In celebration of J-Week, the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition is collaborating with schools across all five boroughs to invite city and education leaders to see the power of journalism education up close.
These site visits are a unique opportunity to step into a journalism classroom, connect directly with student journalists and their educators, and see firsthand how these programs teach students to investigate facts and engage with their communities.
NEW YORK — From March 23 to 27, the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition is leading J-Week, a citywide celebration of youth journalism. As city leaders weigh next year’s budget, students, educators, and community members in all five boroughs will spend the week making the case to back journalism programs in public schools.
According to NYC Department of Education data, only about 1 percent of public high schoolers completed a journalism or media course last year. That number is growing this year as a result of Journalism for All, YJC’s initiative to revitalize journalism education by providing schools with specialized curriculum, training, and resources.
A pilot cohort of 30 schools across all five boroughs is now offering journalism courses to nearly 1,000 students who previously lacked access. The model is designed to scale citywide to provide every student the opportunity to take a journalism class.
● Monday, March 23
9:30-10:30AM: Open house for Queens leaders to the journalism classroom at Thomas A. Edison CTE High School. See appendix for school details.
12:30-1:15PM: A budget briefing for City Council Budget Directors on the Journalism for All initiative for the upcoming FY27 budget, co-hosted by YJC, the Office of Council Member Rita Joseph and the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.
● Tuesday, March 24
10:30-11:20AM: Open house for Brooklyn leaders to the journalism classroom at Gotham Professional Arts Academy. See appendix for school details.
● Wednesday, March 25
1:00-2:00PM: Open house for Bronx leaders to the journalism classroom at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. See appendix for school details.
5:00-7:00PM: YJC Write-a-Thon, a community writing event open to all, featuring timed competitions, op-ed workshops, and letter-writing.
● Thursday, March 26
9:30-10:30AM: Open house for Manhattan leaders to the journalism classroom at Urban Assembly Maker Academy. See appendix for school details.
12:00PM: Student journalists covering Speaker Menin’s Pre-Stated Press Conference and the City Council Stated Meeting.
● Friday, March 27
11:15AM-12:00PM: Open house for Staten Island leaders to the journalism classroom at Port Richmond High School. See appendix for school details.
Time TBD: Students deliver a citywide sign-on letter addressed to Mayor Mamdani, Speaker Menin, and the NYC Council.
Everyone has a role to play in expanding youth access to journalism opportunities. The public can contribute to these efforts by:
● Featuring student reporting: Newsrooms or newsletters can republish student work or highlight it in communications. Use the citywide high school newsstand to find student stories that resonate with your audience.
● Spotlight youth journalism: Share student stories or the value of youth journalism on your social channels, in newsletters, or community communications. YJC has templates to get you started.
● Donating journalistic equipment: Do you have cameras, recorders, or other equipment not in use? YJC will get them to schools that need them.
● Joining the Youth Journalism Coalition: Be part of a growing collective of journalists, educators, students and philanthropists who are expanding access to youth journalism opportunities.
Learn more about the full week of celebration and action at youthjournalismnyc.org/jweek.
The New York City Youth Journalism Coalition advances equitable access to journalism opportunities for New York City’s young people, including through the Journalism for All initiative. YJC partners include students, educators, nonprofits, newsrooms, foundations and others who support its mission.
APPENDIX: Schedule of School Visits & Descriptions of School Programs
Monday, March 23 at 9:30 a.m.
Thomas A. Edison CTE High School in Jamaica Hills, Queens has a robust journalism program thanks to teacher and advisor Ms. Noreen Fitzgerald-Makar, who founded the program and has been running it since 2011. She is a Certified Journalism Educator with the Journalism Education Association and is one of the Journalism for All coaches, advising new journalism teachers in the pilot cohort.
Tuesday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m.
Gotham Professional Arts Academy in Crown Heights/Prospect Heights launched their first-ever journalism program through the Journalism for All initiative (J4A), starting with a school-day course. This small school focuses on art, theater and social justice in a non-traditional setting as a consortium school. The journalism educator, Ms. Amelia Parker, is a secondary special education and literacy teacher who was trained by CUNY Newmark through the J4A pilot cohort.
Wednesday, March 25 at 1:00 p.m.
The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology in Mott Haven is a 6-12 consortium school. The journalism teacher, Mr. David Fulco, founded the program a few years ago and quickly turned the paper into a core part of the school community. In its first year, they won two Newsies at the Baruch College High School Journalism Awards. Mr. Fulco was trained by CUNY Newmark through the J4A pilot cohort, which has provided a curriculum for the course and sustainability support for the program.
Thursday, March 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Urban Assembly Maker Academy in Lower Manhattan is a CTE school with an emphasis on work-based learning and design thinking. Before joining the Journalism for All cohort, UA Maker had recently started their school paper as an afterschool program. Ms. Ruby Lee Simon was trained by CUNY Newmark through the J4A pilot cohort, and the program has since launched into a full course with multiple sections during the school day, serving many new immigrant and multilingual students. This visit will be a gallery-style exhibition where students will be stationed alongside their work to discuss their reporting and share their experiences.
Friday, March 27 at 11:15 a.m.
Port Richmond High School in Port Richmond, Staten Island has a rich history of student media, including a weekly TV news broadcast and a newspaper (The Crow’s Nest) that dates back to 1937. However, the publication historically struggled with consistency. The journalism teacher and newspaper advisor, Ms. Marie Bresowsky, was trained by CUNY Newmark through the J4A pilot cohort, and is offering a journalism course for the first time this year. She is working to revitalize the paper and build a sustainable future for the program.
Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer
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