Future journalists explored topics of addiction and recovery in collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Minnesota media
ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ThreeSixty Journalism has successfully concluded its 2025 Multimedia Storytelling Institute, a three-week summer camp held July 7 through July 24 at the University of St. Thomas College of Arts and Sciences. The program brought together 18 high school students interested in journalism and media careers to explore the art of reporting under the guidance of local media experts.
Now in its eighth consecutive year of partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, ThreeSixty continues to support the next generation of storytellers while creating a greater understanding of health and media literacy. This year’s theme, addiction and recovery, focused on empowering student journalists to investigate behavioral health in Minnesota and amplify the voices of individuals and organizations leading positive change efforts across the state.
“By empowering young people to report on addiction and recovery, we’re not just teaching journalism—we’re investing in civic health,” said Kenzie O’Keefe, Director of ThreeSixty Journalism. “Teaching journalism to a future generation of media professionals builds deep listening skills, fosters systems thinking, and strengthens their ability to connect communities across differences.”
Students gained hands-on experience in interviewing, reporting, and multimedia production while collaborating with a diverse group of mentors. Stories that were published through the program were published in partnership with prominent media outlets including:
- KARE-11 (NBC)
- FOX 9
- KSTP-TV (ABC)
- WCCO-TV (CBS)
- The Minnesota Star Tribune
- Pioneer Press
- MinnPost
- The University of Minnesota
- Lindsey Seavert Studios
- Unicorn Riot
“Multimedia Storytelling Institute showed me how to ask questions compassionately, and how to look at things and write about them objectively,” said Viv Ogunro, sophomore at Breck School. “One of the most important things I learned about addiction and recovery is not to reduce someone’s life to only being an addict. It takes away from the complexity of their life. Acknowledging how other people see them as a mother, daughter, friend, or co-worker can be really meaningful.”
Throughout the program, students produced in-depth written and multimedia stories that reflected their unique perspectives, strengthened their technical capabilities, and fostered a deeper understanding of storytelling as a tool for social impact.
Explore student stories and learn more about the impact of youth journalism at 360 Home – ThreeSixty Journalism.
About ThreeSixty Journalism
ThreeSixty Journalism is a multimedia storytelling program for Minnesota youth. Grounded in the principles of journalism and focused on contributing to more accurate narratives and representative newsrooms, ThreeSixty offers technical, ethical, and entrepreneurial training for fulfilling careers in storytelling and civic leadership. The program has been housed at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas since 2001.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
For more than 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Bluecrossmn.com) has supported our members by ensuring access to high quality care at an affordable price. Our nearly 3 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Media Contact:
Leah Kondes
612-270-1563 (cell)
Leah.Kondes@padillaco.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bcca072b-ccc5-4a9d-bc3c-a54eeb4202a4
