Public Libraries Invited to Apply for Training and Support to Help Teens Learn News Literacy Skills

Public libraries and library consortia in the United States are invited to apply for more than $50,000 in training and support through the News Know-how initiative. Funded by the Open Society Foundations and administered by the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, the news education program is designed to help students in grades 10-12 learn skills that will help them distinguish fact from opinion, check news and information sources, and distinguish between propaganda and news. Students participating in the program will work with librarians, journalists, and news ethicists to learn to better analyze news coverage and improve their news literacy.

Three public libraries will be selected to participate in the second year of the program. The libraries will receive several benefits, including more than $50,000 worth of training and support; the opportunity to provide a chance for young people to work and connect with journalists and become part of a national network; and a stipend for each student who completes the project.

Participating libraries will recruit between twelve and fifteen diverse students from their community who will most benefit from the program; obtain the students' commitment to attend all of the approximately twenty-five hours of training during the summer of 2013; have the students commit to complete a team project (due by Thanksgiving 2013) that will require approximately twenty-five hours of outside work, and foster civic engagement by having students share their work with the entire community; participate (the library director/program manager) in a series of online trainings and conference calls; provide training space and logistical support as needed; and commit to the program's requirements, timelines, and quality standards.

Potential applicants are asked to participate in a conference call to be held on both November 26 and 27, 2012, that will provide an overview of the program and answer applicants' questions.

Complete program information, conference call details, and examples of student projects will be available at the News Know-how program Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Primary Subject: Journalism/Media
Secondary Subject(s): Education, Children and Youth