One step closer to the dream: first impressions of participants of the "Young Journalists School" at the National Centre RUSSIA
More than 100 future media stars-to-be gathered at the National Centre RUSSIA. There, the "Young Journalists School" was officially launched on the first day of spring. Participants of the first intake of this new educational project, who successfully passed the competitive selection process, shared their stories of discovering the School and their fresh impressions from the classes.
"I learned about this project from my teacher-mentor from the 'Navigators of Childhood' project, and today I'm already here, overwhelmed with emotions. It's very exciting and touching because journalism is my dream, and right now I understand that I'm on the right path. I think the opening of our school was quite interesting, and it immediately reflects our future profession. I really liked the dialogue between us and our mentors," shared Anastasia Gryzunova, student at the A.S. Popov Secondary School in the Vlasikha urban district.
The first intake of the Young Journalists School will include more than 100 schoolchildren aged 12 to 17, selected through a correspondence stage followed by in-person interviews. Intensive work is ahead: from mastering the theoretical foundation to creating original media projects.
"Journalism is an important thing, I think, for each of us. It's the ability to express one's thoughts correctly, address an audience, ask the right questions, and experience that will be very useful to us all in the future. My impressions of the first session are wonderful, and overall I'm very happy because I already have some experience in journalism. The first significant event for me in this field was the opening of the Media House of the First at the National Centre RUSSIA. I was part of the group that opened it," shared Rustam Karimov from the Moscow region town of Khimki.
Twelve-year-old Muscovite Maria Dolgusheva, for whom the National Centre RUSSIA has already become a "second home," shared her story of joining the new project: "I'm already studying at the Young Tour Guides School of the National Centre RUSSIA, so this project appeared to be interesting to me, as well, as I plan to work in television in the future, and this is a big push for development and a step toward my dream. So, I simply could not fail to apply. I really enjoyed the first session; I learned a lot of new things and already gained my first experience. I hope we'll continue to develop further."
The first class for the young journalists was conducted by television and radio presenter, Head of the Analytical Radio Programmes Directorate at the Zvezda media holding, Anna Shafran. Drawing on her personal experience, she revealed the essence of key aspects of journalistic work: from understanding one's own mission to the nuances of working with information in the modern-day media space.
"My first impressions and experience are very positive; I really enjoyed asking questions during the class, jotting down phrases and quotes. I hope that in this project I will find myself and my calling, and progress in the media sphere. My mother, who is engaged in the media sphere, told me about the Young Journalists School. I didn't think I would even pass the first stage, but here I am standing now, which means that everything turned out well for me. I write scripts for school events and act as a host, so the media sphere is very important to me. It's not just new technologies and innovations, but also, among other things, our literature and history," said Maria Borshnyakova, a seventh-grader at a Moscow school.
The Young Journalists School is an original project of the National Centre RUSSIA. The Movement of the First acts as a co-organiser, with ANO "Dialogue" and the New Media Workshop as programme partners. The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education of Russia. The strategic partner is the Russian Children and Youth Centre.
The date was chosen for a reason: it was on 2 March 2018 that the decree establishing the "For Mentorship" award was signed.
