EMPOWERED

PHOTO: The staff take a look at a newspaper from 100 years ago

The participants were asked how they feel about the program so far. This is what they wrote...

"I enjoy doing this journalism thing very much so far. I’ve been coming here for 2 days now and each day has been a lot of fun. We’ve watched a movie (Freedom Writers), ate pizza, shared laughs. Got to meet one another and played games. I just can’t wait until we start going out to interview people on the streets of downtown Waterbury. I expect to have a lot of fun doing this job. I also expect to get a lot of knowledge out from it too. I want to do stories such as someone who made it from a small city child to recording music in a New York City studio or something like students at certain schools whose grades have increased tremendously. I want to look at the positive side of our city news. I also want to write about what plans the city have going about for ongoing violence, school problems and drugs on the streets. I am going to achieve a lot coming out of this group."

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"I feel that the program so far is going well. I feel that I’m getting a chance to be open and get to try new things. I’m getting a chance to do things that I wouldn’t think I would be interested in, although I’ve always wanted to interview people. This program is educational, lets us speak our mind and keeps us out of trouble. I am scared that I will do something wrong or miss an important word, sentence or idea to put in."

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"I think this program is very educational because they are trying to teach us how to communicate better. To become a better journalist these are things you need to know in the real world. My only problem is that I’m not a people person. I just like to stick around family and sometimes friends. I really don’t like meeting new people or even introducing myself. But I have to because then I’m not going to be able to interview. The interviewing may be my only fear with this program. But so far I like it and I think this is something I can look into as a career. It seems fun to write about what I feel about the school system and many other issues. So I think this is a good experience for me."