WHAT IS CONTENT CREATORS CAMP
Content Creators Camp is a hands-on training and mentorship experience for emerging citizen journalists and community-based content creators. We bring together aspiring storytellers from historically underrepresented communities to build the skills, confidence, and connections needed to report on the issues that matter most—right in their own neighborhoods.
We equip everyday people—especially those overlooked by traditional media—with the tools and knowledge to become trusted, creative, and accountable local journalists. Our mission is to foster a grassroots media ecosystem where communities can tell their own stories, hold power to account, and reimagine what local news looks like.
Whether you’re documenting local movements, covering underreported events, or uplifting everyday voices, Content Creators Camp is your launchpad for impact.
We are excited to announce our 2025 Spring/Summer Citizen Journalist Cohort! We are looking for 8 community-driven individuals ages 18-24 who are interested in telling the story of their community! 2025 Cohort members will complete a 4-part Citizen Journalism Workshop lead by industry trailblazers, professionals and collegiate professors and publish a story on 1stSkyOmaha.com. Participants will also receive a stipend upon completion of the program.
FORMS DUE BY JULY 16TH. CLASSES BEGIN JULY 19TH.
WHO CAN JOIN?
- 18-25 year old Individual
- Preferably current or recently graduated High School Jr./Sr. or College student
- Anyone with experience or interest in writing, civics, journalism, multimedia production, film, social media production
- Content creators working in video, audio, or visual media
- Aspiring citizen journalists, community documentarians, and local creators
- Youth leaders, neighborhood activists, and everyday residents who care about their communities
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Anyone ready to turn smartphones and social platforms into tools for truth-telling and justice
*No formal media background required—just commitment, curiosity, and a connection to your community.
*Access to Smart phone or digital camera, laptop/personal computer is a plus.
*Own transportation is a plus.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Reporting & Storytelling Workshops
Learn how to craft compelling, accurate narratives using accessible tools—from mobile journalism to podcasting and short-form video.Ethics & Accountability Training
Explore the responsibilities of citizen reporting, fact-checking, and engaging your community with care.Production & Platform Skills
Build your ability to shoot, edit, publish, and share stories on the platforms your audience actually uses.Mentorship & Peer Support
Get guidance from journalists, creators, and organizers who’ve built impactful local media—from scratch.- Experience & Opportunities
Get real-world experience and an opportunity to work with one of our many media partners.
CURRICULUM
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Course Objectives:
- Define citizen journalism and its significance in today’s media landscape.
- Understand the principles and ethics of citizen journalism.
- Equip students with the basic skills needed to engage in citizen journalism effectively.
Course Objectives:
- Understand the principles of conducting research and information gathering for journalistic purposes.
- Familiarize students with various tools and techniques to gather and verify information.
- Equip students to disseminate information in an authoritative manner.
- Learn essential research techniques, source verification, and ethical considerations.
- Gain insights into effective interview methods, data analysis, and narrative storytelling.
- Understand the principles and importance of solutions journalism.
- Learn techniques for identifying, reporting, and analyzing solutions to societal issues.
- Explore real-world examples and case studies from the Solutions Journalism Network.
Course Objectives:
- Understand the role of multimedia in journalism.
- Learn about various multimedia formats and their applications.
- Explore media convergence and its impact.
- Understand the cultural impact of media, including race and politics.
Course Objectives:
- Combine skills into a multimedia news package.
- Work with peer and instructors in real world environment.
- Publish works on 1stSkyOmaha.com.
NEWS PRINCIPLES
Non Profit: Non-profits have emerged has a leading supporter for local independent news.
Hyper-Local: Hyperlocal News is information oriented around a well-defined community with its primary focus directed toward the concerns of the population in that community. The term can be used as a noun in isolation or as a modifier of some other term.
Solutions Journalism: Solutions journalism is reporting about responses to entrenched social problems. It examines instances where people, institutions, and communities are working toward solutions.
Citizen Journalism: Citizen Journalism provides a platform for individuals to be considered and acknowledged on a global scale. The circulation of information and news does not fully divulge the accurate perceptions of what is going on in the world. Citizen journalism, also known as collaborative media, participatory journalism, democratic journalism, guerrilla journalism or street journalism, is based upon public citizens “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information.”
