Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) was established in 1995 and is one of five programmes run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). YRE is an International programme and there are currently 23 countries involved: Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Wales. The programme is managed in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy.
The aim of the programme is for secondary schools to investigate a local environmental issue and report on their findings. Through this, pupils have the opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge. They gain further understanding of the issues of sustainable development and citizenship. They use the internet and new technologies as education tools to research and gather information, as well as producing their journalistic articles and photographs and then communicate their findings. The programme also empowers pupils through skills such as communication, team-work, initiative, curiosity and criticism – delivered in a constructive and balanced manner. It provides them with a vision of the professional world of journalism and may inspire them to pursue this as a career and become journalists of the future!
The programme also provides schools with a great opportunity to deliver sustainable development and can also count as evidence towards your school’s next Eco-Schools Green Flag.
Pupils will have eight topics to choose from:
- Biodiversity
- Agriculture & Nature
- Coastline
- Cities
- Climate Change
- Water
- Waste
- Energy
Every year, Young Reporters holds its annual awards, where every country involved submits a number of written and photographic articles to the International Jury. In Wales, the schools journalistic articles are initially submitted to the National Jury, which meet in April, to select the Welsh winner and runners-up.
If you are interested in getting involved in Young Reporters for the Environment, please contact Linda Bradshaw-Wood for further information and support:
029 2025 6767 or direct line 029 2038 1739
E-mail - yre@keepwalestidy.org
You can also visit the YRE international website at www.youngreporters.org