summer school

The fifth annual YJA summer school takes place in the first week of August 2010 in Canary Wharf.

During the intense, week-long programme, students learn all the tricks of the trade, experiencing everything from the celebrity splash to the hard-hitting news piece and live community affairs reporting.

Watch a short film about the summer school:

There are sessions, led by professional journalists, on how to write concise news reports, hard-hitting comment pieces and insightful cultural reviews. The summer school combines inspirational seminars and practical workshops with individual and group exercises.

Students get a broad overview of the media industry and the different forms of journalism within it. They also get the chance to visit the headquarters of high-profile media organisations, such as the BBC, the News of the World and Reuters.

The YJA summer school is currently open to 16-to 18-year-old London state schools only. Unfortunately, we cannot accept students from outside London boroughs at present. However, our aim is to expand the programme to allow aspiring reporters from outside London to participate in future years.

Past summer schools

To get a flavour of the hectic and exciting schedule of activities we run each year, see our past programmes for 2008 and 2009 [both in pdf format].

Deadline

For a journalist, meeting the deadline is everything! The deadline for applying to the 2010 YJA summer school is Thursday 24 June 2010. To apply, complete this application form. There are two stages to the application process. First, applicants are required to submit a short article and a personal statement. Those who make it to the second stage will be called for an interview in central London between Monday 28 June and Monday 5 July and candidates will be notified whether or not they have been successful by Tuesday 13 July. There are 25 places at the YJA summer school.

Why journalism?

Journalism is an increasingly important area: it offers the opportunity to influence public opinion and make your voice heard. It is a difficult area to get into, however, often depending on ‘who you know’ rather than ‘what you know’. This programme is an opportunity for young Londoners to gain invaluable journalistic experience and win an audience for their writing - perhaps going on to become the opinion formers of the future.