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
The Effects of Male Gaze on the Masculine – 500 Days of Summer . A Young Reporter article
‘500 Days of Summer’ presents us with the effects of male gaze on the man. Often in media we discuss the effects of this phenomenon on the female. Terminology such as the ‘inner camera’ have been popularized which describe the feeling that women always have an imagined spectator they perpetually perform for, even in the […]
The Christmastime Suicide Myth: Where To Focus Your Efforts To Prevent Suicide This Holiday Season. By a Young Reporter
Most people in modern-times seem to subscribe to the idea that suicide rates dramatically increase around Christmas season, which is understandable, as it seems plausible to some that during the holiday period, a mentally ill person may be pushed over the edge by the surrounding jollity of Christmas, which ‘everyone but they’ can partake in. It […]
My Definition Of Grief. A Young Reporter article
As we become accustomed to living with COVID-19, wearing face masks, getting vaccinations – we soon forget to talk about what’s important. Whether that’s our worries for the future, the anxiety we face going back to work or school, or even just being. Every morning, the news highlighted the impact of the new virus on […]
Have cemeteries got one foot in the grave? Thoughts from a Young Reporter
Since their humble beginnings in North Africa and West Asia 10-15,000 years ago, cemeteries have been engrained into the traditions, architecture and daily lives of civilisations all over the world. Graveyards are a staple of many cultures around the globe and have only just recently become unwelcoming, morbid places bound to the stigma of sorrow, […]
The Pop Industry and its ‘Bounce Back’. A Young Reporter article
Like all things, the Pop Industry suffered during lockdown at the height of the-19 pandemic. But it’s coming back with a bang! And it’s not just current artists coming back, some older artists are wowing us again, like ABBA! All music fans, people of all ages can be prepared for a music come back like […]
Letting go. Thoughts from a Young Reporter
Lately a realisation has overcome me, one which is a hard lesson to grasp. As vital as our studies, our education, our work, and other responsibilities, we must learn the importance of letting go. I have written countless articles on the media’s harrowing message of ‘productivity’ over everything, but I think it is the most […]
Everything To Know About the Girls Night In Campaign. A Young Reporter article
Women’s safety should never have to be debated but after the shocking murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan police officer, something has to change. Women’s safety is still seemingly not a priority, not in the news enough as it should be and this leads on to how the new epidemic in the UK is […]
The Rise of Female Boxing. A Young Reporter article
Starting boxing classes in the summer of 2020, my mind was racing. A 5ft girl, padded with boxing gloves, stood in front of a punching bag. It wasn’t in my nature to hit but after every punch, the stress melted away. This leads to why I feel boxing is one of the greatest forms of […]
The Importance of Black History Month. A Young Reporters article
When someone mentions October, we usually think of Halloween or the time of year when we begin to enter Autumn. But there’s another importance of our tenth calendar month – Black History Month. Black History Month highlights the history forgotten from our school textbooks and the significance of African, Asian, and Caribbean people. First celebrated […]
Live Music – Post & Pre Pandemic
When lockdown started in March last year, we were restricted in more ways than one. Although staying at home was the safest option and helped save lives, you can’t deny the substantial impact COVID had on the live music sector as well as on our lives, those organisations and staff who support the musicians through […]