Recently, a few aspiring journalists from year 10 were gifted the opportunity to participate in the Young Reporter scheme of 2016/17; a fantastic real life work experience, giving you a chance to not only write for a local paper but to also gain an understanding of what is expected in this competitive field that is the Media. This exciting scheme essentially gives you the opportunity to experience life in the Media: develop ideas and create editorial reports, carry out market research and even allows you to see your name in print, giving you a chance to build up a portfolio of your work which can be showcased in the future. The scheme runs for eight months from September through to April. Students are required to write eight articles in total and those that accomplish this within the specified deadlines, are put forward to compete with all other qualifying students to win prizes. Those students in the top two will become the faces of marketing material for the following year. A truly marvellous opportunity indeed. Jodie Bowen, the winner of the 2016 Best Reporter Award for Year 10/11 described how, “I have thoroughly enjoyed being a participant in the Young Reporter scheme and thrilled to be one of the winners. It has really improved my writing style and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in journalism as it has been an amazing experience.” Furthermore, Shane Ward, the 2016 Best Reporter of Year 12/13 stated how, “participating in the Young Reporter scheme has truly given me an amazing insight into what life as a journalist is really like, and how much time needs to go into each article. Moreover, seeing your name in a professional newspaper online is something quite motivating, and it’s only possible with this scheme”. Personally, this scheme has served to ultimately increase my confidence immensely, having to publish gripping and enthralling articles each month has made me understand the high standards required in order to be successful as a journalist. Nevertheless, being able to say that you have had your articles published professionally on a news website is incredibly awe inspiring. Thus, I have really enjoyed participating in this scheme because it has also created this raw sense of community, giving us an experience in meeting tough deadlines with a bit of friendly competition; skills that will definitely help us in the future. Written by Umeh Jamiath