Raise your voice with community journalism

This February, The Rapidian will be hosting two workshops to strengthen and lift the voices of our community through journalism. Our Intro to Community Journalism and Community Journalism workshops will be hosted at the Grand Rapids Public Library Main Branch at 111 Library Street N.E. from 12-1:30 p.m. on February 7 and 21. The workshops are free, open to the public, and lunch will be provided.

Do you read our articles? Are you are looking for ways to tell your story? Do you want to highlight something that is ongoing in your community and engage with your neighbors? Then this is the perfect opportunity to get started and let your voice be heard! The Rapidian is community powered and community driven which ensures the best content in relation to the growing Grand Rapids community on topics that might not otherwise get coverage.

At our first workshop, Intro to Community Journalism, we will go more in depth about our platform, how to set up a free account, and how to get started. You will learn what resources you can find on the website and we will utilize our community reporter worksheet so you have the right tools and confidence to dive in and write your first article or to continue writing with us.

Our second event, Community Journalism Workshop, will go further in depth about how to format content on the website, APA guidelines, best practices to get quotes and interviews, and much more. Participants will have time to ask questions and receive one-on-one time with our team to go over their content and ideas. We will go over the platform as well as an overview on how to set up your account if you weren’t able to make it to our first event, Intro to Community Journalism.

Sharing your voice and highlighting the issues and events our community is facing is incredibly important to us and non-profit journalism is needed now more than ever. The Rapidian just took part in a funding match with the Knight Foundation, a national foundation with strong local roots. "We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers," the Foundation states on its website. Knight Foundation works to ensure that non-profit journalism and art stays accessible throughout the country and in our community of Grand Rapids.

As we face a world where alternative facts dominate and credible sources are told to keep quiet, we need your voice to push back, inspire change, and be a community advocate in sharing your story. We couldn’t do any of this without your support and commitment to community journalism and we encourage you to join us at these events or pass it along to a neighbor, co-worker, or friend who may be interested. We hope to see you there.