One of the unique features of the programs at the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design is the experiential learning embedded into each course through the practical lessons that industry professionals teach. One of these courses is Storyworks, where students collaborate with industry clients. These opportunities provide students with work they can add to their portfolio and skills they can carry with them as they enter their careers.
Our Journalism program has collaborated with Beach Metro Community News for several years for their Storyworks course. Tim Doyle, the Program Coordinator, says the journalism program was retooling the curriculum while simultaneously bringing on several media partners in 2017, and this is when the collaboration started. Since then, the partnership has created countless opportunities for students to gain experience writing for a real-world publication.
Beach Metro Community News was a great fit, as Tim shares that they were looking for fresh voices and creative ways to continue publishing and serving their community. He adds that it is also helpful that Susan Legge, an instructor in the journalism program, is the Publisher and General Manager at Beach Metro Community News.
Susan, who has been teaching in the program for several years now, says she integrated the program and Beach Metro Community News right away. She shares, “Knowing that Centennial College offers placements, the opportunities for both sides are a win-win. Looking back at the newspaper archives, I discovered this relationship isn’t new at all! We’ve been working with interns from Centennial’s journalism program since the 1990s. The paper’s been around since the early 1970s, so it could date back even further than that.”
She also notes that the partnership has been beneficial in so many ways. "For the Beach Metro, it’s the benefit of new voices, fresh perspectives, and a chance to try new things — like TikTok! For students, they learn how the Beach Metro serves its community—as a trusted resource, we need to get it right. The experience puts all of their skills into play, and we’re here to help them along the way," she explains.
The collaboration has been great since the get-go, as journalism instructor Mary Vallis shares, “I think our relationship with Beach Metro is very symbiotic. They provide a real learning opportunity for our students, and we provide a real service to Beach Metro as a facet of the community.”
Even in 2020, when the pandemic resulted in lockdowns, this partnership continued. Reflecting on the students in the middle of their Storyworks placements and those about to begin their internships during that time, Tim says, “Our philosophy was that we provide students with a real-world experience and what was more real-world than working in the industry and doing it from home?”
He continues, “All of our partners were very willing to accept our students, Beach Metro included, so our students continued with Storyworks, and most internships, despite the pandemic. They were working from home, keeping in touch with their editor, and delivering.”
Tim explains Storyworks as a whole and the opportunities it provides students: "I think the Storyworks placement, which is about four to six hours a week with a media partner, is like an audition for an internship. Students get the chance to polish and practice skills they learned in the classroom and do it in the real world. They begin to understand what it will take to succeed when balancing their personal and professional obligations."
Mary shares similar sentiments to Tim and says that one of the heartening aspects for the instructors within the program is to hear from the students as they finish their Storyworks course and share their thoughts through final presentations and discussion boards. She explains that many students, by the end of Storyworks, find that it was much easier than they expected, and this is partly thanks to having a recognizable name from the community there for support.
Much of that imposter syndrome that students may feel diminishes, and Mary says it is because they are being treated as real journalists. She explains that as much as the students are told they are real journalists during the program, it can still be difficult to get phone calls back from top professionals like the Mayor, even though students have done that.
“But all of a sudden when we hear ‘oh my gosh, it’s so easy,’ it fills me with happiness because it means to me that I have done something right in terms of guiding them now that they’ve got the skills… to make it happen,” she says.
Mary also adds that students are told they are real journalists from the day they enter through the campus doors. While it may be school work, they are developing valuable skills from day one and are out in the field almost immediately interviewing members of the public. Rather than saying, “you can do it,” Mary says, “you are ready to do it,” and the instructor's guide and help them understand how ready they are.
Speaking of being ready, Tim emphasizes how the program is based on providing students with real-world experience and lessons that build upon their journalistic skills.
“There is that progression from learning the skills in the classroom, polishing them in our newsroom working for the Toronto Observer, then stepping out into a world where it's real and where you are backed by a recognizable brand, like beach Metro News, in the community. So, you are chasing stories, people are responding to your calls, and expecting professional treatment. The students' work in the classroom makes them ready to deliver when they approach sources, respond to questions, and produce their work. This is an important experience for students and partners like Beach Metro, and it helps us elevate our program in many ways,” he shares.
Susan similarly reflects on the program and how it helps prepares students, as she shares, "The leadership team at Centennial is fearless in trying out new technologies, trends, and talent. They work hard on course development, too, and that’s reflected in their grads. The students not only have the latest skills and tools, but they understand the fundamentals of journalism."
She continues, "Media is ever-changing. When you’re equipped with this kind of in-depth knowledge, you can funnel your skills into something other than journalism and into something you’re truly passionate about — sports, fashion, real estate, business, politics, social media — you don’t have to work for a traditional news organization. I’m a little biased since I’m a Centennial journalism grad and part-time faculty, but I’ve experienced firsthand how well the program prepares students from both sides."
A STUDENT EXPERIENCE WITH BEACH METRO COMMUNITY NEWS
When Amarachi (Bobby) Amadike was a student in 2021, he had the opportunity to work with Beach Metro Community News for his Storyworks course. Following the course, Beach metro hired him for a year, thanks partly to federal funding from the Local Journalism Initiative, which helps support locally run journalism in Canada.
Reflecting on this opportunity, Mary says that when Bobby began working there, he started to thrive as he went to events for Beach Metro and covered different stories. “Bobby was a very creative young man who was very interested in music and had a really textured mind for understanding information,” Mary shares. “In his academic journey, he really struggled to find his place, and then all of a sudden, when he got to Beach Metro, I think he kind of found himself a home.”
For Bobby, things have come full circle. He recently visited the Story Arts Centre to speak with students on behalf of Beach Metro Community News to pitch the publication to students deciding which industry partner to choose. Mary says that you could see how he connected with the students. “When he came into the class that day, we just saw a confidence, and a confident feeling of achievement and accomplishment that we want all students to have,” she shares.
Tim also adds, “Bobby was a student in the fall of 2021, so having him come back as a polished professional journalist in the fall of 2022 and speak to students about his past and their opportunity was pretty exciting.”
The partnership with Beach Metro Community News has been a wonderful chance for students over the years to practice their skills in a setting that can mimic a future role. We are thankful for them and the many other industry clients who help make our Storyworks courses such a valuable learning experience for our students.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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