Media Program Helps Young People in Washington, DC

Media Program Helps Young People in Washington, DC

媒体项目帮助华盛顿特区的年轻人

【原文听力】

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　　By Anna Matteo

　　28 November 2023

　　A 17-year-old student in Washington, D.C. recently got the chance to interview retired American basketball star Magic Johnson. As a result, Magic offered to pay for the student's college education – all of it.

　　Jordan Williams studies at Bard High School Early College, a D.C. public school. The teenager is also in the city's Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program, run by D.C.'s Parks and Recreation Department.

　　As a member of the Deanwood media program, Jordan attended a press conference at The Boy's and Girl's Club to interview Magic Johnson, a co-owner of the city's Washington Commanders football team.

　　Standing with professional reporters, Jordan asked the famous athlete why he wanted to visit a youth club in Washington, D.C. Magic answered that he "wanted to make a difference." And he meant it. He offered Jordan a full scholarship on the spot.

　　Jordan: "You never know who's in the room. You never know who's watching. You never know who's listening. The fact that I was able to ask that question, that people were able to hear it and Magic Johnson was so impressed by it ... he was able to give me a scholarship."

　　VOA Learning English recently spoke with Jordan as well as Salih Williams (no relation to Jordan), the director of the media program.

　　Why start a youth media program?

　　Williams established the Deanwood program to address what he describes as a "language barrier" between local media and teenagers in two areas of the city -- Ward 7 and Ward 8. Crime is higher in those wards than in others.

　　"I knew the value of developing young voices. ... So, in the beginning it was just to develop communication skills but also to engage them in news ... because I felt a lot of times, the only time that people in Ward 7 and Ward 8 engage with media people was when there was a tragedy or a death."

　　Students in the program learn researching, communication, and interviewing skills as well as how to engage with the news media. The students complete 30 to 40 interviews a year. Williams says these skills will help the students whether they decide to stay in journalism or go into a different field.

　　The program has also become a gateway to college. Since the program began in 2016, 38 of its students have gone to college -- 23 on full scholarships.

　　Network & community

　　Ayonlah Carter is a graduate of the program.

　　"I feel like, it kind of gives us the opportunity to kind of express ourselves or just voice our opinions. And in a bigger sense, this is a group with, you know, Black and Brown kids. That carries weight in itself. So, it's nice to be in a space where we're uplifted. But it also feels like we're making a difference. And I feel like in 10, 15 years from now we're going to see a lot more Black journalists or just people in media."

　　She says one of the best things about the program is the community of students. She says they look out for each other and have become "found family."

　　"I think we all just reach out and look out for each other. And I think that's what valued most. You know, some of us don't have the best backgrounds. But we still kind of pull each other up or help out where we can."

　　Ayonlah said her mother died when Ayonlah was only 10 years old. When she turned 17, she said her family situation changed so much that she had to leave. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She said the media program and its founder Salih Williams gave her life direction.

　　"Coming upon, like, going to college, I really didn't know where I was going to go or what I was going to do. But (through) this program and (through) Salih ... I was able to go to college on a full scholarship and everything was taken care of."

　　A saying Salih Williams likes to use with the students is: "Your network is your net worth." Jordan agrees. He adds that connections are important in succeeding and growing.

　　"Just being treated like we matter. There (are) people there to listen to us, listen to our questions. Anything we need, they're there to help. I think that's what makes the program so special."

　　Jordan says he enjoys hearing success stories from people who share a similar background. Jordan hasn't even started college, but he already has his sights on being a role model some day, like those he has learned from.

　　Ayonlah Carter says she is also excited about her future ... wherever she ends up.

　　"I think, I'm just more excited to see where I end up at. Will I be on the news? Will I be writing my own books? Like, I genuinely don't know. And I think I'm in a space now where I trying my hand at everything."

　　The media program began as part of Washington, D.C.'s Summer Youth Employment Program. Now, it also includes a winter program which is administered by the Department of Employment Services' Office of Youth Programming.

　　U.S. Congressional connection

　　The Deanwood Radio Broadcast Youth Journalism Program partners with the Congressional Award Foundation.

　　Its website CongressionalAward.org explains that "students will gain direct access to members of the Board of Directors, who will serve as mentors and guide the students through the Congressional Award program."

　　If students finish the required number of hours within the Congressional Award program, they can earn Congressional Award Certificates and Medals.

　　From Washington, D.C., I'm Anna Matteo.

　　Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English.

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　　由Anna Matteo撰写

　　2023年11月28日

　　华盛顿特区的一名17岁学生最近有机会采访退役的美国篮球明星魔术师约翰逊。结果，魔术师约翰逊提出要为这位学生的大学教育付费——全部费用。

　　乔丹·威廉姆斯在华盛顿特区的一所公立学校——巴德高中早期学院学习。这位青少年同时也参与了该市的迪恩伍德广播青年新闻项目，该项目由华盛顿特区的公园和娱乐部门运营。

　　作为迪恩伍德媒体项目的一员，乔丹参加了在男孩和女孩俱乐部举行的新闻发布会，采访了华盛顿指挥官足球队的共同所有者——魔术师约翰逊。

　　站在专业记者中间，乔丹向这位著名运动员询问他为什么想要访问华盛顿特区的一个青年俱乐部。魔术师回答说他"想要做出一些改变"。他是认真的。他当场就给了乔丹一份全额奖学金。

　　乔丹：“你永远不知道谁在场。你永远不知道谁在看。你永远不知道谁在听。我能够提出那个问题，人们能够听到它，魔术师约翰逊对此印象深刻……他给了我一份奖学金。”

　　VOA学习英语最近与乔丹以及媒体项目的导演Salih Williams（与乔丹无亲属关系）进行了交谈。

　　为什么要开设一个青年媒体项目？

　　威廉姆斯创建了迪恩伍德项目，以解决他所描述的城市中的两个区域——第七区和第八区的青少年与当地媒体之间的"语言障碍"。这些区的犯罪率比其他区高。

　　"我知道培养年轻人的声音的价值……所以，一开始就是为了培养他们的沟通技巧，同时也让他们参与新闻……因为我觉得很多时候，第七区和第八区的人们只有在发生悲剧或死亡时才会与媒体人接触。"

　　该项目的学生学习研究、沟通和采访技巧，以及如何与新闻媒体互动。学生们每年完成30到40次采访。威廉姆斯说，这些技能将帮助学生，无论他们决定是否继续从事新闻工作，还是转行其他领域。

　　该项目也成为了通往大学的通道。自2016年项目开始以来，已有38名学生进入大学，其中23人获得全额奖学金。

　　网络与社区Ayonlah Carter是该项目的一名毕业生。

　　"我觉得，这种项目给了我们一种表达自己或者发表我们观点的机会。从更大的意义上来说，这是一个由黑人和棕色人种的孩子们组成的团体。这本身就具有很大的分量。所以，能在一个我们被提升的空间里感觉很好。但同时也感觉我们正在做出一些改变。我觉得在10年、15年后，我们会看到更多的黑人记者或者媒体人。”

　　她说，这个项目最好的一点是学生社区。她说他们互相照顾，已经成为了"找到的家庭"。

　　"我想我们都会互相联系，互相照顾。我认为这是最有价值的。你知道，我们中的一些人并没有最好的背景。但我们仍然会互相扶持，或者在我们能帮忙的地方提供帮助。"

　　Ayonlah说，她的母亲在她只有10岁的时候去世了。当她17岁的时候，她说她的家庭情况发生了如此大的变化，以至于她不得不离开。她不确定她将要做什么。她说媒体项目和其创始人Salih Williams给了她生活的方向。

　　"在即将去大学的时候，我真的不知道我将去哪里或者我将做什么。但是通过这个项目和Salih……我得以全额奖学金上大学，一切都被照顾得很好。"

　　Salih Williams喜欢对学生们说的一句话是："你的人脉就是你的净值。"乔丹同意这个观点。他补充说，人脉在成功和成长中非常重要。

　　"就像我们很重要一样被对待。有人在那里听我们说话，听我们的问题。我们需要什么，他们就在那里帮忙。我认为这就是使这个项目如此特别的原因。"

　　乔丹说，他喜欢听来自有着类似背景的人的成功故事。乔丹甚至还没有开始上大学，但他已经将目光投向了未来，希望有一天能成为一个榜样，就像他从中学到的那些人一样。

　　Ayonlah Carter说，她也对自己的未来感到兴奋……无论她最终会在哪里。

　　"我想，我更期待看到我最终会在哪里。我会出现在新闻上吗？我会写自己的书吗？我真的不知道。我认为我现在处在一个尝试一切的阶段。"

　　媒体项目最初是华盛顿特区夏季青年就业项目的一部分。现在，它还包括一个由就业服务部门的青年项目办公室管理的冬季项目。

　　美国国会联系

　　迪恩伍德广播青年新闻项目与国会奖学金基金会合作。

　　其网站CongressionalAward.org解释说"学生将直接接触到董事会成员，他们将作为导师，引导学生完成国会奖学金项目。"

　　如果学生在国会奖学金项目中完成了所需的小时数，他们可以获得国会奖学金证书和奖章。

　　我是Anna Matteo，来自华盛顿特区。

　　Anna Matteo为VOA学习英语写了这个故事。

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　　这个故事中的词汇：

　　interview – n. 从某人处获取信息的会议（如记者）。

　　press conference – n. 公众人物通过预约向新闻界进行的采访或公告。

　　language barrier – n.人们因说话方式不同或说不同的语言而在交流上遇到的困难。

　　engage – v. 尤其是长时间地处理。

　　gateway – n. 进入或离开某地或状态的通道。

　　role model – n. 其在特定角色中的行为被他人模仿的人。

　　try your hand at (something) –习语 尝试做新事物；第一次尝试做某事。

　　mentor – n.受信任的顾问或指导。