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ocus on Mentoring has been a source of positive media attention, which highlights hard work by good people who reside in Public Housing.

Television and newspaper interviews of participants in the Focus on Mentoring program have increased self-esteem and have clearly noted positive achievements made by student photographers.

For two of our recent gallery openings in conjunction with the monthly THA Board Meeting, cameras from three local television stations, three Tampa and St. Petersburg area newspapers and a reporter from the Associated Press have attended to cover the work of our students. The Associated Press story and photographs were distributed to member newspapers nationwide.

Stories have aired on WFLA, the NBC station in Tampa and WTVT, the local Fox Television affiliate. Tampa is the nation's 13th-largest tv market and 1.5 million households view evening news programs there.

Much of the publicity is due to the positive working partnership that Focus on Mentoring establishes with local media. From the inception of program planning, editorial staff of local media was enlisted to participate in the program.

Media volunteers have come forward to take students on guided tours of newspapers, television stations and web sites. Others have spent time with our students, critiquing portfolios in a positive, encouraging fashion.