Youth Journalism International

I’m applying for the Elevate Prize because no organization is more worthy of your generous support than Youth Journalism International, an educational nonprofit with student reporters, photographers and artists on six continents. As individuals, young people can do amazing things, but the spark really catches fire when students from different backgrounds get together to collaborate. Exciting things happen every time student journalists gather through YJI. The bonds they build are strong and lasting.

I yearn for the impact that an even larger gathering of students would deliver, both immediately and in the positive ripples that will extend for generations.

The single most frustrating aspect of my work is that I can’t begin to meet the need. There is a constant stream of young people applying for admission to YJI - far more than it can absorb. Currently, YJI’s team is all volunteer - including me. Additional funding would go directly to building infrastructure, to help make it possible to bring on more of these eager young writers, artists and photographers. YJI’s needs also include amplifying our social media presence and building a fund development strategy that involves grants, annual appeals and major gifts cultivation. 

As co-founder and Executive Director of YJI and a trained journalist, I’ve dedicated my life to my two passions: journalism and young people.  I believe youth are our best hope for a peaceful future, and I know how important truth and a free press are to democracy. 

Rich in diversity, YJI focuses on journalism, but also builds bridges across any borders that separate students, helping them grow into thoughtful world citizens. Working directly with students individually and in groups, I teach them about interviewing, writing, press responsibility and ethics. Reporting from their hometowns, students tackle tough topics such as terrorism, teen suicide and school violence. 

The key to a better world lies with global understanding and truthful, effective communication. Telling important stories from their own neighborhoods and nations, YJI students represent every major religion and many cultures. By bringing these dedicated and idealistic young people together and giving them a powerful platform, YJI creates a brighter future for all.

My goal is to build a sustainable organization that lives on beyond me. The young people I’ve helped over the years tell me about the positive impact YJI has on them. I want to make sure the mission continues.

Zurie Pope, a student in Ohio, put it this way: “I could say YJI is a nonprofit, youth-oriented news outlet for writers, artists, photographers and reporters. But the global reach, powerful storytelling and lasting impact of YJI could never be quantified so easily. Created in 1994 by lifelong journalist Jackie Majerus, this once little-known collective of journalists has grown into a industry-changing hub that’s taught over 500 students on six continents. Through it all, YJI’s mission has remained clear: Give a platform to those without one and help them tell stories that need to be told. On the streets of Myanmar as their democracy was swallowed whole by military dictatorship. In the cities of Brazil as police attacked protesters. In the meeting places of queer Moroccans as they struggled for equal rights. Wherever someone wanted to snuff out the human spirit, a YJI reporter was there, keeping it alive, emboldened and empowered by Jackie’s vision. So what is YJI? Ultimately, it’s an idea:  That no matter your age, race, gender or sexual orientation, you matter. Your voice deserves to be heard. And with YJI, you have a family that can’t wait to hear what you have to say.” 

Youth Journalism International is the only nonprofit that teaches the fundamentals of journalism - interviewing with integrity, fact-based reporting, ethics, news judgment and writing skills - to youth from the global community. The pandemic highlighted an inescapable truth that YJI has long known: we as people and nations are interconnected. 

YJI’s programming and news site transcends boundaries and disrupts the notion that we have little in common. Contributing students come from six continents. Students report on current events relevant to YJI’s international readership, including climate change and ongoing debates around police reform, as well as local news stories that help young people understand and appreciate what goes on in faraway communities.

Recently, 21 students in 12 countries collaborated on Covid Mood - a groundbreaking, in-depth look at the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health worldwide.

Beyond reporting, YJI brings students together virtually, expanding their views through authentic social connections. In our innovative global community, much more happens than teaching writing skills. Students work cooperatively on stories, but also support each other’s real-life challenges. YJI disrupts the antiquated idea that lines drawn on the map keep us separate. Instead, it celebrates both how we are similar and how we are different. 

The world needs journalism more than ever. It needs reporters and editors who know what they’re doing, of course, but it also needs much keener media literacy so that people can sort out truth from nonsense. With autocrats everywhere blasting the press and naysayers doubting even the most solid science, the role of journalists in sorting out what’s true and what’s not is becoming essential to humanity’s future.

At YJI, we’re creating a new generation of journalists and we’re also spreading awareness of what journalism is, what it means and why it’s so crucial.  Although many YJI alumni are already in the business, those lessons resonate whether students ultimately go into journalism or not. Further, they spread beyond individual students to their families, friends and communities.

YJI is effective because it engages students where they live while connecting them with their peers throughout the world. It’s a community with ties so strong that most participants never really leave. They remain part of this global family, helping one another and always making connections across borders and cultures. Since YJI students are tomorrow’s world leaders, their willingness to not just accept, but embrace differences, benefits all nations and people.