Our initial goals between April 2014 to April 2015 was to produce participatory “crowd hydrology” and community journalism related to sea level rise and its effects to South Florida infrastructure, environments, and lives.
Our goals included:
1) Improving Curriculum
To create an environment for collaborative journalism education that engages students, educators, professionals, and citizens in meaningful and measurable outcomes related to environmental journalism.
2) Increasing Collaboration
To produce a replicable model for community engaged journalism that can help other communities dissect, explain, and address their unique needs related to sea level rise.
3) Building Community
To identify innovative tools and approaches, including “crowd hydrology” — in which citizen crowd source images and data related to water — and other forms of community engagement and education, including the use of sensors and other technologies, to increase viewership of local news media and public participation in reporting about social and environmental issues related to sea level rise.
4) Conducting Measurement
To assess and measure the effectiveness of journalistic and educational outcomes as a means to further develop sustainable initiatives in South Florida that span the national conversations about sea level rise, innovation in journalism, and citizen involvement in creating public policy and contributing to the future of a free (and engaged) press.
5) Securing Sustainability
To identify possible means of funding and leadership that will promote a sustainable future for sea level rise journalism in South Florida.