Formative Youth Journalism Initiative (FYJI), a passionate nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing middle school students’ access to journalism and sparking a genuine love for journalistic storytelling, implemented a journalism program for middle school students at Alma Fuerte Public School this summer, resulting in the publication of the first Alma Fuerte Newsletter.
Alma Fuerte Public School is authorized by LACOE (Los Angeles County Office of Education) and accredited by WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges). FYJI’s mission supports students’ journalistic interests in diverse topics and has worked with students to develop such subjects as physical and mental health, sports, the arts, and gardening.
The school’s curriculum focuses on English and creative writing, two facets of journalism that make it a uniquely powerful tool and the opportunity to write and be heard. With the well-reported decline in local news outlets, FYJI believes schools should more strongly emphasize student journalism as formalized course work, reporting on pressing issues.
In Pasadena, like many communities, the decline in news outlets and budgets often causes stories to go unreported. With young voices at the helm of issues that directly impact them, school-led journalism provides a direct opportunity to bring these stories to light.
Agents of Social Change
Just like other age groups, middle school students bear the burden of modern societal challenges. Journalism gives them an opportunity to amplify their voices for social change at the individual and communal levels.
The simple act of expressing themselves through journalism sparks personal growth. For example, in FYJI’s summer program, concerned about the summer heat wave and the periodic lack of air conditioning at Alma Fuerte, a student directly raised her concerns about rising temperatures through their publication.
Next, Personal and Academic Journalism Growth at PUSD
The course offerings of all six middle schools within the Pasadena Unified School District are small rectangular tabs on the FYJI’s Web site Home page. At the core of the PUSD middle school curriculum is an educational experience of enrichment – English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. This quartet, along with only a handful of extracurricular offerings, reflects PUSD’s three pillars of balance, consistency, and differentiation. FYJI is currently in discussions about developing a program for students at Octavia Butler Middle School.
Using the basic PUSD curriculum, students must build their foundation as thinkers. Middle school students, in particular, are at the crossroads of formative experiences in their lives. An education that includes journalism allows students to explore their passions, develop critical thinking skills, and prepare for a rapidly changing world.
PUSD’s balanced and rich curriculum should recognize that news magazine journalism is interdisciplinary. Instilling writing skills and a sense of community within middle schools is crucial for personal and academic growth. “Yearbook Journalism” is the only elective journalism offering. While a yearbook class is certainly a form of written and photographic journalism, the value of a weekly or monthly school newspaper or magazine publication cannot be overstated. Regardless of the presence of a yearbook, news magazine journalism itself is unique to any other elective – both in its educational potential and historical absence in middle school course offerings.
Building Community
In addition to improving writing and vocabulary skills, journalism is one of the few courses that allows students to interact directly with community members. Developing interviewing skills in journalism becomes synonymous with interpersonal relationships, giving students the opportunity to prepare for a profession and participate in discussions with peers, community members, and administration alike.
News journalism offers students countless opportunities to express themselves clearly and effectively. Middle schoolers are encouraged to learn how to organize information and think critically at a level unmatched by most other extracurricular and elective offerings. With widespread misinformation and fake news, students need to confirm the credibility of their data and sources. In a journalism class, students learn to ask pertinent questions, evaluate sources, and distinguish between fact and opinion – a space to which few other classes give direct access. In its essence, journalism is an opportunity for students to sharpen their mental filters and synthesize information.
Beyond developing essential writing and research skills, journalism offers invaluable hands-on experience in collaboration and effective communication. The hands-on approach from working on a school newspaper prepares students for real-world scenarios, including high school and future careers.
Readying Students for the Future
Journalism will continue to change. However, the decision to include young people in this evolutionary transformation is imperative. Support for youth journalism electives offers all schools the ability to boost their middle school curriculum. It nurtures a future generation of writers and change-makers at an early age, allowing students to realize an early passion for their future interests – from politics to the arts, culture, math, literature, and writing. The possibilities for journalism in the middle school setting are limitless, and so is the potential of middle school students.
When given a chance, young students will take hold and amplify their voices to better our understanding of social issues. The future of our community – and journalism – rests solely on the opportunities provided to students now and how we engage with their perspectives today.
Formative Youth Journalism Initiative is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) organization.
Nathan Wang
Nathan is a senior at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, where he is the Managing Editor for its student-run newspaper and Editor-in-Chief for Big Red sports magazine. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization Formative Youth Journalism Initiative. You can frequently find him in the kitchen, baking chocolate chip cookies.
Email: [email protected]
Claire Xiao
Claire Xiao is an eleventh-grader at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley High School. She has school yearbook sports journalism and photojournalism experience. In her free time, Claire enjoys playing volleyball and volunteering.
