American Indian Journalism Institute

The American Indian Journalism Institute, founded in 2001, is an academic, scholarship and internship program for college students run and underwritten by the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute.

American Indian students often do not consider journalism as a career option, in part because many of their schools lack student newspapers and journalism classes, the most common routes to journalism careers. Without Native Americans on staff, news organizations can produce stereotypical and erroneous coverage of Indian issues and Indian people.

AIJI provides a unique opportunity for Indian students to learn about journalism and consider it as a career, which will help improve newsroom diversity around the country.

For three weeks in June, Native American students learn the craft of journalism through one of several journalism courses taught at the Freedom Forum’s Al Neuharth Media Center, on the University of South Dakota’s Vermillion campus.

Accepted students are placed in an appropriate course based on their experience, interests and previous coursework. Students attend AIJI for free and receive other financial assistance, including room and board during the program and a scholarship/stipend upon completion of the program.

AIJI students also may be eligible for 2 hours of college credit.

After successful completion of the program, top AIJI graduates are hired for paid summer internships as reporters, copy editors, photographers or multimedia journalists with daily newspapers and with The Associated Press. Interns must be licensed drivers and provide their own vehicles.

For inquiries and applications, contact Janine Harris at jharris@freedomforum.org.

http://freedomforumdiversity.org/american-indian-journalism-institute/

'It's really tough out there' (video)

For Deb Marco, grocery shopping used to be a simple task.

The 54-year-old would throw items into her cart, not worrying too much about what she'd pay upon checking out.

But after nine months of unemployment, Marco contemplates every purchase, big or small.

"I have to stop, I have to think, do I really need these items?" Marco said. "You kind of pick and choose."

Marco spent 16 years working as transportation director for a school district in Worthington, Minn. She quit her job last March to move to Oklahoma City, where her husband started an upholstery business. They moved back to Sioux Falls in November to be closer to their four adult children and five grandchildren. They're raising their 8-year-old grandson.

Since moving to Sioux Falls three months ago, she applies for two or three jobs a day. She's had three interviews and no job offers.

On Tuesday, she attended a job fair for the east-side Kohl's store and also submitted three other applications. She said the competition is fierce and guesses that for every position she applies for, she's up against at least 100 people.

Larry Anderson, vice president and district manager for Kohl's, said several hundred people attended the four-day job fair held at the downtown Holiday Inn last week.

Anderson said Kohl's is planning to hire 140 primarily part-time employees for the store at Dawley Farm Village, set to open in March.

"There's a lot of people out there looking for work," Marco said. "It's really tough out there."

Still, she never guessed it would take this long to find something, anything at this point.

"I'm not picky. I need a job so I can finance my family," Marco said.

South Dakotans are lucky in the sense that the state's unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, is far lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the December unemployment rate of 4.6 percent is up slightly from November's rate of 4.5 percent. In December 2009, it was 4.7 percent. That compares with December 2007, when South Dakota's unemployment rate was 2.8 percent.

Anderson was surprised at the number of walk-in interviews last week and said there was a crowd waiting for the job fair to begin at noon Tuesday.

"We're getting a good mix of people that already have jobs but are looking for part-time jobs, some people that are unemployed, and some people that maybe want to get back in the work force," Anderson said.

He added that, like unemployment numbers show, things could be much worse in Sioux Falls.

(In 3 months, 3 interviews, no job offers)

"The economy brings more people in, but the Sioux Falls economy has been pretty healthy. It's not like other parts of the country where you might have thousands and thousands of applicants that show up," he said.

Marco continues to hold out hope that soon, she'll get a job offer.

She said it's the fear that gets her out of bed every day and pushes her to apply for more jobs.

"The fear of not having money to pay for the things you need, the basic necessities, your food and your clothing, just paying the rent."

Reach reporter Sarah Reinecke at 605-331-2326.
sreinecke@argusleader.com

Locals Rally for New Jobs!

A few dozen people rallied for jobs Wednesday night in Palmer.

Supporters of casinos held signs and listened to speakers talk about the efforts to bring gaming to the Bay State.

A town councilor for Palmer says bringing casinos to the area could create jobs and stimulate the economy.

"It's time for the Governor, the Senate President and the House Speaker to step up and make sure we can bring this thing home. I hear they are working on a compromise and its time to make sure this happens. We need the revenue, the jobs, and the economic development opportunities that this development will bring," said Paul Burns, Town Council.

Mohegan Sun has been eying a 150-acre parcel in the town for what they are describing as a destination casino.

http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/Rally-for-Jobs-and-a-Casino-114246314.html

http://www.mohegansun.com/sitelet/palmer/about-palmer.html

"Expect 1,000 to 1,200 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs along with 2,500 additional indirect jobs created by the presence of Mohegan Sun."

Tohono O’odham Nation Updates West-Side Casino plan

by Mike Sunnucks

The Tohono O’odham Nation has released renderings of what its proposed west-side casino would look like if it overcomes efforts by city of Glendale and state lawmakers to block its development.

West Valley Resort, a tribal arm, says its updated plan calls for phase one to encompass 220,000 square feet on 54 acres at Northern and 95th avenues. The first phase would include 54,750 square feet of gaming space, a sports bar, food court, 400-seat buffet, 150-seat 24-hour cafe and events center. The initial phase does not include a hotel component, which would will be built as part of the second phase.

The city of Glendale and some state lawmakers are suing the U.S. Interior Department to stop the tribe’s plans for the parcel, which sits on county land just north of University of Phoenix Stadium. The federal government approved a request from the tribe to include the land as part of its reservation. A court date on that suit is slated for Feb. 17.

“Public support for our project has been overwhelming and we are determined to move forward with this project, despite opponents’ efforts to delay,” said O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. “These renderings are an example of the work that is being done right now so that we can be ready to start construction as soon as possible.”

(Front of the proposed casino, which is opposed by the city of Glendale.)

***

The tribe says the casino and resort would host 1.2 million visitors annually and create 6,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent casino jobs.
***

But the preview of what the project might look like hasn’t budged the city of Glendale’s position, said spokeswoman Julie Frisoni. Glendale cites the location across from Kellis High School and worries about its impact on the surrounding area, including Westgate City Center and Jobing.com Arena.

“The issue of the Tohono O’odham tribe creating a reservation within Glendale’s boundaries, has nothing to do with the design of a resort. It is a state’s rights issue. Glendale continues to assert that (the tribe’s) plan violates federal statutes, state’s rights and is not in the best interest of the city of Glendale, our residents , and the state of Arizona,” Frisoni said. “Voters were very clear when they approved Proposition 202, which limited the number of tribal casinos in our state and restricted the spread of gaming within the metropolitan area. Despite voter approval, the Tohono O’odham’s continue to work to undermine this agreement,” she said.

The tribe’s updated plan moves the casino and other phase one elements away from the high school and off a strip of land Glendale contends is a city parcel. The tribe has not given a date when construction might start since it depends on court rulings.

West Valley Resort: www.westvalleyopportunity.com.

City of Glendale: www.glendaleaz.com.

Read more: Tohono O’odham update west-side casino plan | Phoenix Business Journal

America's Native Prisoners of War

By: Aaron Huey

And on the day that we celebrate the Civil Rights Leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the much work that he did, I wanted to bring this following video.

Aaron gives an account of many of the travesties that the Native American populations of the Lakota had to endure..... from old times, till now.






May the release of our nations be heard around the country and from big to small, may we all grow to the "power" that we are supposed to be.

Good things to come in 2011…

According to economists, employers are optimistic that 2011 will shake out to be a better year for employment and Job Growth than 2010.  While keeping that in mind, many Job Seekers are passively searching for a opportunity to move up or over.  With the amount of continued education and diversification, many people are getting new chances that were not available in the past.  

While job growth overall is expected, some areas are showing faster growth than others and the same goes for certain industries over others.

It will only help your chances of scoring a bigger, better paycheck if you stay open to the possibility of relocation and leverage your transferrable skills to apply for jobs in other fields.  Another tip includes entertaining the idea of temporary work,  not only is hiring for temporary jobs and contract work among employers’ major plans this year, but many temporary jobs often lead to full-time work as well.
(And, of course, it always keep networking and meeting new professionals in your field.)

Got a question for us? Ask in the comments section below, or post on our Facebook page.

Unemployment Rate Has Finally Dropped?

The big news in the employment world is that the unemployment rate has finally dropped, reaching 9.4 percent. A few years ago we would’ve considered that number an unbelievable travesty, and it still isn’t the rate we’d like to see. Compared to 10 percent a year ago, however, it’s a step in the right direction.

Part of the reason that number dropped is that many job seekers gave up looking for work. That’s not good, obviously. We can’t blame job seekers who are discouraged or are just exhausted from constantly looking. The adage “looking for a job is a full-time job” is true. In fact, it can often feel like you’re putting in overtime.

We want to keep you from giving up on your search. That’s why we’ve put together this list of companies hiring this week. So save yourself some time and look below to see who’s hiring right now.