Bi-Mart & JLI Team Up to Support Rural Educators and Students

The JLI Educator Fellowship program trains middle and high school teachers to lead its Effective Communicators Course in their schools.

Being an effective communicator is among the most essential skills for 21st Century workers. Regardless of the industry, the ability to clearly, persuasively, and responsibly present ideas — in person and through multimedia — is critical. That’s why Bi-Mart has partnered with the Journalistic Learning Initiative (JLI), a five-year-old nonprofit with proven success in 20+ schools, to pilot a rigorous new academic course for rural young people in the Pacific Northwest called Effective Communicators.

JLI’s mission is to empower middle school and high school students to discover their voice, improve academic outcomes, and engage in self-directed learning through project-based storytelling.

Our standards-aligned, evidence-based program is particularly focused on students in historically under-served and rural communities to increase student belonging, improve student attendance, and close the achievement gap to improve statewide graduation rates.

The Effective Communicators Course covers:

• Building Character — Defining and designing who students will be in the world
• Media Literacy — Interpreting and understanding media influences
• Information Gathering — Distinguishing evidence-based media from opinion and advocacy
• Interview Skills — How to cultivate listening, develop rapport, and ask deeper questions
• Speaking to Communicate — Understanding the power of language and persuasion
• Writing with Clarity — Concise writing for a target audience
• Social Media — Boundary setting and responsible use
• Publishing — Sharing your discoveries with authentic audiences

A key focus of the course is building character and supporting students in developing resiliency following what was for many students a disrupted year of academics due to the pandemic.

To learn more about the Journalistic Learning Initiative and how to get involved, go to journalisticlearning.com/bi-mart/