Empowering the Youth: Strengthening Local News Media Services Through the Youth Community Journalism Initiative

ended

A growing crisis in the supply of professional local journalism for the wider public is threatening the financial feasibility of local media outlets in many parts of the EU. In a growing digital age, one would think that the media would be thriving; however, shrinking audience sizes, lost advertisement revenue and growing political influence in the media sector are all challenges that have left many local media outlets struggling to survive. Thus, YoCoJoin aims to intensify efforts towards more inclusive and engaging journalism through the introduction of youth community reporters within local news media outlets. By doing so, this project hopes to boost both the supply in quality journalism and the demand for such services among younger generations – ultimately creating a more economically sustainable business model for local news media outlets. YoCoJoin will be executed by a consortium of seven experienced local media organisations from seven different countries, covering a vast network of languages and journalism professionals. The partners will collaboratively experiment introducing an innovative youth community journalism initiative by adapting the experiences of the coordinator, Omroep Tilburg, and introducing more than 30 local young people in each country to the journalism profession through training modules and mentorship. The project will also directly contribute to the professional skills development of the participating partner organisations through its planned workshops and knowledge-sharing. Finally, YoCoJoin will seek to strengthen the overall sustainability of the wider European local news media sector by providing hands-on experiences to at least 20 non-partner local media services and distributing this inclusive and engaging journalism format through an online tutorial and active networking. As a result, the sector’s potential across countries and regions with different and diverse media capabilities will be increased.