Young Reporters
Young Reporters has now been running for ten years as of 2022. It is an opportunity for young people aged between 12 and 19, to write a weekly column which is published in the Grimsby Telegraph covering a huge range of topics. It has also been a finalist and sometimes winner for many local and national awards.
Groups run throughout the year with each group lasting for 3 months, giving each member the chance to write 3 columns. Young Reporters was originally managed by NELC for many years but for the past five years it has been managed through the VANEL youth team (contact details below).
The Young Reporters group will meet on Wednesday afternoons twice a month at 82 Grimsby Road, the Big Local offices opposite the small Tesco, for two hours at a time. Commitment then will be to write 3 pieces of 600 to 700 words over the three month period with each person having agreed set deadlines for their pieces with support from the other members.
Articles appear in the Grimsby Telegraph Viewpoint section every Tuesday and are then available on the VANEL blog so that all articles remain available online.
Increasingly our young writers are also getting opportunities to prepare written pieces for other publications on specific subjects too.
This is a great experience for young people interested in writing.
“My daughter took part In Young Reporters a few years ago and received the Diana Award for this work. Her columns went into her portfolio, and proved a great topic to talk about at interviews. I would highly recommend students apply to this programme, particularly students who want to go into vocations related to English: writing, publishing, marketing and media. These industries require a portfolio of work as standard.” – parent of a young reporter
If you are interested in being part of this fantastic opportunity, or know someone that is, please contact John at VANEL (john@vanel.org.uk) or use this online form (http://vanel.org.uk/va/young-reporters-application-form/)
This opportunity has proved to be a positive addition to the development of CV’s as well as developing key transferrable skills most employers look for, including team work, meeting deadline, effective written and verbal communication, positive challenge and developing understanding of diverse issues young people face.
You can read all the articles by our young reporters on our blog here www.vanel.org.uk/va/tag/young-reporters/
Online application form is currently here. http://vanel.org.uk/va/young-reporters/
Contact
John Mooney at VANEL is the person to contact.
Drop him a line via john@vanel.org.uk
Learn more about Young Reporters idea on this Youtube video = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHRy0R8I7n4
Celebrating 10 Years
In 2022, Young Reporters celebrated 10 years. That’s dozens of young people who’ve written hundreds of published articles between them. And plenty of life changing experiences for them all.
Thoughts from prolific Young Reporter Grace:
There are genuinely no words, which is ironic considering I have written a total of nearly 25, 700 word articles for the paper, so having no words is unusual for a budding writer like me. But, over the past 2 years now I have been lucky enough to be apart of the young reporters programme. I began during the first lockdown, when I can admit, I was in a very difficult time in my life personally. I have always had a love for all things English and book related, but had never really considered the thought of writing as a career choice. Throughout 3 or more lockdowns I wrote about topics which were never talked about, topics which needed more awareness and topics which were close to my heart. I got the opportunity to use my brain for something which soon became the biggest passion in my life, and my biggest therapy. I have had so much feedback on my articles from teachers, friends, family, strangers, friends of family and even the radio! I have been able to use this programme for my own therapy but also for helping others so that they are able to feel a sense of relief that somebody their age, or just somebody in the area relates to what they are going through. Jenny allowed me into this programme without realising how much it helped me during lockdown, and allowed me to write freely, let me spread my creativity, edited my very long articles which were well over the word limit, and consistently emailed me with praise, check in’s and kind words. I am beyond proud to be apart of this programme with some amazing people, and I am insanely grateful that I now am looking to pursue writing as a career.
I cant wait to write more and to keep inspiring others I hope. Thank you for this opportunity always.
Also, read this recent article by Young Reporter Tomos with thoughts on 10 years of Young Reporters.
Award Winning
Links to Young Reporter articles in the IGNITE blog
Mental health in different ways. Thoughts from a new Young Reporter
What is mental health? Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”, according to the World Health Organization. Mental health includes […]
Ten years of Young Reporters in North East Lincolnshire
You’ve been reading weekly articles from the Young Reporters in the Grimsby Telegraph and on the VANEL blog for years now. But did you know that the Young Reporters initiative is now ten years old? VANEL has managed the Young Reporters scheme for a good number of years now, led by Jenny Hodson, and you […]
The Power of Community Support. Article by a new Young Reporter
As we go about our busy lives, local heroes are tirelessly giving up their time to make a difference in our world. If we didn’t already know it, the Covid-19 pandemic further emphasised the need for community support. All around us, people continue to go the extra mile to help others. Founded under a different […]
Representations of Learning Disabilities in Winnie the Pooh. A Young Reporter article
Eating Disorders, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Dyslexia. Not necessarily the things that people usually think of when it comes to the may Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Most, if not all, of us will have been good friends with Winnie the […]
‘My first chapter’ by Young Reporter Tomos to celebrate the 10 years of Young Reporters
Before writing in the Grimsby Telegraph as a Young Reporter, I had no experience whatsoever in community work. Back then, in the first half of 2019, I was just a 14 year old boy who took himself as his main company, stayed as much as possible away from the social scene in my school, and […]
Attacking that anxiety. Latest mini mental-health article from a Young Reporter
Following on from my last article about depression, I wanted to address anxiety and panic attacks. I feel that there’s this stigma that if one has anxiety, it corresponds with being ‘too sensitive’ meaning that their mental illness is often overlooked. Anxiety is easily understood as our brain’s response to fear or nerves and this […]
The future is just below the surface. This week’s story from a Young Reporter
Thousands of people have climbed Mount Everest, 12 men have walked on the surface of the moon but only 3 men have been to the very bottom of the ocean. Despite the fact the ocean is so crucial to the very existence of every species that exists on our planet, according to the National Ocean Service, […]
Parasocial Relationships and their Consequences. From our Young Reporter
We all have celebrities we admire – the Beatles, One Direction, Britney Spears. However, to what extent are these admirations acceptable? Parasocial relationships are endemic in modern society, yet what does the term even mean?. Findapsychologist.org defines this phenomenon as a one-sided relationship whereby one person funnels their time, energy and resources into a second […]
Individuality. This week’s Young Reporters article
Individuality: -. “Something vital to each person. Something that desperately needs to be displayed for ourpopulation to be diverse, interesting and varied” Without individuality we are left with a bland and boring abyss of sameness. A plain world. Allowing our children, friends, family, students etc to show their personality, through clothes, artwork, dance, hair colour […]
The Aftermath of Christmas – Guilt Ridden. Thoughts from a Young Reporter
Christmas is now over. The excitement has died down, and hopefully everyone managed to have an imperfectly perfect Christmas, or at least managed to enjoy it as much as possible. The aftermath of Christmas on the media is awful. The only way it makes us feel is guilty. This relates most to the guilt of […]