NASUWT: Young reporters nominated for Paralympic Post
The ten UK students who will join ten German students to report from the London 2012 Paralympic Games for the Paralympic Post have now been selected. The team of young talents was chosen by a renowned jury and will have the opportunity to gain journalistic experience with the award-winning newspaper.
The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK and sponsor of the writing competition, and the Paralympic Post received numerous applications for the ten places for UK students. Students entered the competition from all over the UK – including the Channel Islands – and submitted sample articles covering topics such as their personal experiences with disabilities, portraits of world-famous and local Paralympic athletes or activities for disabled people in their communities.
Paula Roe, NASUWT President and jury member, said: “We were impressed by the quality and diversity of all the entries we received. The winning students demonstrated a keen eye for detail and showed a real understanding of their subject.
They demonstrated a passion and a level of writing ability that belied their ages and I have no doubt they will prove to be excellent wordsmiths who will throw themselves into this tremendous and exciting opportunity.”
Doug Wills, Managing Editor of the London Evening Standard and jury member added: “The number of convincing articles made the selection process very difficult. We are very much looking forward to the students’ coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”
The young reporters for the Paralympic Post London 2012 are:
· Al Maatin Pereira Dos Santos, St Thomas More RC School, London
· Alice Charlotte Conroy, Notre Dame High School, Norwich
· Bradley Neen, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith
· Carina Canavan, St Ciaran's College, Tyrone, Northern Ireland
· Emily Jamison, Limavady High School, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
· George Hayes Simonds, King Edwards School, Bath
· Jacob Sacha Joy, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Birmingham
· Keri Trigg, Newtown High School, Newtown, Wales
· Lucy Michaeloudis, St Dominic's Sixth Form College, Middlesex
· Tavishi Kanwar, Highgate School, London
The team of student journalists are looking forward to reporting from the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
One of the winners Carina Canavan from Ballygawley, Northern Ireland, said: “Every Paralympian has overcome a different type of disability. Every one of them has their own story to tell. Getting to meet them and hear their stories is a humbling and inspiring experience.”
The students will get together for the first time for a preparatory workshop hosted by the NASUWT at the Union’s headquarters in Birmingham from 25th May to 27th May 2012.
They will be mentored and supported by professional journalists and photographers and gain their first practical journalistic experience at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester on 26th May.
The Paralympic Post team will attend the Football 7-a-side bronze and final match as well as the Women’s Wheelchair Basketball bronze game. Ann Cutcliffe, Vice-Chair of the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and Jury member says: “I am pleased that the young journalists will be visiting the Paralympic World Cup which will yet again be an amazing event.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The judging panel who selected the team for the Paralympic Post consists of Paula Roe, NASUWT President, John Rimmer, NASUWT ex-President, Brian Cookson, NASUWT Honorary Treasurer, Pete Henshaw, Editor of SecEd magazine, Doug Wills, Managing Editor London Evening Standard, and Ann Cutcliffe OBE, Vice-Chair and Board Member of the British Paralympic Association.
The Paralympic Post is an internationally renowned newspaper project which covers Paralympic sports and is published in the host country of the Paralympic Games and Germany. The student reporters are selected through national writing competitions in their respective countries. Their impartial and authentic coverage offers a fresh perspective on the Paralympic Games and related disability agendas.
In the UK the Paralympic Post will be published as a supplement in the educational newspaper SecEd in September and the London Evening Standard will report on the project as well as publishing selected articles by Paralympic Post journalists.
Since its first edition in 2004, The Paralympic Post has won several international awards, the most recent one being the "World Young Reader Prize" in the category „Making the News” awarded by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Press Contacts
Karin Preugschat
Paralympic Post
Editor-in-Chief
Phone: +49-228-909089-15
Email: paralympicpost@gmail.com
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