Dallas Free Press seeks a journalism pathway coordinator to work with high school students

Whose voices are we listening to? Whose voices are we amplifying? Whose voices are telling the stories of our communities and our city? 

Our Dallas newsrooms do not reflect our city’s residents — yet. We at Dallas Free Press believe in community-powered journalism, so we’re building a pathway from Dallas high schools to Dallas newsrooms, starting with efforts to engage high school students in South Dallas and West Dallas. 

Dallas Free Press is looking for a journalism pathway coordinator to work with students in South Dallas and West Dallas on writing, storytelling, civic engagement, media literacy and critical thinking skills that would benefit them no matter what career they choose. We partner with schools and student-focused neighborhood organizations, using TEKS-aligned curriculum. Our goal is for these students to use their voices to tell the stories of their communities.

Dallas Free Press launched in early 2020 to amplify voices in disinvested neighborhoods and explore solutions to our city’s systemic inequities. Executive director Keri Mitchell spent 15 years dedicated to community and civic journalism at Dallas’ Advocate magazines, and founded Dallas Free Press with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable.

What you’ll do

• Work with high school students during school hours and in after-school/summer settings via our neighborhood partnerships (Fairview Youth Foundation, L.G. Pinkston High School, the “Great” James Madison High School and others)
• Use our curriculum to teach writing, storytelling, critical thinking, communication, research and media literacy skills
• Coordinate local journalists and guest teachers from among our partners 
• Edit students’ work and prepare it for publication in Dallas Free Press, Dallas Weekly and our other media partners
• Identify potential partners and collaborators for the pathway, including potential scholarships and funding streams

Who you are

• You’re a leader and strong communicator who easily connects with young people.
• You enjoy mentoring high school students and are VOLY cleared to work with them.
• You have civic engagement know-how and experience, plus an aptitude for storytelling and compelling narratives.
• You are organized and efficient.
• You are well-versed in digital communication tools, including platforms that young people use to communicate with each other and find their news and information.
• You live in, grew up in, or reflect the culture and experiences of South Dallas and West Dallas (Spanish fluency is a plus).
• You understand the current challenges of newsrooms and community trust.
• You are creative, innovative and resourceful in your work, and faithful to meet deadlines.

This is a contract position, estimated at 15-20 hours a week, with a monthly fee of $2,250. The job will begin in September 2022. The schedule is determined mostly by student class or club times, both during and after the school day. This is a good fit for someone with a flexible work schedule who is looking for a fun and impactful opportunity. The position will expand as the pathway expands, and we also are open to combining this with other roles at Dallas Free Press. 

If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your résumé and work samples via this link: https://forms.gle/cijEtm6LxK3V3XPh6

Applications for this position will not be accepted via email or LinkedIn.

If you are interested in partnering or volunteering with Dallas Free Press on the journalism pathway, please reach out to executive director Keri Mitchell.

If you’d like to financially support Dallas Free Press and the journalism pathway, you can do so here. We also invite you to follow our work and be notified of volunteer opportunities via email, texts to South Dallas and West Dallas residents (in English and Spanish), and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.