Student Profile: Students in this course are in their 3 year of the Journalism program. These students can be expected to have intermediate understanding in this project area.

Skills already have:

• Foundational interviewing skills
• Foundational story development skills
• Intermediate professional writing skills

Skills to be developed:

• Interpersonal skills
• Professional communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Writing for an audience

Project Title

Exploring Community Impact and Work-Integrated Learning: A Journalism Perspective

Project Design

The project will allow students to explore one of two focus areas:

A) Community/Social Impact Issue:

• Students will explore the impact of one of the WIL teams community partner organization’s mission/programs/current work on/in the community.
• Interviews will include:
• The organization’s director, founder, or other senior leadership member.
• A client or community member impacted by the organization.
• Optionally, a professor conducting research on the relevant social issue.
• Students could potentially have their work selected for publication in a digital community magazine.

Community issues that the WIL Team could facilitate interview connections for:

Mi Gente Canada Foundation - assisting Hispanic newcomers in settling in and adjusting to their transition

Alberta Kinesiology Association - moving toward regulation of kinesiology as a health care profession

EndoDiagnosis Inc. - new medical diagnostic tool can reduce the timeline for endometriosis diagnosis and work is being done to raise clinician awareness and increase access

SHED Sport Program - program designed to bring summer sport camp programming into rural Indigenous communities while building youth leadership skills and connections to post-secondary education but ongoing funding needed

B) Work-Integrated Learning Experience/Issue:

• Students will consider an issue in WIL (value and impact in the community, issues students face in accessing/taking part in WIL, etc) (CEWIL, iJWIL)
• Students will explore the experiences of the WIL Team’s community partner organizations and students participating in WIL.
• Interviews will include:
• A representative from the organization hosting WIL experiences.
• A student who participated in a WIL placement and/or a member of the WIL team.
• Students could potentially have their work selected for publication in an issue of the WILderness Post, a national magazine publication sent out to institutions, WIL practitioners, and industry professionals.

Project Plan & Timeline:

• Date() WIL Project Introduction, Student Onboarding, and focus selection
• Students will explore their focus selection in more detail (review organization website, consider aspects of the issues the organization is involved in, etc).
• Due Date() Students will prepare an “Article Pitch” before beginning their interviews and writing their article. This pitch will be reviewed by Tim Querengesser, Managing Editor for Taproot Edmonton, who will review the pitch and provide feedback on a) Would this pitch be considered for a full article for Taproot Edmonton (Yes or No), and b) 1-2 comments on weaknesses and/or strengths of the pitch. 
• Date() The WIL team will do a warm introduction of students to the corresponding members of the organization related to their issue. Students will then move forward with scheduling and planning their interviews. The organizations will also provide warm introductions to clients and community members for the second interview component of the assignment.
• Students may wish to also reach out to and interview a professor doing research related to the issue their story is about. The WIL team may be able to facilitate some of these introductions. 
• Due Date() Students will write and submit their article assignments to the instructor. Exceptional articles will be forwarded for consideration (Taproot or WILderness Post) for publication. 
• ***Presentation and/or CP Review of Article*** - to discuss - Students present or submit their article to the organization, who provides thoughts and feedback on the story captured.