Journalists Harold Goldberg (right) and Sherri Smith mentor students at the DreamYard Prep School in the Bronx.

Harold Goldberg, author, journalist and New York Videogame Critics Circle founder, will speak at the Games for Changes Festival this Thursday, June 28th at 3:15 p.m. The topic is “When Journalists Educate With Games: How and Why the New York Videogame Critics Circle Mentors Students and Older Adults.”

During his talk, which will include a PowerPoint presentation, Goldberg will explain  how, through games journalism, the New York Videogame Critics Circle gives back to the community by mentoring, designing paid internships and offering scholarships to high school students in the Bronx at the DreamYard Prep School and elsewhere. He’ll also speak about mentoring older adults with VR.

In this session, Goldberg will speak “about leading a group of diverse multicultural journalists to teach writing, reviewing and team-building in New York’s schools. What have we done right? What do we still need to do? How are school educators and self-starting students invaluable to the process? How scalable is the program for other schools in other cities and states?”

After a number of years of mentoring and teaching, aided by core Circle members Sherri Smith, Chris Byrd, Eb Samuel, Dan Ackerman, Jordan Minor and others, Goldberg hopes to bring the Circle’s program to other cities. He’ll also speak about the kind of help that’s needed to do this beyond the New York Videogame Critics Circle.