TALLAHASSEE – Fifteen aspiring teen journalists from Florida, Georgia and Alabama have completed a multimedia workshop at Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) School of Journalism and Graphic Communication with a special focus on tackling bullying.
Workshop atte dees produced blogs, multimedia slideshows, news articles, video testimonials and a public service announcement. The students’ work is available online at tacklin gbullying.wordpress.com
“What I enjoyed the most was the fact that we were able to make blogs and prepare ourselves for our future in a career,” said Kennington Smith, a rising senior from Fayetteville, Ga.
Tomás Monzón, a recent high school graduate from Miami, said “Success depends on your ability to make friends, and this workshop allows you to do just that and more.”
Nayirah Muhammad, a rising junior from Birmingham, Ala., said, “Being a bully is worthless and has no benefit and needs to be stopped.”
Inesha Carruth, a recent high school graduate from Athens, Ga., said, “Bullying can destroy or end lives, so stand for something or fall for anything, stop the bullying.”
The workshop, a partnership of the FAMU SJGC, Dow Jones News Fund and NBC Universal, gave the students a chance to learn more about themselves and about technology
for their future careers, said Leonard Horton, co-director for the workshop and an assistant FAMU Journalism professor.
Bullying was selected as the focus for the workshop because it is a hot discussion topic in the news.
“Florida A&M University’s hazing problem has become a national discussion, and I think it is important to understand the psychology of bulllying to stop it,” Horton said.
A variety of speakers participated in the workshop ranging from Rocky Hanna, the former Leon High School principal who was bullied as a teen, to Angela Whitaker, aide to Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tempore Andrew Gillum, who discussed workplace bullying.
Photo: Nayira Muhammad
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