Perhaps it was unlikely that Project Word came to life in 2009, as it did. Certainly the core idea of Project Word defies the conventional thinking of the Internet Age and may seem an uphill battle on its face: 1) that good old-fashioned print newspapers and magazines were worth supporting, along with their many New Media alternatives, and 2) that diversity in the media, especially ethnic diversity, could be strengthened by practical measures even in perilous economic times.

Project Word’s debut article, which came before TCF support (while the project director was supporting himself with odd jobs), appeared in The Nation magazine in June 2009. It was a quintessential success story, highlighting the broadest range of services that Project Word makes available to writers and editors.

Compared to “The Dark Side of Plan Colombia,” which received our start-to-finish services, this article revealed Project Word’s motto of restraint—“Do what’s necessary, stay out of the way.”

Like "Plan Colombia," this article highlighted Project Word’s versatility. It involved a range of necessary services, from developmental editing to a photography package, to entrée to editors.

This was an opportunity not to be missed: convey the first-hand experience of Gwich’in, People of the Caribou, with climate change.