🌤️ March 2026

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Spring is in the air, and so is the excitement at the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition! This March, we’re celebrating J-Week, our citywide week of youth journalism action, with events, student opportunities, and advocacy in action.

Keep reading for the latest updates from the YJC community, including a spotlight on recent student reporting.

📣 Next Week: J-Week 2026!

From March 23–27, we’re making the case to city leaders that journalism education belongs in every school. Here are three ways to get involved!

1. Review the Organizing Toolkit. We have specific action guides tailored to your participation. Check out the communications guidance for how you can amplify our messaging.

2. Sign our letter to City Hall urging city leaders to invest in and support school journalism programs. Once you’ve signed, send it to 5-10 NYC friends! Our goal is at least 1,000 signatures.

3. Attend the Write-a-Thon co-sponsored by Press Pass NYC, The Nation Fund, and The Bell. On Wednesday, March 25, we’re hosting a community event centered around advocacy and writing. Compete for prizes in the Write-Off, learn how to write an op-ed, or write letters to public officials about why journalism education matters to you.

🎊 YJC Happy Hour (21+)

Join us for a pre–J-Week happy hour! We’re bringing together members of our professional community to connect ahead of J-Week. Whether you’ve been part of the YJC network for years or are just getting involved, we’d love to see you there.

The Details:
📍 Where: Fraunces Tavern – The Hideout Bar (54 Pearl Street)
📅 When: Thursday, March 19 | 5:30–7:30 PM

Plus ones are welcome! Feel free to bring a colleague or friend who would enjoy connecting with the YJC community.

👋🏽 Welcoming a New Team Member

🗞️ Recap: Student Newsroom Launchpad

Congratulations to all the Journalism for All students who completed the Student Newsroom Launchpad we held in partnership with Documented and the The Brown Institute for Media Innovation over the New York City Public Schools midwinter recess! After a week-long intensive in community-driven journalism, responsible AI use, and designing sustainable newsroom systems, students presented data-informed prototypes of news products to serve their schools’ information needs. Proposals ranged from Instagram accounts showcasing student opportunities to webpages with graduation requirement explainers. Family and school community members joined the gallery presentations to learn about their student’s newly developed action plan and the projects they will be developing. Throughout the rest of the semester, students will continue building on this work as they begin launching their own school newsrooms. A special thank you to the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation for generously supporting this program!

🎙️ Recap: SXSW EDU

Last week, The Bell brought four student reporters to the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival in Austin, Texas, where they took the stage for a live episode of the Miseducation podcast on the theme, “How Journalists Drive Change in Their Communities.”

Fredlove Deshommes, a YJC student leader alum, and current YJC student leader Jeremiah Dickerson shared their experiences as youth journalism advocates. Deshommes specifically spoke about her role in helping get Journalism for All off the ground, explaining how learning to speak up for herself helped her connect with key stakeholders and turn the initiative into a reality.

We’re incredibly proud to see YJC student leaders elevating youth voices on a national stage!

Pictured from left to right: Fredlove Deshommes, Jeremiah Dickerson, Aponi Kafele, Salma Baksh. Credit: Sabrina DuQuesnay.

📚 Mississippi Journalism Project

Journalism for All has expanded to Mississippi! Led by The Bell and supported by Press Forward Mississippi, the Mississippi High School Journalism Project is a new statewide effort designed to revitalize journalism education in Mississippi public high schools. The initiative will provide schools with access to expert training, mentorship, and specialized resources to help launch and sustain student newsrooms. Applications are currently under way for a new cohort of schools preparing to introduce journalism courses and student news outlets in the Fall 2026 semester.

📸 Introducing: Firsthand

The Bell has announced the launch of Firsthand, a new project across the country that will feature student reporting on pressing issues in our nation’s schools. Student recruitment begins later this spring, and audiences can expect to see the first stories published this fall through a dedicated section of The Bell’s website that will become a go-to resource for young people, educators, policymakers, and the general public. Applications are currently open for a project editor, who will oversee the pitching, reporting, and publishing of stories. Read the full press release for more information on the new editorial initiative supported by the Walton Family Foundation.

✨ Student Opportunities

Reel Works: ¡Escuchame! A Dual Language Narrative Audio/Podcast Lab
Application Deadline: Monday, March 16
High school students ages 14-18 with intermediate knowledge of Spanish and some knowledge of English are eligible to apply for a week-long dual language narrative audio lab over Spring Break where they will create original 7-minute podcasts in English and Spanish. Students will learn how to write scripts, direct performances, and build immersive audio worlds through layered sound design.

Girls Write Now: Mic Check - A Podcasting & Interviewing Career Chat
Date: Tuesday, March 17
Join Girls Write Now for an informational career chat on how to build a produce a podcast and build your audience. Learn interviewing tips from professionals across the industry.

Solutions Journalism Student Media Challenge
Application Deadline: Friday, March 20
Solutions Journalism is looking to build a diverse cohort of student news outlets at colleges and universities to do solutions reporting on the topic of youth mental health for the 2026-27 academic year. Selected outlets will receive a stipend, specialized solutions journalism training, one-on-one support and access to informational sessions.

The Nation Fund Student Writing Fellows
Application Deadline: Saturday, March 21
The Nation Fund for Independent Journalism is accepting applications from students enrolled in college through the Fall of 2026 for a paid nine-month fellowship program, plus compensation for articles upon publication. Fellows will receive editorial, research and fact-checking training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and support in publishing their writing.

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Quizstory Podcast Award
Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 25
High school students across the country are invited to submit a 3-5 minute podcast episode focused on Spain’s historical impact on the United States. Award winners will receive a summer trip to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago.

New York Historical: Student Historian Internship Program
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 29
Students entering grades 10, 11, or 12 who live in and attend school in the New York City metro area are eligible to apply to become a paid Student Historian with the New York Historical for the summer. Interns will conduct in-depth research and share their scholarship through the production of creative digital projects that serve as public education resources.

Brooklyn Public Library Teen Writing Contest
Application Deadline: Monday, March 30
Teen writers from New York City in grades 6-12 are invited to submit poetry and prose for a chance to win the Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize, a cash award, and have their pieces published in the Teen Writing Journal distributed by the library.

The Paley Center for Media: Hearst High School Media Internship
Application Deadline: Monday, March 30
Applications for the paid Hearst High School Media Internship are open to rising 11th and 12th graders. Interns will meet high-profile industry professionals, visit newsrooms and media production spaces, and learn what it means to be a digital storyteller. As a culminating project, interns will produce an original podcast.

Projekt NYC: A Book That Changed Me Writing Contest
Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 31
Students in grades 4-12 across New York City are invited to submit a review or personal reflection on a book that has influenced them. Prizes include cash awards, bookstore gift cards, book bundles and spotlight features on Projekt NYC’s website and social media.

Socrates Sculpture Park Socrateens
Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 31
Rolling applications are open for New York City teens ages 13-19 to participate in a paid experimental art-making program. Participants will explore contemporary art, creative process, and civic engagement in an outdoor, collaborative environment.

Center for Brooklyn History Summer Scholars Internship
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 1
Applications are now open for the Center for Brooklyn History’s (CBH) Summer Scholars program designed for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who live or attend school in Brooklyn and have a passion for public history. Summer Scholars will receive an $800 stipend upon program completion and roundtrip train fare to CBH and all field trip locations.

The Poetry Society of New York’s 2026 Youth Poetry Contest
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 1
All writers under 18 living across the United States are invited to submit a poem to The Poetry Society of New York’s Youth Poetry Contest aligned with this year’s Contest Theme: Mythmaking & Spell-Casting. Winning poets will receive cash prizes and publication opportunities.

PBS News Student Reporting Labs Summer Academy
Application Deadline: Sunday, April 5
High school students around the country are eligible to apply for the Student Reporting Labs Summer Academy in Washington, D.C. Selected students will receive an all-expenses paid week-long trip, connection to experienced media professionals, and hands-on video journalism, storytelling, production and communication experience.

Pulitzer Center Fighting Words Poetry Contest
Application Deadline: Sunday, May 10
K-12 students and young adults ages 18-24 anywhere in the world are invited to submit an entry exploring poetry’s relationship with current events and the issues impacting our communities for the chance to win a cash prize and publication on the Pulitzer Center website.

Press Pass NYC: New York City High School Journalism Retreat
Date: Monday, May 18
All high school student journalists and advisers are invited to attend a day of collaborative learning hosted by Press Pass NYC at the UFT Headquarters. Students and advisers will share ideas and learn from one another to be able to return to their schools with plans to grow and enhance their school newspapers. 

NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Application Deadline: Sunday, May 31
Young storytellers in grades 4–12 are invited to enter NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge with a 3–8 minute submission. Top entries will be broadcast nationally on NPR programs, with winning schools receiving an official trophy and certificate. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, a new award category will also recognize stories that reflect on what it means to be an American today.

🔦 Spotlight on Student Reporting

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