At Lookout Santa Cruz, we’ve always believed that local journalism belongs in the classroom.
Now, that belief is helping shape conversations about the future of local news across the country.
The American Press Institute recently invited me to present at its Local News Summit on Youth Trust and Civic Resilience and asked me to write an article for journalism leaders nationwide about the lessons we’ve learned through Lookout in the Classroom.
Together, those opportunities gave me the chance to share something we’ve seen firsthand in Santa Cruz County: Local journalism can help young people become informed, engaged members of their communities.
The article, “Share local news coverage with classrooms to spark civic engagement and boost fundraising efforts,” tells the story of how Lookout in the Classroom has grown from a single-school pilot into a program serving students and educators throughout Santa Cruz County.
API also included Lookout in the Classroom in a national collection of case studies spotlighting how local news organizations are building trust with young people while creating sustainable funding models.
You can read the full article here.
Critical to the ongoing success – and growth – of our student and school programs is your support. All Lookout memberships help, but our new One-for-One Membership supports them best. Sign up for one today, or upgrade to it, and you’ll be supporting this great work in the high schools and middle schools across Santa Cruz County.
The article grew out of the API’s Local News Summit on Youth Trust and Civic Resilience in West Palm Beach, Florida, where about 60 local news leaders, educators, researchers and community engagement experts gathered to explore a pressing question: How can local news organizations build trust with young people and help prepare the next generation of engaged community members?
There, I talked about Lookout’s effort to connect Santa Cruz County students and teachers with trusted local journalism, media literacy resources and opportunities to tell stories of their own.
One lesson resonated throughout the conversation: Students came to trust Lookout because their teachers did first.
When we launched our pilot several years ago, we started with one school, one community sponsor and one willing teacher. We discovered that educators were eager for reliable local news they could bring into their classrooms. As teachers began using Lookout’s reporting, students engaged with stories about housing, education, local government, the environment and other issues shaping their community.
That effort has grown into Lookout in the Classroom, which now includes free educator access, classroom resources, school visits, an educator newsletter and the Student Journalism Scholarship. This year, the scholarship received more than 130 student submissions, the most in the program’s history.
Sharing this story with media leaders was a reminder that communities everywhere are grappling with the same challenges: declining trust in institutions, growing misinformation and the need to help young people feel connected to civic life.
What makes me proud is knowing that the work of local teachers, students, donors and readers is contributing to a national conversation about youth engagement and local journalism.
Many attendees were interested not only in the program itself, but also in how it has been built through partnerships with educators, community organizations, local donors and readers who believe that supporting journalism and supporting education can go hand in hand.
The summit was deeply solutions-oriented. Rather than focusing on what local news has lost, participants explored what can be built next. I left inspired by the creativity and commitment of news organizations across the country – and even more convinced that the work we’re doing together matters.
Lookout in the Classroom has always been a team effort. Correspondents, editors and staff across our newsroom have visited classrooms, mentored students, participated in workshops and helped bring local journalism directly to young people.
The program’s impact is also extending beyond Santa Cruz County. In Eugene-Springfield, hundreds of teachers have already signed up to participate in Lookout for Teachers.
Thank you to the teachers, students, donors, sponsors and readers who have helped make Lookout in the Classroom possible. The story I shared at the summit – and in the article – is ultimately your story. This recognition belongs to all of you.
