NCRA’s 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week is here, and to help you celebrate, here is a list of ways you can participate in the week-long event taking place Feb. 9-16. This year marks the seventh year NCRA has hosted this national event, and everyone from students to working professionals to state associations to vendors is encouraged to take part in the celebration.
- Showcase the court reporting and captioning professions by taking part in a career day at a local middle or high school. One of the best ways to share what you do is to introduce students to your steno machine and let them know why the court reporting and captioning professions are so rewarding. Share your story about how you found the profession, some of the highlights of your career, and why stenography is so important in making and preserving the record. For more information about participating in a local career day, contact pr@ncra.org.
- Host a Veterans History Project at your local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) hall or retirement community and give those who served our country the chance to share their stories of service for preservation at the Library of Congress. For more information on hosting a VHP event, contact sdavoren@ncra.org.
- Visit a local court reporting school to meet with and inspire students by sharing your professional story, offering encouragement, and tips for being successful both while in school and when they enter the working world.
- Sign up for NCRA’s Virtual Mentor Program. Virtual mentoring is a way for court reporting professionals and students to participate in a mentoring relationship in a virtual (i.e. remote) setting. Mentors and mentees are matched by NCRA’s Virtual Mentor Program and introduced via email. Most of our participants are not geographically close to each other and find it convenient to communicate via phone, email, or Skype. For more information, visit NCRA.org/VMP.
- Volunteer to lead an NCRA A to Z™ Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program and introduce this profession to a whole new group of potential students. For more information, visit NCRA.org/DiscoverSteno.
- Send prewritten local media pitch and press releases to your local newspaper, radio station, and news station before, during, or after Court Reporting & Captioning Week. Templates and other resources can be found on the Court Reporting & Captioning Week resources page at NCRA.org/awareness.
- Share a complimentary copy of Making the Record: A Guide for Attorneys with all lawyers whom you work with during Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
- Post frequently on social media during Court Reporting & Captioning Week about why you became a court reporter, your favorite court reporting gadget, or what you like to tell nonreporters about the profession.
- Invite a student or students to shadow you for a day so they can experience first-hand what a day in the life of a working professional is like.
- Volunteer to caption a live event in your community such as a church service or local library program.
For additional resources, visit NCRA’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week resources page at NCRA.org/awareness. No matter how you celebrate 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, be sure to share your stories and photos with NCRA’s Communications Team at pr@ncra.org.
