About Oakland Voices

Program Overview

Oakland Voices emerged from a partnership between the Oakland Tribune and The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Co-Founded in 2010 by Co-Executive Director of the Maynard Institute Martin G. Reynolds, Oakland Voices connects correspondents with more than a dozen media professionals to teach community members to act as Community Correspondents through the Oakland Voices Community Journalism Academy. 

Many of our correspondents join Oakland Voices because they want to reshape common misperceptions of their communities, portraying them instead as dynamic places where real people struggle, succeed, and thrive. Our team members also join because they have a passion for telling stories – with the camera, and with the pen. Oakland Voices offers correspondents to explore both their sense of mission and their love for storytelling, while also acquiring skills they can take into their personal and professional lives.

Program Details

What is Oakland Voices

Oakland Voices is a journalism training program led by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education that trains Oakland residents to tell the stories of their neighborhoods. Oakland Voices correspondents are trained in digital media storytelling — writing blogs and online pieces, taking photos, shooting video, and using social media to discuss issues that matter most in their communities. 

What our correspondents learn:

• Journalism ethics
• Editorial decision-making
• Interviewing basics
• Story Craft

In 2020, we were unable to recruit a new class of correspondents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and pivoted to engage over 60 program alumni alumni to help fill the gap in COVID-19 coverage of the Town. Their coronavirus stories garnered over 100,000 views in a few months on this website.

The program returned in 2021 using a virtual model and looks forward to returning to hybrid of in-person and online curriculum, while continuing to focus on engaging our program alumni and community partners. 

How it works

Participants work individually and in teams, creating content for OaklandVoices.us, which can also be published elsewhere. The collaborative, applied learning approach means correspondents quickly become aware of their power and responsibility as storytellers, and as members of the media.

Staff

Rasheed Shabazz is the Director of the Oakland Voices program. Martin Reynolds co-founded Oakland Voices and is co-executive director of the Maynard Institute. Evelyn Hsu is co-executive director of the Maynard Institute and contributes the training curriculum of the program.

Correspondents

Multiple cohorts of Oakland residents have completed the Oakland Voices program. Check out a summary listing of all the correspondents by project years since 2010.

Awards

Oakland Voices and correspondents have been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Funders and Partners

Oakland Voices is funded by:

• The California Endowment
• The Maynard Institute
• The Akonadi Foundation
• Press Forward Initiative
• San Francisco Foundation
• Langeloth Foundation
• East Bay Fund for Artists 2 at the East Bay Community Foundation
• Google News Initiative, News Equity Fund
• News Leaders Association, U.S. Press Freedom Grant
• Kapor Center
• Alameda County Arts Commission, ARTSFund