Communities in the national spotlight
Two IMG publications react with positive stories after their communities -- Springfield, Ohio, and Tampa, Florida -- find themselves in the national spotlight.
Newsroom's Latest Articles
Wabash welcomes all
Input Fort Wayne's partnership with Wabash County focuses on highlighting the talent, creativity, investment, innovation, and emerging assets shaping the future of Wabash County.
Middletown drives its own narrative
As the newest Partner City of Soapbox Cincinnati, Middletown is showing how a community can shift from being talked about to speaking for itself through solutions-oriented reporting.
Metromode’s Metropolitan Mosaic
Southeast Michigan is a rich tapestry of communities with stories waiting to be told. Here’s how we’re working with four distinct Partner Cities to lift up their stories.
Freedom School
This summer, Concentrate hosted a special "Freedom School" edition of the Voices of Youth program in partnership with the Washtenaw Intermediate School District and Washtenaw My Brother's Keeper. Project Editor Aaron Foley and mentor Jaishree Drepaul worked with a group of about 10 young people in Ypsilanti twice a week for six weeks. The youth learned the basics of journalism, discussing how a newsroom works, how to construct a story, how to conduct interviews, and more. Participating youth were paid for completed work, which included a story and photography about video games' impact on young people and video of an interview the young people conducted.
Michigan After School Partnership
This year IMG teamed up with the Michigan After School Partnership (MASP) to elevate youth perspectives on the value of after-school programs through our Voices of Youth program. MASP advocates for statewide access to quality and equitable after-school programs, to ensure that all children and youth succeed. The year-long series has included youth voices in multiple IMG communities, including Southwest Michigan’s Second Wave, Rapid Growth, and Concentrate. Articles have focused on a wide range of after-school programs, including youth advisory councils, climate change events, and clubs focused on entrepreneurship.
Interact for Health
In Soapbox Cincinnati, the Amplifying Youth Voices series raises awareness about youth mental health by reporting on community-based solutions. Stories and videos feature youth-serving grantees plus medical, nonprofit, education and philanthropic leaders. Grantees empowered youth to create change through projects and experiences providing them a voice that was seen, heard, and valued during a fast-paced timeline to initiate solutions. Amplifying Youth Voices is a pilot program from Interact for Health, a foundation serving a 20-county region to advance health justice. More healthcare organizations are coming together to respond to this challenge, testing with solutions-based processes and gathering data to determine a wider 10-year strategy. Solutions journalism reporting is an ideal match to explain, in a clear-eyed way, how local people are working together to solve a shared problem. Read the Amplifying Youth Voices series here.
Fourth Estate Acquires Issue Media Group
Nearly 20 years after founding Issue Media Group (IMG), founders Brian Boyle and Paul Schutt will be welcoming new ownership. IMG is a Michigan-based network of digital publications serving 20 communities in five states.
Embracing Outdoor Recreation
IMG and our partners are not the only ones promoting the outdoors and nature. The Michigan Office of Outdoor Recreation is helping in that mission, supporting our efforts to write stories of innovation in the outdoor recreation industry.
People, Parks, Power
Historically, communities of color and low-income neighborhoods have not had equal access to green spaces. People, Parks, Power, a collaborative Partner Content series with The Conscious Connect, highlights people and organizations working to change that in Springfield, Ohio.