About

The Mosaic Journalism Summer Workshop is an intensive, capacity-limited summer program based in San Jose, California, run under the fiscal sponsorship of the Bay City News Foundation. The program convenes each June—with 2026 dates set for June 8–19—bringing together 15–20 motivated high school students from the greater San Jose area who are passionate about reporting, writing, and ethical journalistic practice. Mosaic’s mission centers on empowering youth from underserved communities to tell real stories, using local news production as a tool for civic engagement. The workshop, along with its year-round mentorship initiatives, is offered free of charge to all participants.

During the summer workshop, participants learn essential skills—including newsgathering, interviewing, and photojournalism—under the guidance of professional mentors. Students work collaboratively at the San Jose State University journalism labs to produce stories published on Mosaic’s digital platform and in a special print edition. A hallmark of the 2026 session is the continued partnership with KALW Public Media, which allows students to adapt their print reporting into produced audio stories for the "Crosscurrents" broadcast.

The emphasis is on "learning by doing": students pitch original ideas, conduct field reporting, and publish on professional platforms. This experience deepens understanding of news ethics and editorial decision-making while building communication skills transferable to any career path. The workshop operates through a formal application process with a February 9 deadline for the 2026 session. By providing high-level training at no cost, Mosaic serves as a pipeline for the next generation of California journalists.