NCRA has declared Feb. 11-18, 2017, National Court Reporting & Captioning Week, a week-long event designed to encourage members of the court reporting and captioning professions to celebrate their careers by hosting special events within the community and more.
“The spirit of Court Reporting & Captioning Week reflects the spirit and pride we have as members of this profession. It is never too soon or too late to share that spirit and pride with the members of our communities and to spread the word about the endless opportunities court reporting and captioning offer as a career path,” said NCRA President Nativa P. Wood, RMR, CMRS, a freelance reporter from Mechanicsburg, Pa.
The 2017 event marks the fifth year NCRA has hosted the national week of celebration. To aid members and state associations in celebrating, NCRA has made available a variety of resources, including marketing messages as part of its Take Note campaign targeted to high school students, career changers, veterans and their spouses, and college students who have opted to seek a different career path, in an effort to increase enrollment in court reporting programs.
In the past, an array of events have been hosted to help mark the week, including securing official proclamations recognizing the occasion, school and firm open houses, Veterans History Day projects, media outreach, and more.
“Each year I get so excited to hear about the many ways our members and state associations across the nation are celebrating this wonderful profession. My hope for this year is that we have participation in this special week by members from all 50 states,” Wood said.
In addition to the many resources available through NCRA.org/Awareness, the Association is also encouraging participants to consider using several new resources made available this year through its Take Note campaign. The Take Note materials are designed to target specific markets for potential new students. NCRA’s Take Note campaign is based on an industry-wide outlook report conducted by an independent research firm that determined that there is a growing need for qualified people to fill jobs coming open in the court reporting and captioning fields.
The new messaging resources are part of a newly designed “Fresh Perspectives” toolkit created as part of the campaign’s phase two track to help identify, attract, and retain potential and new students. New messaging is featured on two-sided rack cards, which were created to appeal to high school students, career changers, college students who have withdrawn, and veterans and their spouses. Each of the cards also features the text: “A career in court reporting can give you a fresh perspective.” The rack cards are available to view and download at crTakeNote.com. The new resources can be downloaded and printed and used at various events held to help promote and showcase the profession.
Other ways to celebrate include: Post the event’s official logo on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram profile. The logo can be downloaded from NCRA.org/Awareness.
Host an event that includes members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities as well as the general public and high school students, teachers, and school counselors, where attendees can see demonstrations of broadcast and CART captioning in action.
Consider offering court reporting students in your area an opportunity to shadow your working court reporters and captioners for a day. Hands-on learning opportunities are always welcomed by students. Another idea is to host an open house at your firm and invite high school students, as well as judges and attorneys you regularly work with, to help increase awareness of the important role court reporters have in preserving the record.
Reach out to court reporting schools and offer to host a live Web or Twitter chat with students. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions about their future careers.
Offer to caption an event or meeting in your community free of charge. Churches, local theaters, and even schools make great venues for this activity.
Encourage your court reporters to volunteer for NCRA’s Virtual Mentor Program.
State associations are encouraged to reach out to state and federal lawmakers and urge them to help celebrate by officially proclaiming Feb. 11-18 Court Reporting & Captioning Week. Other suggestions are to host an event at a court reporting school in your state where students and the public can help raise awareness of the important role keepers of the record play in preserving vital information.
The ways to celebrate 2017 Court Reporting & Captioning Week are unlimited. To learn more how you can celebrate the week or to find the latest in resources, including press release templates, media pitches, presentations, and more, visit the Resource Center on NCRA.org, or contact the NCRA communications team at pr@ncra.org. And don’t forget to share with NCRA what you plan to do to celebrate.
