Youth Journalism International connects teen writers, artists and photographers with peers around the globe, teaches journalism, fosters cross-cultural understanding, and promotes and defends a free youth press.

We would be delighted to have you! Youth Journalism International, is an educational nonprofit organization we spun off from our work with The Tattoo that is dedicated to teaching young people. (The Tattoo no longer does education, it is all done through YJI) YJI (www.youthjournalism.org) connects teen writers, artists and photographers with their peers around the globe, teaches journalism, fosters cross-cultural understanding and promotes and defends a free youth press.

The commitment to YJI is one you make to yourself. There is no cost to join. It is absolutely free.

We have members all around the world, on five continents, many countries and most U.S. states.

Students get out of the program what they put into it. We have nothing to offer except our expertise, encouragement and access to places to publish. The ones who invest the most time and energy tend to have the best results.

Everyone's level of involvement is different.

We might ask you to write something specific, but it is your choice whether to do it or not.

Mostly, we ask kids to think about their own schools and towns and tell us what they think the stories are. Then, we can help you sort it out and teach you how to go about it.

This program is for self-motivated teens, and might not work for those who need constant attention and direction, which is something we just cannot give.

We are two working reporters (married) with a home and children and do this in our "spare" time, so we really rely on kids to do what real reporters do, which is come up with their own ideas. Of course we will have suggestions but they might not work or appeal to everyone. We will offer a lot of help if someone needs it and is putting forth a lot of effort. Our involvement with any student largely depends on what they're willing to do. Some kids are really busy and can only do a little bit. Others get very excited about this and do a lot, and we tend to have much more contact with them. They also usually learn a lot more, but everyone gets something out of it.
I am sure that if you want to participate, you will be able to handle it.

Discuss this with your folks and let us know what you think. We're happy to answer any other questions.

If you're interested, please fill in our application form (be sure to scroll down to the bottom, answering every question you can and then hit SUBMIT to send it to us):

If the form doesn't work for some reason, you can fill it in on a Word or PDF form and email it to us. The information you send will not be shared with anyone outside YJI.

For more information about Youth Journalism International,  Contact us via email