The Youth Journalism Initiative
Preparing the next generation of storytellers starts local – in schools and communities.
That’s why CalMatters is helping teachers and community leaders ready more high school and middle school students for a career in journalism.
Launched in July 2022, CalMatters’ Youth Journalism Initiative is helping more youth become careful consumers and quality producers of news. We recognize that media skills are key to democratic governance and that California needs a stronger pipeline for youth entering newsrooms.
The Youth Journalism Initiative
Our initiative includes four support areas:
- Teacher training
- Student training
- Career Technical Education certification
- Community youth media programs
Contact us:
Since summer 2023, the Journalism Educator Fellowship has helped more than 40 teachers launch and strengthen journalism programs in middle and high schools across urban and rural California.
Combined, fellows have reached more than 960 students statewide.
Fellows are paired with mentors to help scale their student-led programs, attend monthly trainings with industry speakers, access ready-to-use curriculum and receive ongoing live assistance with all things student journalism.
Through the fellowship, teachers have been able to:
- Launch student news sites and newspapers for their school’s first time
- Produce student-led voter guides, local election and policy coverage, and public records requests
- Earn awards for content and design
- Boost multimedia and social media audience strategy
- Navigate legal questions
- Generate thousands in funds through Career and Technical Education (CTE) certification support
- Inspire students to pursue journalism as a career
Summer Break: Monthly fellowship meetings will continue starting September 2025. Contact us above on how to join.
2024-2025 fellow cities
| Arcadia Atascadero Bell Gardens Chico Chino Covina Cudahy Fresno Granite Bay | Long Beach Los Angeles Manteca Menifee Millbrae Northridge Oxnard Petaluma Redding Riverside | San Anselmo San Bernardino San Geronimo San Jose Santa Ana Santa Barbara South Gate Thousand Oaks Woodside |
Webinars bringing industry reporters to your classroom
If you are a teacher or student, this is your chance to ask questions and connect your class directly with the news industry. Some sessions also focus on skill-building.
| Date | Featured Guest | Recording |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||
| May 1, 2025 | Covering Reparations as a Student Journalist with CalMatters editor Adam Ashton and reporter Wendy Fry. | Video Link |
| 2023 – 2024 | ||
| Sept. 21, 2023 | CalMatters reporter Nicole Foy on covering farmworkers, extreme weather and Gov. Newsom’s ‘rapid response’ | Video Link |
| Sept. 28, 2023 | Long Beach Post editor Jeremiah Dobruck on investigating alleged misuse of public funds | Video Link |
| Oct. 5, 2023 | CalMatters reporter Byrhonda Lyons on investigating California’s rehabilitation programs | N/A |
| Oct. 12, 2023 | L.A. TACO reporter Janette Villafana on covering street vendors‘ struggles and victories | Video Link |
| Oct. 19, 2023 | Black Voice News reporter Breanna Reeves on health equity reporting and the need for Black media | Video Link |
| Nov. 2, 2023 | Live from Boston NHSJC: Student reporters on why they do journalism | Video Link |
| Nov. 9, 2023 | A how-to: submitting your first public records request with Ginny LaRoe and Delilah Brumer | Video Link |
| Nov. 16, 2023 | Los Angeles Times reporter Faith Pinho on creating her narrative podcast series, ‘Foretold‘ | Video Link |
| Nov. 30, 2023 | CBS13 & Good Day Sacramento anchor/reporter Jordan Segundo on broadcast news | Video Link |
| Dec. 7, 2023 | Exploring more news jobs with CalMatters staff: Associate events producer Evelyn Chavez and audience engagement manager Anna Almendrala | Video Link |
| Feb. 27, 2024 | The Four Fundamentals of Journalistic Writing with the Redwood Bark, Monte Vista Stampede, CalMatters | Video Link |
| Feb. 28, 2024 | Opinion writing & 2024 Earth Day contest pitch tips, webinar 1 with CalMatters Voices Editor, Yousef Baig | Video Link |
| March 7, 2024 | Opinion writing & 2024 Earth Day contest pitch tips, webinar 2 with CalMatters Voices Editor, Yousef Baig | Video Link |
Launching and supporting community youth programs
Youth journalism programs anchored in neighborhoods are critical to filling gaps in local news, with students across multiple schools working together to often raise underrepresented issues.
Here are some community youth programs we helped launch or amplified:
JCal 2024 student reporter summer intensive
Program Dates: June 17 to June 21, 2024.
In 2024, JCal continued for its second year with an all-inclusive journalism program immersing 22 California high school students into the state’s news ecosystem.
The program features 2-to-1 industry mentorship, legislator interviews, reporting projects, TV station field trips and more. This innovative program is produced through a unique partnership between the Asian American Journalists Association and CalMatters.
Visit JCal.news to review 2024 and past student reporting projects and media syndication.
About CalMatters
CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. We are the only journalism outlet dedicated to covering America’s biggest state, 39 million Californians and the world’s fifth largest economy.