Apply to JCamp 2013, an Unparalleled Training Program for High School Students

By Nao Vang   December 11, 2012

Learn more about JCamp by watching this video made during the program’s 10th anniversary, in 2011.

 

AAJA is proud to announce JCamp 2013 will take place June 21 to 26 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. High school freshmen, sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply to this all-expenses-paid program.

The six-day training camp brings together a culturally diverse group of students from across the nation to learn from veteran journalists and leading media executives. JCamp participants will receive hands-on training and produce multiplatform news packages for the program’s news site, JCamp Live.

HOW TO APPLY

Start by clicking on the AAJA log-in page to create your unique profile. You don’t have to be an AAJA member or Asian to apply for JCamp.

Once you’ve created a profile, scroll down and find the “Awards and Competitions” header on the right side.

Then click “View Open Competitions” to launch the JCamp 2013 application.

Here are the attachments (PDF, DOC, JPEG formats) you’ll need to complete the application:

  • Transcript.
  • Letter of recommendation.
  • Two 250-word essays:
    1. One 250-word essay about what living person you would interview, why and what questions you would ask.
    2. One 250-word essay on why you should be selected for JCamp.
  • Optional materials that may also be submitted:
    1. Work samples as PDFs.
    2. A YouTube video with a URL provided by the applicant.

***If you have extra work samples that you want to send, please scan and compress them as PDFs  and send to 2013aajajcamp@gmail.com. Put your full name followed by JCamp 2013 in the subject heading. Ex: John Smith, JCamp 2013. DO NOT USE THE ADDITIONAL UPLOADS ON THE ONLINE APPLICATION FORM. If you are having technical difficulties, please contact Nao Vang at 415-346-2051 ext. 102 or NaoV@aaja.org.***

Complete the application requirements by the deadline: March 15, 2013

PRIVACY POLICY

  1. Application information will only be used internally by AAJA to promote student opportunities and for program evaluation and planning. In the application form, please indicate whether you would like to be notified of further student opportunities from AAJA, including scholarships and additional journalism training.
  2. AAJA does not share applicant information with third parties.

Questions? Contact Nao Vang, AAJA Student Programs Coordinator: 415-346-2051, Ext. 102, or NaoV@aaja.org.

 

ABOUT JCAMP

AAJA’s JCamp is a national multicultural journalism program for high school students.

The selected students demonstrate a keen interest in broadcasting, newspaper, magazine, photojournalism or online media. This program is not limited to Asian American students and is open to all high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors. There is no fee to apply and all costs are covered  — including airfare, lodging and meals. Students stay in university housing during the camp week.

JCamp’s goal is to develop the next generation of journalists. This six-day training camp brings together a multicultural group of high school students from across the nation to sharpen their journalism skills and work together in a unique learning environment. The curriculum consists of interactive workshops, hands-on training and field trips. Students also work on JCamp Live, a blog that showcases skills acquired at JCamp: http://jcamplive.aaja.org

JCamp strives to ensure excellence in the profession for decades to come by confronting the lack of diversity in journalism, not just in race but in factors including socioeconomics, geography and religion. With diverse media teams, future readers, viewers and listeners will get different views on government, human interest, entertainment, recreation, science, medicine, national and international news.

The curriculum focuses on teaching and ingraining the following core principles:

  • The Value of Cross-Cultural Communication Skills – This heightened awareness comes from interactions with peers and mentors from completely different environments and backgrounds, along with training in the basics of effective interpersonal skills and the importance of creating inclusive environments as colleagues and journalists.
  • The Fundamentals of Leadership – Faculty work with students on persuasive communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, project management, developing a personal identity and accountability.
  • The Importance of Diversity in the Newsroom and in Media Coverage – JCamp fosters an appreciation for diverse viewpoints and reporting in diverse communities. Students also learn why it is important that media outlets reflect the communities they cover.
  • Strong Ethics in Journalism Practice – Students gain an understanding of the universal ethics of good journalism and the responsibilities of the media to cover communities with sensitivity and high standards.
  • The Value of Networking & Career Mapping – Regardless of a student’s eventual career choice, each will go home with an understanding of how to pursue a profession and an appreciation for the importance of networking and building relationships with mentors and peers.
JCamp speakers have included Madhulika Sikka, executive editor of NPR News; Brian Williams, “NBC Nightly News” anchor and managing editor; Jill Abramson, executive editor of the New York Times; Toure, co-host of “The Cycle” and author of “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?”; Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning Watergate reporter; Damon Winter, Pulitzer Prize-winning staff photographer at the New York Times; Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today”; Soledad O’Brien, CNN anchor; Cheryl Diaz Meyer, Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer; and Raju Narisetti, managing editor of the Wall Street Journal’s Digital Network.
Since the first JCamp in 2001, more than 500 of the nation’s brightest young people have graduated from JCamp. Some of the graduates of JCamp have gone on to become professional journalists. A few of these alumni include:
  • Terrell Brown, JCamp 2002: After attending JCamp, Brown was awarded a full scholarship for broadcasting excellence by the National Press Club. In 2009, at age 22, Brown was named a CBS News correspondent — the youngest in that network’s history.
  • Jessica Carballo, JCamp 2004: Carballo won the Sun-Sentinel Correspondent of the Year Award, the Sun-Sentinel scholarship upon high school graduation, and she was the Miami Herald Silver Knight Winner in Journalism. She worked as a ABC production intern at WPLG-TV in Miami and is a 2010 graduate of Yale University.
  • Arelis Hernandez, JCamp 2004: Hernandez graduated in 2009 from the University of Maryland, majoring in broadcast journalism. During her senior year at the university, Hernandez was named to the select list of the Top 100 Student Journalists in the country. She is a breaking-news reporter for the Orlando Sentinel.