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����ý Teach > Young Reporter > Essentials

We’ve compiled a list of answers to the questions we get asked the most. We’ll update this page as often as we can with new information and questions as necessary.

What is the aim of ����ý Young Reporter?

����ý Young Reporter aims to educate and inform young people about media industry and working in broadcasting.

How do the young people benefit?

Educators tell us that taking part in ����ý Young Reporter supports a range of learning. For example, by helping young people to develop their ability to work in teams, manage their time, conduct research, communicate effectively and think critically. Young people can also develop their media literacy skills and they get the opportunity to do hands-on media production – from writing a story for a website to recording and editing video. It is also a chance for young people to discuss the responsibilities involved in broadcasting their work to a wider audience.

What is there to do as part of ����ý Young Reporter?

There’s plenty to do when you’re registered for ����ý Young Reporter:

• We’ll invite you to attend ����ý events in your area guaranteed to be educational, informative and most importantly, fun!
• Get access to resources and lesson plans (linked to a range of subject curriculums) that help teach journalistic and technical skills directly from ����ý staff.

Who can take part in ����ý Young Reporter?

The project is for young people aged 11-18 that are currently in school or college, from a youth group or alternative education including home schools. Each school, youth group or home school needs at least one teacher, staff member, youth worker or parent to act as a liaison for the young people.

As per the ����ý Safeguarding Policy we do not liaise with young people (under 18) directly.

Can we take part if we're not in the UK?

The ����ý is funded by a licence fee paid for by the British public and the money that funds ����ý Young Reporter comes from this. We therefore primarily serve the UK population and audience.

How many young people do I need to take part?

This is entirely up to you. Some schools run activities with a whole year group, others with a class, and some have a reporting team or an after-school club. Youth groups and alternative provision may work with a number of groups out of school hours. Home schooled students, whether that’s through an official council group or on their own (with a parent) can also take part.

What equipment do we need?

That will depend on what you want to do while you’re taking part in ����ý Young Reporter. There are many different ways to create reports and none of them require the latest, most expensive equipment. High quality video and audio reporting can be done with most smartphones or tablets and there are plenty of free apps to help you do this. The ����ý is unable to supply any equipment or funding for equipment.

What help is available to me, the leader of the project?

We encourage you to use the series of resources and lesson plans on this website to help young people develop their journalistic skills. Our resources include videos from ����ý presenters that offer some helpful tips and insights.

What safeguarding measures does the ����ý have in place?

The ����ý Young Reporter team takes safeguarding very seriously. All ����ý Young Reporter staff and ����ý staff mentors have an up-to-date basic criminal record check (DBS check) and undertake training in accordance with the . As part of these guidelines we must request that ����ý staff are accompanied during visits and should never be left alone with students. You must ensure that all young people who appear in news reports have parental permission to take part in the project. You can download this form from our website. You must ensure that only first names of young people (anyone under 18) are displayed or spoken on any reports.

How do we get involved?

The first step is completing the online registration form which can be found here. This form should be completed by an adult that takes responsibility for the young people that are making the reports. This could be a teacher, youth worker, or parent. You must re-register every year you wish to take part in ����ý Young Reporter. We try to run as close to an academic year as possible, starting in September.

Can we visit the ����ý?

Every year we arrange several events at locations across the country. Once registered you’ll start getting invitations to our events so make sure you stay subscribed to our newsletters to find out when they are. We regret that we cannot arrange special visits to the ����ý for schools or groups. You can find information about ����ý Tours and how to be an audience member for shows here.

Will someone from the ����ý visit us?

When signing up to ����ý Young Reporter you can request a ����ý Young Reporter Ambassador to support you and the young people taking part with your plans for the project. We actively recruit ����ý members of staff from all over the country to support the schools or youth groups signing up to ����ý Young Reporter. It’s a proper volunteering scheme supported by all areas of the ����ý in the United Kingdom. A ����ý Young Reporter Ambassador could come from any part of the ����ý, not just broadcast journalism. ����ý Young Reporter Ambassadors are subject to availability and we cannot guarantee they will be able to visit you in person - some may only be able to support you through email, phone or video calls.

Why does the ����ý run ����ý Young Reporter?

����ý Young Reporter supports two of the ����ý Charter's pledges:

• To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.
• To support learning for people of all ages: the ����ý should help everyone learn about different subjects in ways they will find accessible, engaging, inspiring and challenging. The ����ý should provide specialist educational content to help support learning for children and teenagers across the United Kingdom. It should encourage people to explore new subjects and participate in new activities through partnerships with educational, sporting and cultural institutions.

We do this by:

• engaging young people with news and current affairs;
• sharing some of the public service values behind content creation, such as fairness, accuracy and impartiality, since so many young people are content creators and distributors.

How can I contact the ����ý Young Reporter team?

You can email us at youngreporter@bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on Twitter: