New Journalism programme offered for students in JCs, ITE, Polytechnics and Universities

SINGAPORE. Business Times (13 December 2022) - Young aspiring journalists in Singapore can soon tap a new programme that will equip them with skills in creative writing, storytelling and photography, and offer them access to internships and mentorships at SPH Media.

The programme, to begin in January, is organised by SPH Media and the National Youth Achievement Award Council (NYAA). It will be aimed at students in the junior colleges, Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities, SPH Media and NYAA said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 13).

SPH Media chief executive officer Teo Lay Lim and NYAA executive director James Soh inked an agreement outlining the programme on Tuesday at SPH Media’s office in Braddell.

It was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, who chairs NYAA’s advisory board, at an event which included an awards presentation ceremony for the winners of the National Writing Competition.

Under the programme, students will take part in focus-group sessions every quarter on youth media consumption habits, the evolution of news coverage and platforms, and the utilisation of digital applications and tools, it said.

These students will also be involved in the development of SPH Media’s products.

Teo said it is important for the company to understand the interests and media consumption habits of young audiences and continue to engage them.

She added: “Through this partnership with NYAA, we hope to identify news content that youth are seeking, and how we can connect with them from medium to frequency. We are delighted to partner NYAA and tap its network to co-create and shape our products to make them more relevant for our young audience.”

Soh of NYAA said youth must be empowered to take climate change seriously: “The writing competition is one good platform where we can engage our youth to develop sustainable solutions for a more sustainable future for Singapore. We have a moral obligation to do this today – not tomorrow.”

The topic of this year’s competition, organised by the two organisations, is “Towards A Sustainable Singapore: How Youth Can Make A Difference”.

It ran from Jan 20 to Feb 4 and received more than 300 entries from students of all educational levels, who were invited to share their ideas on how young people can contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Six winners were selected by a panel of judges based on their creativity and ability to present their ideas and solutions.

The first prize went to Deborah Lee, 20, a medical student at Nanyang Technological University, for her essay “Go Green”, in which she made the case for a smartphone app to promote sustainable habits among the youth.

She won S$1,000 and a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 News Tablet with a one-year subscription to The Straits Times.

On her win, she said: “I think it’s important to do my part by sharing ideas, and I wanted to participate in this competition to challenge myself in this regard.”

Second-prize winner Rakshita Murugan, 18, just completed her studies at Eunoia Junior College and intends to study law. Her essay, “Project Money Plant”, won her S$500 and the tablet.

Nicholas Ong, 25, won S$300 and the tablet for his essay “The ‘3Green’ Youth-centric Framework”. He recently graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a geography degree, and will study to become a teacher.

Three merit prizes, each comprising S$100 and the Samsung tablet, went to Bryan Voon, 24, from NUS, Celeste Chua, 19, from Raffles Institution, and Olivia Law, 18, from Yishun Innova Junior College.

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