Students from Leadership Gilroy filled the newsroom of the
Gilroy Dispatch Friday morning, crowding around computer screens as
they marked up stories and cropped photos for their Media Day
assignment.
– VIDEO: Click here for news story produced by Leadership
Gilroy
Students from Leadership Gilroy filled the newsroom of the Gilroy Dispatch Friday morning, crowding around computer screens as they marked up stories and cropped photos for their Media Day assignment.
Leadership Gilroy is a nine-month community leadership program in which working professionals get hands-on experience dealing with local issues, ranging from agriculture to health care.
The program recruits up to 20 people each year to learn leadership and problem solving skills, and students must collaborate in a community project before they can graduate.
In partnership with public access station Community Media Access Partnership, students were broken into teams of reporters, photographers, videographers and editors as part of Media Day to cover a story about the proposed California High-Speed Rail – a controversial plan to many Gilroyans due to funding and feasibility concerns.
“Eight more minutes,” a reporter said, warning the student shadowing him as she rapidly typed away at the computer. At the other end of the room, a number of faux-reporters attempted to edit the same story at the same time.
Eventually, the class wrapped up their work and were presented with a mockup front page edition of The Gilroy Dispatch.
“The main difference in the program from a seminar is that it really integrates you into the community,” says program facilitator Theresa Kiernan. “Students come out of the program and decide to run for city council or become a board member for a nonprofit.”
Kiernan says students typically meet Fridays for a full day of training once or twice a month. She says employers such as Kaiser Permanente, Saint Louise Hospital and the Gilroy Dispatch support the program and encourage their workers to attend the classes.
Jody Canali-Ornellas, an employee for Gilroy Unified School District, said she got into the program because her daughter, coincidentally Leadership Gilroy’s President Deanna Franklin, was bugging her to join. She says the most valuable thing she’s gained from the program has been the resources.
“(Agricultural) day was great because Gilroy High School had a garden that was dead for 10 years. I brought back a lot of contacts and was able to use them to revive the garden.”
This year’s class worked with the Gilroy Arts Alliance to raise funds and build a demonstration garden in downtown Gilroy, which is now directed by Judy Hess. The garden offers classes on organic gardening and cooking.
The 2010 Leadership Gilroy class graduates in September. The program will begin looking at applications for the 2011 year starting in October and running through November 12. Fees are $1,150 for the program year, though partial scholarships are available.
For more information:
Leadership Gilroy
7471 Monterey Street
Gilroy, CA 95020
Phone: (408) 842-6437
e-mail le********@****oy.org
http://www.leadershipgilroy.org/
– VIDEO: Click here for news story produced by Leadership Gilroy
