SRL welcomes the next cohort of Teacher Ambassadors at Fellowship Training in Washington DC
August 14, 2026
By: Anthony Payne
The SRL Teacher Ambassador Fellowship is a year-long professional learning experience that equips educators with skills to teach video and audio production, and become mentors to other teachers in their community. This year’s fellowship began with an immersive in-person training in the Washington D.C. area, hosted at the WETA offices in July.
The ambassadors are your local guides to getting involved with SRL this year. The fellowship is designed to establish local leaders, ready to spur media education efforts around the U.S. This year’s cohort arrived in D.C. eager to exchange with their fellow educators. It was a potluck of ideas; everyone brought something to the table, from camera equipment advice and ideas for classroom management, to advice on running a student broadcast program.
“This Teacher Ambassador Training exceeded every hope we had for our first cohort of fellows,” says SRL’s Community Engagement Manager Emily Hope Dobkin. “Watching educators from across the country come together, both to learn SRL’s approach and invest in one another, made it clear that we’re building something much bigger than training. We’re growing a community of teacher leaders who will expand opportunities for meaningful student storytelling in classrooms and communities across the country.”
Today’s media is characterized by fast-growing mobile journalism and independent creators on TikTok and other platforms. SRL’s digital and social media team led the ambassadors through a workshop that broke down all things vertical video:story structure, camera settings, framing and more. Technology changes, but good storytelling doesn’t. The group practiced by recording SRL Shorts: vertical videos about identity, pop culture, family traditions that students can submit for publication on SRL’s social channels. Check out this school year’s SRL Shorts prompts here.
After a crash course in podcasting equipment, the ambassadors also recorded their own practice episodes of the Teacher Reporting Labs podcast, recording conversations about their experiences with SRL resources, uplifting youth voices, and the lessons they’ve learned from students.
“I really enjoyed the podcasting session, as several teachers at my school asked me last year how to implement it,” reflects Mindy Bissett from Little Rock, Arkansas. “Now I feel confident in leading a PD with teachers and knowing that they could then implement it themselves.”
The SRL Ambassador program is all about building community. Team SRL shared their tools to not only welcome new educators into the community, but to make sure they get the help they need once they’ve arrived. The ambassadors were given practical tools to create inviting spaces via new and existing channels.
The SRL Community Commons is an online space to connect with like-minded educators. Here, the ambassadors will be hosting monthly TRL Chats to discuss what’s working in the classroom, swap skills, and answer questions. There’s also the *new* SRL Help Desk, where you can schedule time with any SRL staff member to ask questions, get guidance, and access in-person opportunities in your area. Learn more about your local SRL Ambassador here!
There are many first-time production teachers and publication advisors out there, and we know teaching a skill you yourself are still learning can be difficult. The SRL Teacher Ambassadors are here to help. After this in-person training, they have returned to their communities with the skills to mentor other educators and students, lead media education efforts locally, and spread their knowledge – just in time for back to school season!
Join the SRL Back to School Kickoff on August 25 at 7 ET/4PT for a virtual orientation on SRL and StoryMaker. Meet the SRL team, and learn about reporting opportunities this school year! Register here.