What makes Children's Express, the news and features bureau for kids, so exciting?
| It makes you feel important and respected to be trusted to do these things. |
Children's Express is a programme of learning through journalism for young people aged eight to 18 which began in the United States of America in 1975 and came to London in 1994.
Since then we have opened bureaux in Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Belfast and Plymouth - and currently have around 250 members nationwide.
Children's Express is all about getting the message across that young people have things to say on issues that affect us. That's why members (as we're called) do most of the work - coming up with the story ideas, as well as running and taking part in Members' Boards where we choose which stories to cover each month.
We carry out interviews and roundtables (a group discussion), write our own monthly newsletter and we even get to interview potential new staff. It makes you feel important and respected to be trusted to do these things, when adults don't just assume that you're a child and therefore incapable of doing anything meaningful.
Members enjoy taking part in Children's Express because working on stories is exciting - not to mention the fact that you get your name in newspapers and sometimes we appear on TV and radio!
You also make lots of new friends, both members and staff, who are less like teachers and more like old mates. It's a great and friendly environment to learn in.
Members' self-confidence increases hugely by running board meetings, giving presentations and training new members, and when interviewing you get to hear the points of view of people who really know their subject.
You learn a lot at Children's Express, but in a fun way. You pick up lots of office skills like typing, using computers and answering the telephone, gain confidence through meeting new people and conducting interviews, and, of course, develop your writing skills - all in a cheerful, stress-free environment.
It's also really nice to go in to the bureau and know that there is always someone there who will be pleased to see you and talk to you.
We have done a huge variety of work throughout the media. One story team even went to Tanzania in Africa where they did a story on Third World Debt and its effect on children.
Members have been on the BBC chat show Esther to talk about smacking, and teams have presented evidence to the Government's Social Exclusion Unit about life on estates. We also carried out interviews for a Channel 4 TV series on teenagers and sexuality.
When doing a story, members don't just sit behind computers or interview people they know. You have to do your own research, write the questions and then do the interviews and roundtables. You also (with the staff) look through the transcripts of the interviews and roundtables, and edit down the quotes into a final article, which is then sold to newspapers or magazines.
But most of all, the essence of Children's Express and what we try to do can be summed up by our motto - "By Children, For Everyone".
About the team
This article was produced by reporter Ella Parry-Davis, 11, and editor Oliver Robertson, 18. It was published at World Online Kids.
