Give a voice to 200+ student journalists worldwide

 Report For GlobalGiving.org – November 8, 2012

The first and only worldwide youth journalism charity, Youth Journalism International connects student writers, artists and photographers with peers around the globe, teaches journalism,  fosters cross-cultural understanding and promotes and defends a free youth press.

Let’s take a step back for this report and look at the big picture:

Youth Journalism International is an IRS-approved 501(C)(3) public educational charity. Created in 1994 to help Bristol students learn to write better and to get the basics of journalism, it has grown into a unique, worldwide community with more than 200 students in more than 40 countries on six continents.

• Students hail from more than 40 countries on six continents, including Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Armenia, Italy, Uganda, the Netherlands, Germany, Tunisia, Korea, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Brazil. Adult Ambassadors who support YJI’s work in their home communities come from a wide variety of professions and nations.
• Participating young people come from nearly every major world religion – Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism as well as other faiths – and a vast number of ethnic, cultural and political backgrounds. Friendships that develop between students lead to cross-cultural understanding and global thinking.
• Editors coach students in person in Connecticut, and for those farther afield, over the telephone and online using email, chat, Facebook and Skype to discuss ideas, story development and writing style. Editing is done in a collaborative fashion whether in person, on Skype or via email.
• No student has ever been charged a fee to participate at Youth Journalism International.
• Eager young people find Youth Journalism International online and those who are interested fill out student applications. Because of a lack of staff to handle the volume of inquiries, the current waiting list numbers more than 1,000 young people. In the month of October alone, young people filled out more than 100 applications.
• Youth Journalism International’s website: www.youthjournalism.org
• The daily blog, featuring a stream of work from students everywhere: www.yjiblog.org. Work also appears on partner sites, including PBS NewsHour Extra and The Mash in Chicago.
• YJI’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/youthjournalism. On Twitter, YJI is @yjinternational,  @SteveCollinsYJI and @jackiemajerus

Links:

• YJI's main website
• YJI's ever-changing blog