Category Archives: Training and Mentorship

By Kira Zalan, JAWS member

The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, which will be home to Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) next month, was built in the 1920s in the center of charming Hot Springs, Ark. The hotel is surrounded by forested hiking trails, natural hot springs, shops, restaurants and quirky museums and theaters.

There are plenty of cozy settings for JAWS-style bonding, including an on-site, vintage thermal bath spa; an enormous, southern-style wraparound porch; live entertainment on Friday and Saturday (locals come with their own dance shoes); pools and jacuzzis (carved into the side of a mountain); and a bartender who knows how to make a mean mint julep.

Amelia Brust is editor at Community Impact Newspaper, Katy edition. She has worked at daily and monthly newspapers, written online news and was a staff writer for her college paper The Temple News.

She grew up in Maryland, graduated from Temple University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in political science, and moved to Texas in 2015. Brust covers local news and reads stories about national politics, policy, entertainment, civil liberties, music, travel and women who are making waves in the world.

By Lindsey M. Anderson, JAWS member

One of the best parts of CAMP is the opportunity to confer with women from across the globe, sharing our experiences, insight and advice.

Table Talks at Sunday dinner are the perfect time for those conversations.

As CAMP winds down after a whirlwind weekend of panels and activities, attendees can choose from a slate of themed tables for Sunday’s dinner.

Mary C. Curtis, political columnist at Roll Call and NBCBLK, is an award-winning journalist and educator who has contributed to NBC News, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Root, MSNBC, China Global Television Network, and talks politics on WCCB-TV in Charlotte. Curtis has worked at The New York Times, the Charlotte Observer, the Baltimore Sun, and the Associated Press and as national correspondent for AOL’s Politics Daily. Her coverage specialty is the intersection of politics, culture and race, and she has covered the 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

By Marina Villeneuve, JAWS member

What’s your superpower?

A 2016 report by the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism found that news organizations count visual storytelling, social media, coding and audience development skills among their most sought after hiring priorities.

This year, the Journalism and Women Symposium’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Hot Springs, Ark. has you covered on all those fronts. Few of us can be a pro at it all, but it’s important to know the basics and gain expertise in one or two areas.

By Julia Airey, JAWS member

The 2017 Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) is fast approaching! And that means, for those of you who haven’t attended one before, it’s time to start thinking ideas for the onsite auction!

For the past five years, CAMP has hosted an onsite and online auction to raise money to help cover JAWS CAMP programming. Last year the onsite auction raised almost $4,000 last year and we are confident we can do even better this October. And the best part? While luxury items like watches and vacation trips bid well, so do handicrafts and clothing – so everyone has a shot at contributing!

The Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Hot Springs, Ark., is just a few months away. Be sure to register soon to save money on the registration fee. Here are a few things to check out during a trip to Hot Springs, Ark.

Need time to recharge? Want to explore a new part of the country? Get ready for all this and more when the Journalism and Women Symposium arrives at Hot Springs, Ark., for the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP). Here are just a few things to look forward to.

Hot Springs, Ark., promises to offer fun for all types of travelers. Visitors can enjoy the outdoors, shopping, spa treatments among other diversions. Here are a few items to put on your list to check out.

A young journalist who covered the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub last year and played a big part in the team that has continued to examine the attack. A magazine editor looking into launching a podcast about women, writing, working, and persisting in their 20s. A veteran reporter who has focused on highlighting first-generation and non-traditional college students as well as transgender Americans living in Texas. These are just a few of the inspiring women who have recognized as 2017 JAWS fellows and will be attending the Conference and Mentoring Project in Hot Springs, Ark., in October.

Are you an author who is looking to share your recently published book with friends and colleagues from around the country? If so, we’d love to showcase your work at the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Hot Springs!

We’re looking for eight authors to feature at Books and Browse this year. The event is one of the highlights of our conference where attendees can buy books, meet with authors and chat with them about their work. It’s scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. at The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa.

CAMP 2017 is just a few months away and we encourage you to look in to travel and hotel options as early as possible to save money. The conference will be held Oct. 27 to 29 at The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa, which is located at 239 Central Ave. in Hot Springs, Ark. Hotel amenities include free wi-fi, complimentary parking, a fitness room, year-round twin outdoor pools and hot tub, entertainment in the hotel lobby Thursday to Saturday nights, and a prime location in the Historic District across from Hot Springs National Park.

Are you still on the fence about attending this year’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Hot Springs, Ark.? We have great programming and speakers planned for this year’s conference. There are also tons of fun activities, awesome sights and sounds, and good eats to explore in the area.

We don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to learn, participate in mentoring and networking, and recharge in a beautiful setting – here are some participants from last year’s CAMP on why CAMP is like no other conference.

We’re very excited to announce that television news anchor Maureen Bunyan has agreed to be the Fran Lewine interviewee at CAMP this October!

Maureen Bunyan is a 44-year veteran of television news who anchored the 6 o’clock weeknight newscasts for ABC7/WJLA-TV from 1999 to 2017.

She is known as a leader in the newsroom and an advocate for women and minorities in journalism. She is a founder of the International Women’s Media Foundation which serves women in the media in 100 countries. She is also a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), where she was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame in January of 201

By Meg Heckman, JAWS Member

This year’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) is still months away, but it’s already time to start thinking about what you can donate to our online and onsite auctions.

This will be the fifth year JAWS has operated an online auction, giving members who are unable to attend CAMP a chance to bid on great stuff while supporting a good cause.

Last year, we raised over $3,000 through the online auction, and we’d love to beat that number this fall – so start thinking about what you can contribute. Luxury items and vacation destinations are always welcome, but services – editing, career coaching and book proposal coaching – are usually a hit, too.

By Roxanne Foster, JAWS Operations Director

Who’s ready for CAMP 2017 in Hot Springs?

You read that right. JAWS is headed to Arkansas!

Here’s the scoop: if you’ve never visited Arkansas, you don’t know what you’re missing. Just ask any of the JAWdesses whose faces lit up when I mentioned we’d be at The Arlington because they know all about this historic gem in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains where unplugging from the hustle of life helps melt the stress away. (Taking a dip in one of the thermal baths filled with 98 degree water brought up from the earth’s core, followed by a massage also helps.)

The second tweet chat about the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Hot Springs, Ark. (Oct. 27-29, 2017) highlighted the fellowship application process.

The Journalism and Women Symposium Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) Betsy Wade Legacy Fund Fellowship supports a working newswoman chosen for the commitment to diversity represented in her work and interests, and whose work reflects the value of journalism in safeguarding a democratic society.

The first Twitter chat on Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) fellowships was held on Feb. 15. Nikki Raz, JAWS fellowships co-chair, answered questions from attendees. Past Emerging Journalist fellows Cassie Cope, Olivia Smith and Laura Onyeneho also participated in the chat to share their experiences about CAMP; applications for fellowships open in April.

By Lindsey Anderson, JAWS CAMP 2017 co-chair

Somehow 2016 has flown by, and we’re already preparing for the 2017 JAWS CAMP in Hot Springs, Ark., next October.

We want next year’s CAMP to inspire you, encourage you and teach you something new — but we need your help.

Do you have an idea for an awesome keynote speaker? Do you want to set up a panel or workshop? Are you itching to share your know-how on a certain topic or technology?

We want to hear from you!