NCRA’s 2022 Court Reporting & Captioning Week celebration kicks off this week on Feb. 5 and runs through Feb. 12 touting the theme: “Spread love and steno everywhere you go!” This year’s event marks the 10th year the week has been celebrated; and as always, NCRA encourages all members, state affiliates, schools, and vendors to help spread the word about the important role court reporters and captioners play in the everyday lives of so many both inside and outside of the courtroom. The week also provides the perfect platform to promote the many benefits a career in court reporting or captioning offers.
As we get ready to kick off the week, below is a first glimpse of what’s been planned so far.
Commemorating the week and the profession
Official proclamations recognizing the week have already been received in Colorado, Illinois, and Washington thanks to the hard work of state leaders in those states. NCRA expects more official proclamations in the coming days, including official recognition of the week by lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
States that submit official proclamations by state leaders to NCRA will be eligible for a drawing to win a free registration to the 2022 NCRA Conference & Expo happening July 21-24 in Orlando, Fla. Submit your state’s official proclamation to pr@ncra.org.
Join online and celebrate
Members of NCRA’s Student/Teacher Committee will host three free webinars geared toward students to mark the week. All three webinars will be held at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The first webinar, Ready, Set, Practice – Do I Have the Time? will take place Mon., Feb. 7 and will provide tips to help students carve out time to allow for the most purposeful practice. Register here.
On Feb. 9 students can attend The Wonderful World of Captioning hosted by Marjorie Peters, FAPR, RMR, CRR, a freelance court reporter, captioner, and agency owner from Alexandria, Va., and Teresa Russ, CRI, a captioner and freelance court reporter from Bellflower, Calif. This session will provide students with an inside look at the world of captioning including broadcast captioning and CART. Register here.
Wrapping up the week on Feb. 11, students can join six working professionals and a student reporter for a fun night of Court Reporter Karaoke writing to love songs. Register here.
Registration is open for all three of these exciting webinars.
Among the states
President of the Maryland Court Reporters Association (MCRA) Margary Rogers, RPR, CRI, an official court reporter from Washington, D.C., reports that members in that state will be placing yard signs promoting court reporting and the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program at unemployment offices, COVID testing stations, high schools, neighbors’ yards, grocery stores, gas stations, learning centers, and more during the week. NCRA designed the signs, which are available for anyone to download at the 2022 Court Reporting & Captioning Week resource page.
The Texas Court Reporters Association (TCRA) has activities planned for each day of the week-long celebration via social media. Among the tasks given to its members are kicking off the week with a post about where they went to school, how long they have been reporting, and any advice they would give themselves back then based on where they are now.
TCRA members are also being encouraged to post a photo of their writers along with its name if it has one; share their favorite court reporting meme; post a photo of something that makes them smile; share a picture of where they are on Wednesday of the week; post a story about the zaniest thing that has happened to them while on the job; post a picture of themselves and a friend they have met during their work in the profession; and, finally, wrap up the week by donating at least $20 to TCRA’s Political Action Committee.
The New York State Court Reporters Association (NYSCRA) also has a slew of activities planned that are open to all NCRA members. For more information click here.
The Washington Court Reporters Association (WCRA) has a Town Hall planned for Feb. 5 at 9 a.m. Pacific time to help kick off the week. The session is free to attend and open to all WCRA members and nonmembers alike. Students, working professionals, and others are encouraged to attend to share ideas and learn more about what’s happing within the state and nationwide. Visit the WCRA Facebook page to learn more.
Remember there are resources
Don’t forget to check in throughout the week on NCRA’s Facebook page for daily postings about how you can join in the celebration of the court reporting and captioning professions. And as a reminder, there will be a second JCR Weekly issue on Feb. 11 dedicated to 2022 Court Reporting & Captioning Week that will highlight other activities and celebrations happening around the country.
Finally, be sure to visit NCRA’s 2022 Court Reporting & Captioning Week resource page to learn more about how you can participate in this special week. NCRA has made available an array of resources from press release templates to flyers to posters and more designed to help you celebrate. Please share with us how you celebrate. Send photos and other info to pr@ncra.org.
