Help Build the MDNtv Youth Journalism Academy

PROJECT #72640Help Build the MDNtv Youth Journalism Academy

REPORT TITLE: The Vision Is Becoming a Working Newsroom

When we introduced the MDNtv Youth Journalism Academy project, we described a young person who had a story to tell but lacked a camera, a newsroom, a mentor and an opportunity. That challenge remains. MDNtv_Youth_Journalism_Academy_…

But something important has been happening while we work towards raising the resources needed to build the Academy at scale: the practical work of developing journalists has continued.

Our vision for the Academy has never been limited to classroom teaching. We want emerging journalists to understand what journalism actually feels like: preparing for assignments, working under deadlines, covering courts and public institutions, interviewing people, verifying information, understanding ethics and turning events into accurate stories for the public.

The original project envisioned training in mobile journalism, writing, interviewing, ethics and digital storytelling, supported by mentorship and opportunities to produce published work. MDNtv_Youth_Journalism_Academy_… That practical approach remains central to the Academy we are building.

The wider MDNtv newsroom provides an important environment for this vision. Instead of separating training completely from journalism practice, our objective is to create pathways through which developing journalists can learn how professional news operations work.

That means learning that journalism is more than appearing on camera.

It means preparation. It means verification. It means understanding courts and public institutions. It means knowing when not to publish. It means accuracy, fairness and accountability.

And it means understanding that behind every story are real people.

This is the kind of journalism culture we want the Youth Journalism Academy to pass to a new generation.

Our biggest challenge remains funding. GlobalGiving currently reflects $0 raised toward the $1 million goal. That makes this update especially important.

We have a vision and the determination to build it, but creating a sustainable Academy requires resources.

The long-term project is intended to become a training hub for community reporters and a pathway into media careers while strengthening local reporting and combating misinformation. MDNtv_Youth_Journalism_Academy_…

Funding is needed to equip training spaces, obtain journalism equipment, develop sustainable training infrastructure and ultimately support cohorts of emerging journalists. We are therefore still at the beginning of the fundraising journey.

Imagine young people being able to enter an environment where they can learn journalism and then practise those skills in connection with a working newsroom.

Imagine a young reporter covering their first court case.

Their first community story.

Their first interview.

Their first live report.

Their first published investigation.

Then imagine that experience becoming a professional portfolio that helps open the door to employment and future opportunities.

That remains the heart of the MDNtv Youth Journalism Academy.

Perhaps you cannot build an entire journalism academy. Neither can one donor. But many people can build one together.

A contribution can move us closer to equipment, training capacity and opportunities for young people who are waiting for someone to open the door.

Sometimes the difference between a young person who dreams of becoming a journalist and one who actually becomes a journalist is simply opportunity.

Help us build that opportunity. Together, we can raise a new generation of journalists.

• GlobalGiving_72640_Youth_Journalism_Academy_Progress_Report_October_2026.pdf (PDF)