Student news organization thrives in its first year

First anniversaries are special.

This one is, too, in that it marks a mission to serve a challenged city like Youngstown and grow the abilities of ambitious students at Youngstown State University.

Thenewsoutlet.org marks one year of service this month.

There are many newsoutlet achievements over the past 12 months that are celebratory and vouch for the venture. But the latest achievement is especially rewarding.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is one of America’s leading charitable organizations — having donated more than $1 billion since starting in Akron in 1950. It has a global reach, specifically targeting media initiatives that aspire to lead a more informed and engaged community.

This month, the Knight Foundation gave the newsoutlet a $79,000 grant to advance the initiative that started with a few people at a table at YSU who made a classroom out of a converted student lounge.

Thenewsoutlet.org is now a multimedia initiative with many community partners, a part-time staffer, a new classroom/workspace and a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment via the Knight investment.

I’ve had a front-row seat for the effort, and it’s been among the most rewarding professional experiences I’ve had — and the most exhausting.

Aware of the never- ending human drumbeat of “It can’t be done” — the fact that we have allays that exhaustion.

The past year has meant many students, many meetings and many stories and story ideas to sift through.

And it’s meant Todd Mounce. Todd walked in my door in January with a blank stare at 30 pages of spending and budgets. He left in April a new Todd.

His story about Mill Creek MetroParks really didn’t make huge waves for you all (look it up on vindy.com). But it had an enormous impact on Todd’s understanding of how his tax dollars make their way into a government agency, how to persevere and how quickly you can learn something with the right amount of drive and, um, “I don’t want to hear that” assistance — just what college should be.

There are more students like Todd and many stories served to you via smart and engaged people like him. You can go online now to thenewsoutlet.org and read more of their stories.

Year 2 promises to be as ambitious. In one new enhancement, thenewsoutlet will serve up to Youngstown citizens several story ideas and let the community vote on which stories it would most like to see reported. The students will do the reporting this semester.

And after that, who knows?

But there’s a lot of promise for the community when groups such as The Vindicator, YSU, WYSU, The Raymond John Wean Foundation, Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County and the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative can collaborate and earn the attention of a group such as the Knight Foundation.