Journalism conference offers free access to workers
By Chris Amos
Diversity Institute Fellow
08.05.04
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A diverse group of more than 200 volunteers is expected to work this week at the UNITY convention, doing work from manning metal detectors to assisting convention participants find what they’re looking for.
Volunteer Coordinator Jackie Green said that some of the volunteers were motivated by a desire to serve their community, and others volunteered because the convention’s enrollment fee would be waived.
Green of USA TODAY said that volunteering for UNITY would prove beneficial in other ways. “You get a chance to learn about cultural sensitivity,” he said.
Green, the first elected president of UNITY, said that one of his most difficult tasks as volunteer coordinator was getting different ethnic groups to reach the consensus that UNITY requires in spite of their different way of communicating.
“At times, it can be like herding cats,” he said.
Green said that the volunteer work started Saturday when 114 volunteers took four hours to stuff more than 8,000 bags that will be given to convention participants this week. He said that convention staffers estimated that stuffing the bags would take from 8 to 12 hours.
“They did it in record time,” he said.
Green said volunteers, like other journalists attending UNITY, use the convention to network and pass out resumes to prospective employers.
Jacqueline Brooks, a freelance writer from Silver Spring, Md., volunteered for that reason. She said her required four-hour shift has not been stressful.
“It’s just a job,” she said. “It’s not too difficult.”
Nuchada Ruchira, a freelance television producer from Brooklyn, N.Y., said that she volunteered to get an inside look at how conventions work. She said that she had attended several small conferences before and was impressed by the organization and setup of the UNITY job expo.
But others gave different reasons for volunteering.
Lillie Lee said that she continued to volunteer at UNITY, even though she no longer worked in journalism. “I think UNITY is a very good thing,” she said. “I live in Washington, and I think it’s great. So I volunteer anyway.”
Leah Taylor, a college student from Trinidad, agreed. “Why be separated?” Taylor, who hopes to become a broadcast journalist, asked. “There’s power in unity. Why can’t we be all together?”