The Kansas City Community Journalism Lab is grounded in The Beacon’s vision of communities that are well-informed and actively involved. Our strategic approach to community engagement brings our newsroom directly to Kansas Citians through guided listening sessions, reviewing story idea submissions, and collecting updates from public meetings across the greater metro.
Upcoming Events
We frequently bring members of the community together through events. From intimate coffee hours to expansive community conversations, our public events are inspired by current community concerns and tie back directly into the work of our reporters.
Our free events are a great way to meet your neighbors, hear from experts on topics that affect you and connect with Beacon reporters. To ensure you never miss an event, follow us on social media for announcements and reminders!
Types of Beacon Events
Community Listening Sessions
Central to our engagement strategy is the practice of community listening sessions. These sessions highlight our commitment to local news and relevance by fostering a deep and reciprocal bond between our organization and the communities we serve. Our approach is rooted in a “train the trainer” model. Our community engagement managers train selected community representatives, equipping them with the tools and methodologies to lead their own listening sessions. These representatives, in turn, train others, creating a cascading effect that allows for more widespread and frequent community interactions.
Each session aims to gather insights directly from the community, ensuring that our news remains attuned to local needs and interests. By documenting feedback from these sessions and channeling it back to us, we gain access to a richer tapestry of community perspectives at a scale we couldn’t achieve alone. Beyond just gathering information, these sessions are instrumental in building trust and reinforcing the idea that the community’s voice truly matters in shaping the news they consume.
Community Conversations
Community Conversations are about bringing our news and coverage to the community. These conversations are open to the public and center on topics we care about like social justice and mental health. We bring in community experts for a panel discussion followed by a guided conversation among all attendees.
Event Tabling and Community Representatives
Our CJL hits local hangouts, events, and markets, engaging directly with the community to gather real-time feedback and distribute QR codes that link to our latest stories, ensuring our news reaches a wider audience in a more dynamic and interactive manner.
Find a full list of our past events here.
Event Partnerships
Our Community Journalism Lab Representatives
Eden Barnes (She/Her) grew up with continuous interaction and engagement within the community, having been raised in the AME church in Kansas City, KS. As part of the LGBTQ+ community she hopes to expand community education and ensure her community is informed and supplied with the resources to prosper.
Masha Mackey (She/Her) is a graduate student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City studying criminal justice and criminology. As a community representative for The Beacon, she focuses on lifting up voices that aren’t always heard, especially around education, local government and advocacy work. Mackey believes in connecting real community issues with real solutions and making sure stories reflect the people most impacted. Her goal is to keep information honest, accessible and rooted in the community.
Iván Ramirez (He/Him) is the senior director of programs for Revolucion Educativa and Latinx Education Collaborative. As a creative he aims to elevate the stories in our communities that go unheard and build a more accessible and equitable education for all. In his work he’s created spaces in which our lived experiences create a sense of empathy and liberation. His passions are developing the leadership capacity of underrepresented individuals. He is a champion of the Latino community with over 10 years of experience in the field of education, mentoring, student activities and storytelling.
Danny Soriano (He/Him) is a highly skilled digital media/social media marketing director and event coordinator with experience in business scaling and entrepreneurship. He is a Boys State Alumni and Recognized by the NSDA. With a background in debate he developed his skills in critical thinking, and enhanced his ability to research and analyze information. With his expertise in marketing he has built relationships with organizations and companies all over Kansas City. He is also a professional musician playing in venues all over the US and available on Spotify & Apple Music.
Robert Stone (He/Him) is very interested in exploring the Kansas City area and helping unearth the stories that make it such an exciting place. Stone has experience in local radio and news and spends most of his days studying health sciences at Kansas City Kansas Community College.