Teenagers get to grips with digital storytelling techniques during free summer school at Darlington College

The group of attendees, with the NCTJ’s Will Gore, at the Darlington College summer school

A group of teenagers have got to grips with cutting-edge journalism skills during a free four-day summer school at Darlington College.

Ten budding journalists, all aged between 15 and 17 and based in the North East, joined the programme this week to get an exclusive taste of digital storytelling techniques and journalism careers.

The fully-funded programme aims to break down the barriers that stop under-represented young people from entering the journalism industry thanks to a major investment in outreach work by the NCTJ.

During the four days, the students gained unique access to guest speakers, including Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster, Emma Middleton from the News Movement and Suzannah Rogerson, a multimedia producer at Channel 4.

The group also took part in news production days and learnt how to use video equipment and editing software to produce digital packages on the issues around vaping.

One of the attendees, Meena Alazzawi, from Hummersknott Academy in Darlington, said: “The summer school has been very good, showing what journalism is about and the skills journalists need today.

“I thought reporting was just an office job but now appreciate how interesting it can be and am thinking that I might one day go into medical journalism.”

Sue Calvert, programme leader at Darlington College, said: “We started with an in-depth look at how young people find their news and whether it is trustworthy. They then tackled the issue of vaping among young people using multimedia tools, such as words, pictures and video, to produce a news package on the subject.”

Attendees learnt how to use video equipment and editing software to produce digital packages on the issues around vaping

Attendees also tried their hand at shorthand basics and had the chance to work towards two units of the NCTJ’s Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism qualification.

A trip to a newsroom is also planned to take place for summer school attendees in October half term.

Will Gore, head of partnerships and projects at the NCTJ, joined the group on Monday to welcome them to the summer school and said: “Seeing young people engaging with journalistic skills is genuinely inspiring – all the more so when it’s people who might not have thought journalism was for them.

“This week’s programme at Darlington College is an important initial step in the NCTJ’s outreach project, and I hope those involved will have seen how a career in journalism can be a great fit for their interests and talents.

“I was certainly impressed by the participants’ enthusiasm and their thoughtful discussion about what journalism is for and why it’s important to do it properly.

“Unlocking journalistic talent is such a key part of the NCTJ’s mission, and it’s exciting to see this new initiative offering teenagers a window to our industry.”

As well as the summer school at Darlington College, the NCTJ will also initially work with City of Liverpool College, Glasgow Clyde College and North West Regional College on outreach programmes over the next year to target 14 to 18-year-olds and encourage those from disadvantaged backgrounds and lower social economic groups to enter journalism.