The Next Generation

Mentoring is good for you, and journalism, too

by Cheryl Smith

Seeing Barbara Allen's commitment to youth has caused me to reassess my commitment to nurturing future journalists. There was PASSION in every movement of Allen's body as she described her ROLE at the Tulsa World.

Some might call her an educator of sorts, as she works on a weekly basis with 40 to 60 local youths of all ethnicities, teaching them the basics of journalism. The high school students come to the Tulsa World to learn from trained professionals. They meet, discuss story ideas and issues, and then they WRITE.

There are so many other things young people could be doing, but as a writer, it is exciting to know that young aspiring writers are getting an opportunity to do something that I didn't. And that caused me to think of the many young people who are not getting opportunities to do something of a constructive nature. I thought about the city I come from on the East Coast. Why are the AIDS, teen pregnancy and drug use statistics so high? Could the reason have something to do with too many young people with too much idle time on their hands?

Could the reason be that adults are not doing what they are morally responsible for doing?

I attended a funeral in Newark, N.J. The deceased was 27 years old and the service lasted about half an hour -- about a minute for every year of the young man's life.

After the service, perhaps I should have just kept my mouth closed. But my inquisitive nature reared itself. "Why was the service was so short?" I asked a relative.

"Well, first thing, there are three more services today," she explained. "And then, too, you weren't here a few weeks ago. All these police officers are around here for a reason.

"In this very funeral home, right in the middle of the service for some young brother, a group of guys came in here and shot up the body and knocked over the coffin. Like he wasn't already dead!"

Surely this story could not be true. But, I did notice the seemingly overbearing presence of police officers outside. I also saw several young black men who many might stereotype or characterize as "gangbangers."

Was I fearful for my life? No, but I was prayerful for their lives, as well as the lives of all the other young boys and girls who could find themselves in similar situations.

If we are unable to find alternatives, such as the Satellite Program at the Tulsa World or Future Speak at the Dallas Examiner, a similar program in Texas, we are going to be doing more and more stories about young kids gone awry.

There are several other programs, but not nearly enough.

Ralph Langer, former editor and executive vice president of The Dallas Morning News, once said if we are really concerned about the future of journalism, it is imperative that we start reaching future journalists at a younger age. He and Gilbert Bailon, the executive editor, even suggested that we start introducing middle schoolers to journalism.

George Curry is editor in chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association's News Service and BlackpressUSA.com. In addition to his duties, he travels the country spreading his message to high school and college students about how they may become good journalists. As the founder of the Urban Journalism Workshop in Kansas City, Curry has developed a formula that has benefited thousands of aspiring journalists.

The late Lawrence E. Young, of the Riverside Press Enterprise, seemed to live for the opportunity to share his love of journalism with young people. He wanted to help build sound, strong journalists who understood the importance of hard work, being prepared, developing a strong work ethic and continuing to grow. He also wanted them to reach back and help others.

We can't have too many programs or activities for our youth. Langer, Bailon, Curry, Young and Allen realize the importance of mentoring. They see that it is good for journalism.

Mentoring is something each of us can and must do, that is if we are really concerned about this craft we say we love.

Cheryl Smith is associate editor of The Dallas Weekly, and an award-winning talk show host at KKDA-AM. Earlier this year, Smith was honored with the 2002 Barry Bingham Sr. Fellowship sponsored by the National Conference of Editorial Writers and the NCEW Foundation, Inc. Smith served as an adjunct professor of communications and journalism at Texas Woman's University, University of North Texas and Paul Quinn College. She is also a regional director for the National Association of Black Journalists. Her radio show is also broadcast at afroscene.com, and her syndicated column appears in several African American weeklies and at Dallasblack.com. She received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Florida A&M; University and a master's degree in human relations and business. Smith can be reached at penonfire@aol.com.