news show that covered such topics as COVID-19’s impact on the Newark community and resources for affordable housing. Collaborating with 211 Community Impact, a Newark-based nonprofit community organization, Ruffin’s News 4 Newark was distributed on International Youth Organization’s Facebook page and public access television.
Ruffin’s takeaway: “I learned an immeasurable amount of information about broadcast news production as well as what is actually needed to help bridge existing information gaps in the city of Newark. I faced several challenges, including putting a team together while still fulfilling my duties and playing a key role in other programs at IYO.”
Krystle Allen, Eyes Like Mine
Grant proposal: The Seasonal Resource and Opportunities Fair planned to give individuals access to information related to the quality of life through virtual and in-person sessions, exhibiting adaptive technology for residents with disabilities and seniors.
Project outcome: The Eyes Like Mine founder chose to help fill in some of Newark’s information gaps by holding a hybrid resource fair for Newark residents with disabilities back in March and an upcoming live resource fair on July 26th, to commemorate the 30th anniversary for the Americans with Disabilities Act. The fair will include exhibitors who will focus on employment disabilities and blindness awareness for Newark residents.
Allen’s takeaway: “Pulling everyone together, including the companies, employees and guests was the most rewarding experience. There were participants as far away as Jamaica that attended the event.”
Shennell McCloud, Project Ready Community News
Grant proposal: Project Ready Community News proposed to build a media/content distribution network that informed Newarkers on Project Ready’s critical areas of focus: education, civic engagement, social justice, physical and mental health wellness, and housing insecurity.
Project outcome: McCloud opted to use Project Ready’s vast social media network to produce, The Newark Voice, a magazine that featured essays and articles on education, COVID-19, and a listing of programs and services on home energy assistance and housing counseling. In addition to producing Newark Voice, Project Ready also produced The Newark View, a talk show that addressed critical information gaps in Newark that appeared on Project Ready’s Facebook page and on public television.
McCloud’s takeaway: This experience has allowed the organization to strengthen our commitment to sharing our platform with local residents. We have updated our 3-year strategic plan to include other opportunities to provide residents with access to local media and news through new and existing modes of communication.
One of the best things about the Newark Peer Learning + Collaboration Project is all of the grantees are committed to continue the work of collaborating with each other and with the community to fill in the information gaps well beyond the grant and the experience they gained will provide a point of reference for future collaborations and community service needs.
COMING SOON: Newark Times Founder, Tehsaun Glover, will be publishing a video with interviews from all the grantees.
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Kenneth Miles is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Source, Hycide, and WBGO.org. Miles is also a Founding Partner of 3rd Space.
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 support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. 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.
