Follow South Jersey (formerly SNJToday Digital), a nonprofit news outlet, and Rowan College of South Jersey are partnering in this one-year student journalism project to measurably increase the production of original local stories in the city of Bridgeton that address the community’s critical information needs to boost civic engagement, address barriers to good health, and increase health equity.

Through this project, 10 Rowan College of South Jersey students will address critical information needs by developing original local stories focused on environment, health, economy, education, citizenship/elections/local politics, social services, and culture. Using an embedded journalism approach, students will be placed at key agencies and organizations that represent the community’s leaders and key influencers, including City Hall, the Board of Education and leading healthcare organizations and nonprofits. The students will be supervised and instructed by the Follow South Jersey Desk Editor and a Rowan College of South Jersey Co-Op professor.

By the end of this project, the student journalists will have produced approximately 100 stories designed to rebuild public trust in the media and engage residents of all ages as community advocates in conversations about policy and accountability to improve health. Over the long term, these student journalists could pursue careers that impact health and equity by meeting critical information needs in their own communities.