Photo By Timothy Hale | Backpack Journalist workshop attendees pose on the set with Robin Meade, anchor of...... read more read more
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ATLANTA – As long as there has been an American military, there have always been families who often incur the rigors of military life when a loved one leaves for a deployment.
For many of these families, the strain can be unbearable especially today when deployments come up so frequently.
One group of professional journalists and volunteers are hoping that a relatively new program can help the children of military service men and women find an outlet to deal with the emotional stress of military life.
Seeing a need for a creative outlet for these young people, Linda Dennis founded the program called “A Backpack Journalist” three years ago.
“What I found at some of these deployment ceremonies and events is that if you gave a pencil and a piece of paper to a young person and asked them to write about it, they felt better,” Dennis said.
Partnering with the Texas National Guard, Dennis started a pilot program for 12-18 year-olds that gave teens a sense of direction and focus in dealing with the rigors of military life.
“We learned that not only did it help the youths express themselves (find their voice) it also showed them a way to communicate with their parent(s), a way to express themselves in a way they were comfortable with.”
The workshops, which are open to teenagers from all branches of the Reserve, National Guard and active component, can include writing, photojournalism, graphic design and even music.
Dennis said the instructors are flexible enough to help each student find the right medium for each individual to express himself or herself.
“No matter how we look at it, it’s just a good thing to watch these kids find their voice,” she said.
For Daniel Jones, that outlet is through music.
Jones is the 17 year-old son of W. K. Jones, the director of Family Programs with the Army Reserve 63rd Regional Support Command in Calif. He is also a teen leader at his church and a musician known as ‘Christian Rapper’ with a number of his songs and music videos posted on YouTube.
“Music in itself is basically an emotion,” Jones said. “When you hear music it stirs up some things inside you. When you go and start writing your own songs, making your own music you’re letting your feelings out … you’re giving yourself time to heal.”
University of Georgia freshman Stacey Sharpe uses her pen to express emotions through writing.
Sharpe’s father, Lt. Col. Duane Sharpe is currently stationed at Fort Dix, N.J., with Army Reserve Medical Command. His daughter has been involved in the program since the summer of 2010 supporting writing and photography teachers in workshops and one-on-one labs with workshop participants. She also had an article recently published on the USOonPatrol.org website.
“I had never been able to deal with deployments and military life until backpack journalism,” Sharpe said. “You’re taught, ‘this is normal. Be strong. They’re gone. Everyone else has to deal with it. No big deal.’ Then you get here and they (instructors) say, ‘actually it is a big deal and you should do something to let it out’.
“My first experience with backpack journalism was so emotional,” she continued. “It was the first time you have to opportunity to get all these feelings out.”
While Sharpe admits she ‘gushes’ when she talks about the program, she says that young people from military families need to get involved in the program.
“People forget about military youth, they don’t mean to. It’s not on purpose and I’m not criticizing. The military is a wonderful, wonderful aspect of my life but it is hard. And you don’t always get an opportunity to go ahead and show that.”
Sharpe said the program is beneficial because it brings other military children together and lets them know they are not “strange creatures for actually having these emotions.”
She went to say the program shows them “a way that you can get it out whether it be songwriting, photography, filmmaking or writing which is my outlet,” Sharpe concluded.
While in Atlanta, Dennis and her staff scored a huge victory for having the work these young people produce get to a larger audience.
Working with the staff of CNN Headline News, Dennis arranged for the teens attending the Atlanta broadcast journalism workshop to get a tour and even give live ‘shout-outs’ to their families during the Morning Express with Robin Meade telecast – including a live video reunion with one teen’s mother currently serving in Afghanistan.
While the program currently operates on grant monies, Dennis said she hopes the partnership with CNN will lead to bigger and better opportunities.
If you would like to find out more about “A Backpack Journalist” program, visit them on the web at www.abackpackjournalist.com.
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.01.2011 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 64609 |
| Location: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 313 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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