Survivors of the January wildfires and other community members connected to Pacific Palisades are being invited to share personal memories and lessons learned at a public storytelling event hosted by USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
The session, scheduled for Saturday, July 19, will take place at KCRW’s studios in Santa Monica and will be led by high school reporters participating in the Wildfire Youth Media Initiative. Attendees will have the opportunity to record their experiences at five story stations organized around different themes. The event is open to anyone impacted by the fires, including survivors, neighbors, volunteers, journalists, students and community organizers.
“All participants have some personal connection to the community and the incident and all wrote incredibly thoughtful explanations about why they are interested in the program,” said Rebecca Haggerty, professor of professional practice and associate director of the undergraduate journalism program at USC Annenberg.
The Palisades-based event runs from 9am to 1pm at 1660 Stewart St. Free parking is available with a permit at the Santa Monica College Center for Media and Design garage at 2762 Pennsylvania Avenue. Permits will be sent to guests who RSVP in advance. Limited street parking is also available, though organizers urge guests to read posted restrictions carefully.
Participants are encouraged to bring meaningful objects that help tell their story, such as “items you found in the aftermath, aided in your recovery, or helped you live or work through this experience.” Stories will be recorded and may be edited into podcasts, short-form videos and other content to be published by USC and potentially by public media outlets including KCRW and LAist.
The Wildfire Youth Media Initiative is a four-week summer program housed within the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Its goal is to train students in trauma-informed interviewing and the role of journalism in civic society, while helping communities document and preserve testimony following a natural disaster.
The cohort includes nine students connected to Pacific Palisades and nine from the Altadena area. A second community listening session is scheduled for July 26 at the Pasadena Playhouse to gather stories from residents in and around Altadena.
During the program, students participate in journalism workshops taught by USC faculty and professional reporters. They also travel to affected communities to conduct interviews and edit the resulting material into publishable formats. Recordings from both sessions will be archived digitally by USC and the Los Angeles Public Library.
The event will include two dedicated recording spaces in addition to the story stations. One is designed for peer storytelling between students who were directly affected by the fires. The other will focus on interviews with individuals whose work was impacted, such as business owners, nonprofit staff, journalists and volunteers.
The initiative is part of USC’s Local News and Student Journalism Initiative and is intended as a model that can be replicated in other disaster-affected communities. All program participation is free and completion may lead to a university-issued honorarium and certificate.
The July 19 event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are strongly encouraged in order to receive parking access and help organizers plan the recording schedule. Details are available at communicationleadership.usc.edu/wildfire-community-listening-sessions.
The Wildfire Youth Media Initiative will conclude on August 7 and a final showcase of stories is expected to follow later this summer.