Youth News in partnership with The Royal Gazette <$>and its Newspapers in Education (NIE) programme, recently won the coveted Rookie of the Year award for student newspapers by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation - a major accomplishment considering this home-grown newspaper competed with the likes of the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.

Youth News has been in circulation for close to two years and appears the second Thursday in every month during the academic year. Special features writer Tricia Walters caught up with outgoing co-editor Serena Brangman and one of the paper’s founding members and former editor, Caitlin Collis, to get the inside scoop on this student newspaper.

Q: How did Youth News get started?

Caitlin: In 2004, a group of Bermudian students were invited to the United Nationals International School to attend a conference on modern mass media.

A bunch of us came up with the idea to have our own youth newspaper. There were four of us and we sat down and started writing and today there’s more than 70 writers for Youth News.

Q: What is the newspaper’s main goal?

Serena:<$> Promoting peace and tolerance. But we write about topics which others think are controversial, because the youth basically just come out and say it. We want the youth to be heard and often we’re overlooked, but now we can express our opinions.

Caitlin:<$> We also give the youth an outlet to express themselves on current issues in Bermuda, even controversial ones.

Q: Who writes for Youth News?

Serena:<$> Students from various public and private schools, different cultures, races and backgrounds. It’s very diverse. The youth do all the writing and we also come up with all the ideas for stories ourselves.

Q: What motivates your team to spend their spare time writing stories for the newspaper?

Serena: Most people have a love for writing and strong opinions on certain subjects, so it’s easy for them to go home, get all fired up and express their opinions. Sometimes we have prizes for those who submit the most articles in a month and this also helps motivate them to write.

Caitlin:<$> The thrill of being able to see their articles printed in a newspaper is reward enough.

Q: What type of stories does the newspaper cover?

Serena:<$> We cover everything from violence, drugs and teen pregnancy, to beauty and fashion and worldly issues like AIDS. It depends on what the youth want to talk about.

Some just want to talk about fashion and beauty, while others want to talk about sports or spirituality for the youth, so whatever they are into.

Caitlin: We also cover current affairs that appears in the main newspaper, but from our perspective.

Q: How do you feel the newspaper can help address some of these issues?

Caitlin: I think Youth News provides a lot of youth, who might be out on the street, an opportunity to express themselves.

It gives them an incentive, and a lot of times we have youth who start writing for us and it changes who they are. They now have a purpose and goal.

We also address issues like teen violence and pregnancy, which sometimes adults might not be as comfortable addressing.

Serena: You might be getting some of the students responsible for the mishap at school, coming to write for us. That’s how diverse we are.

Q: What about controversial issues - are they more difficult to write about?

Serena: <$>Some students might be afraid to express their feelings and then go have to go back to school the next day after writing about something like teen pregnancy - especially middle school students because they might get teased - but others have the ‘I don’t care’ attitude.

I wrote about a bus driver who was picking on young students on his bus. I put what bus he drove, what time, everything.... and my name appeared with the story, but I just kept thinking, ‘ It has to be said’.

Q: What was the one most memorable moment for the Youth News team over the last two years?

Caitlin: I haven’t been part of Youth News over the last year because I’ve been away at school, but I would say the first newspaper that ever published. Since then I’ve just been so inspired to write.

Caitlin is currently the overseas correspondent for Youth News as she’s attending Havergal College in Toronto, Canada.

Serena:<$> Just seeing so many students come together and work as a team. So often you see how youth from different backgrounds separate themselves from each other, but seeing them come together and discuss issues that are educational, I thought that was wonderful because it breaks down boundaries in our culture and in our community.

Youth News is showing that we can all work together and obtain a goal of global peace and tolerance.

Q: What can we look forward to seeing from Youth News in the future?

Caitlin: Over the next year I’ll be writing from boarding school in Canada and giving an international perspective on things.

I have the opportunity to interview students from all over the world.

Serena: Youth News is expanding and growing so quickly.

I’m leaving for a course in Canada, but the baton is being passed on to two new students to be editors, so that they can know what it is like to have this kind of responsibility.

Also, now that people know who we are, it’s much easier to get out names out.

Q: Lastly, how do you feel about the award Youth News recently won?

Caitlin: <$>It’s amazing! And it just shows what a little hard work can do.

It lets you know that it has all been worth it.

Serena: So many youth take time out of their busy schedules to write for Youth News and will drop everything to attend a function or something without a second thought, so yes, it was well deserved.