Above, a drawing by Mehran Shamit, a Toronto youth reporter, in celebration of Youth Journalism International’s 20th anniversary. Below: national flags of the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, India and Ukraine.
What if you could bring six young people, each born in a different country, together in friendship and to work toward a common goal?
Youth Journalism International is doing that this month, and you can help.
Our new project, “Toronto Tour 2014,” will bring together young writers and photographers who will work together to bring the sights, sounds and experiences of the journey to readers and viewers.
Three Connecticut teens, with their adult chaperones, will travel by van through Upstate New York, making stops along the way. Once they cross into Canada, they’ll meet up with two YJI students and one YJI alum.
In all, the six member group will be made up of youth born in Bangladesh, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Ukraine and the United States, and while they maintain strong ties to their homelands, most grew up in the U.S. and Canada.
Together, they’ll explore Toronto and get to know each other. Most will be meeting for the first time.
They’ll work individually and collaboratively to bring travel pieces, photography and video about historic sites, natural wonders, personal discoveries and much more.
After a couple days in Toronto, the Connecticut teens will bid farewell to their friends in Canada and head home, taking in more sights along the way. In all, it’ll be five days and four nights of adventure, journalism and new friendships.
One way to help make “Toronto Tour 2014” a rousing success is to share this information with others, and follow the students’ work on YJI’s website.
Plus there’s something else. You can also help by making a contribution to the project, which will cost about $2,000, by donating to Youth Journalism International.
Friends of YJI who give contributions of $100 or more will get a limited edition “Toronto Tour 2014” tee shirt showing their support for this project. Of course, anyone who gives a gift of any size makes a difference.
Will you be one of them?
To make a tax-deductible donation to “Toronto Tour 2014” or other Youth Journalism International projects using a credit card or your PayPal account, go to www.youthjournalism.org.
