J-School Noire

The Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) is pleased to announce the launch of J-School Noire!

Building on the success of open houses during Black History Month/African Heritage Month (February 2019), the CABJ is launching a new pilot project called J-School Noire. The program is designed to introduce Black youth to the field of journalism. The day-long workshop is broken down into four sections:

• How to tell a story (writing, producing)

• How to conduct an interview 

• How to shoot and edit

• How to do a live report

We're thrilled to have Whitney Oickle (Global Halifax) and Sherri Borden-Colley (CBC) as instructors for the first session on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at Nova Scotia Community College’s Ivany Campus in Dartmouth, NS. Both are experienced professionals, keen on inspiring a new generation of storytellers.

"J-School Noire is all about giving Black youth an opportunity many of us didn't have," says Nadia Stewart, the CABJ's executive director. "This is about more than just mentoring. It's about reaching outside of the industry and into the community, engaging a younger generation and planting seeds we hope will grow in the years to come."

Brian Daly, Atlantic Director for the CABJ, says now is the perfect time for young people to get involved in telling their own stories.

“The world needs to hear the voices of Black youth in Canada, whether it be as sportscasters, filmmakers, or social media influencers,” says Daly. “Technology makes this easier than ever before. I want to see our young people create bold and exciting content that will drive the culture forward, as our people have done for many years.”

After completing J-School Noire, any youth expressing a desire to pursue a career in journalism will be given the opportunity to take it to the next step. The CABJ will support young journalists by pairing them up with a senior, local, Black journalist as they begin their journey towards a career in news and communications. Through coaching, mentorship, and development of non-technical competencies, the mentor will walk alongside the youth for one (1) year. The mentee will also have the opportunity to shadow their mentor during four (4) visits to their newsroom. J-School Noire is offered in February; the mentoring program begins in the Fall of the same year.

GOALS

• Provide an opportunity for youth to explore a career in journalism

• Inspire a new generation of storytellers

• Foster a grassroots effort to increase the number of Black youth pursuing journalism

J-School Noire is a pilot project launching February 2020 thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:

• Nova Scotia Community College

• University of King's College

• Global Halifax (Corus Entertainment)

Media inquiries:

Nadia Stewart, CABJ Executive Director - 604-612-2134

Brian Daly, CABJ Atlantic Director - 902-266-8374

contact@cabj.news