Becoming a Documenter is easy!

The Indiana Local News Initiative is excited to launch Indy Documenters, a program that trains and pays Indianapolis neighbors to document local public meetings.

Public meetings are workshops for local democracy, where residents can witness, learn about, and act on the systems that impact their lives. But because these meetings are rarely covered, community members often lack the information they need to speak up and make important decisions.

Indy Documenters can help solve that problem. Documenters sign up to attend and document local government meetings with notes and live-tweet threads. We then make those meeting summaries available as a new public record, published on the Indiana Local News Initiative’s website and newsletter.

Documenters will receive training and be paid $20/hr to document in-person meetings and $18/hr to attend virtually.

Indy Documenters will encourage civic participation and increase engagement with neighbors and local governments across the city. This program welcomes people from all walks of life interested in their local community. No prior experience in journalism is necessary.

The program is part of the national Documenters Network, created by City Bureau in Chicago, with sites in Cleveland, Atlanta, and Detroit, among other cities.

You can join the Indy Documenters team by signing up for an orientation workshop. This month's orientations are scheduled for:

Tuesday, Sept. 26th, 11-12:30 p.m. - Indy Documenters Virtual Orientation

Register here: https://indianapolis-in.documenters.org/workshops/indy-documenters-virtual-orientation-898/

Thursday, Sept. 28th, 6-7:30 p.m. - Indy Documenters Orientation (in-person) at 10 East Arts HUB (3137 E 10th St)

Register here: https://indianapolis-in.documenters.org/workshops/indy-documenters-orientation-899/

Documenters is just one of the exciting community journalism programs that will be part of the Indiana Local News Initiative. We’ll also be looking for neighbors to join us for listening sessions, attend our events and serve as community ambassadors. Sign up for updates to be the first to hear about ways you can get involved!

And if you’re interested in learning more about Indy Documenters, please contact Ariana Beedie at ariana.beedie@localnewsforindiana.org.