Kamani Mitchell describes lack of in-school journalism and competitive outside programs
Kamani Mitchell, a student at Brooklyn Institute of Liberal Arts, says her school had only an after-school club and administration would not dedicate a teacher. She says YJC has only a 14% acceptance rate due to demand and asks DOE to prioritize journalism in Portrait.
All right, Kamani, you're up.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Kamani Mitchell, and I attend the Brooklyn Institute of Liberal Arts.
My school didn't have a class for journalism, just a small after-school club run by my wonderful teacher, Ms.
Rohan.
My school was supposed to start a class last year because of student and teacher interest, but our admin chose not to dedicate a teacher to it because they couldn't prioritize it over academic needs.
Because of the citywide demand for journalism opportunities outside of school, it is very competitive.
YGC did a survey of after-school journal opportunities and found there's only 14% acceptance rate because it's impossible to meet the student demands created by the lack of in-school programs.
I feel very lucky that I'm with YJC.
I've developed some exposure and have been connected to programs like the Bell Summer Youth Podcast Academy.
Practicing journalism has changed me in ways that I could never see myself changing.
Before, I couldn't talk to people outside of my own class.
With journalism, I've gained the confidence to not only talk to people who aren't in my immediate group, but allow me to talk to y'all today.
Not only that, I've been more involved in my community, not just my school, but New York City as a whole.
I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to pursue journalism, but not many kids are offered the same opportunities.
Kids in the traditional system learn how to read and write paragraphs, but aren't taught that they can use their skills to make a change, let alone use their voice to speak out.
Today, the DOE has the opportunity to change that.
If the DOE includes journalism in a portrait of a graduate framework, it affirms the values of teaching journalism, so principals like mine will finally have a reason to prioritize it.
You can make journalism accessible to all and allow students to platform and resources to make a difference.
Thank you.