Can a collaboration with student journalists from across western Canada spark a conversation that puts young people’s perspectives on the agenda? Possible Canadas: A solutions journalism project, created by Discourse Media in collaboration with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation is an attempt to do just that.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians, the future of our resource-dependent economy, our responsibility to the world’s refugees, and many more burning issues strike at the heart of this nation’s identity, and will likely continue to do so as we approach 2017, the 150th anniversary of Canada’s founding. Yet young Canadians are, by and large, left out of these public debates. Seventy per cent of Canadian Millennials believe that they are being ignored by politicians and 72 per cent do not believe that they can make their voices heard. Only 39 per cent of young Canadians turned out to vote in the 2011 election.
Possible Canadas: A Solutions Journalism Project aims to amplify the voices of young people at this critical juncture in the national discourse. Here’s how the project will work:
- Ten student journalist fellows from across Western Canada who have a passion for reporting on their generation’s perspective
- One weekend in Vancouver where fellows will receive training and mentorship in new journalism tools and technologies and design a collaborative journalism project together
- Ten days of intensive reporting on election issues that matter to your campus community
- One national digital journalism project published (with the best pieces syndicated in a professional media outlet)
- The start of a new conversation about the future of Canada
Click here to learn more about the first phase of Possible Canadas.
Stay tuned for more information about Possible Canadas: A Solutions Journalism Project.