Purpose

Mantua Times, is a community youth based newsletter providing the Mantua and West Philadelphia Community with needed resources and quality news. They serve as a media source for the Mantua residents to discuss political, social, and economic issues that affect their neighborhood. Young men and women produce monthly editions, readers can view upcoming community events, issues and successes. Mantua Times encourages local businesses to advertise in our publication—as well—contributing for the betterment of the community.

The Community Journalism program (also known as civic or public journalism) is a catch phrase for a range of news practices that are generally defined by a news organization's desire to be closer to its community's concerns and interests.

The program's goal is to help youth establish a stronger dialogue with their community, ultimately producing a better news product. The benefits to youth are many: improved communication between the youth and the community; better coverage of issues important to its community; and greater appreciation by the community of how news organizations perform their jobs, leading to enhanced credibility of these news outlets.

Community Journalism is grounded in the concept that youth have a responsibility not just to report on local issues but, through their coverage, to actively facilitate their debate and resolution. Local news media can cover issues of local importance in ways that encourage active dialogue on the issues. Youth can derive great benefit from this enhanced coverage without giving up editorial control or becoming involved in the actual decision making.

This is journalism at the highest level: finding and raising issues of great interest to local viewers and listeners; developing stories and other creative coverage; and providing information and a catalyst for debate.

Program Outcomes/Results

Overall success of the program will be measured by the comparative writings of participants from the beginning of the program until their completion. This will show not only the effectiveness of the program but will highlight the community and youth concerns as they will drive the topic base for community issues and news. The most tangible product will be the production of a monthly newsletter that will be distributed throughout the community to showcase the youth writers.