Home Business & Economy News Media Island Social Trends local journalism program for high school students

Island Social Trends local journalism program for high school students

Available to students in SD61, SD62, SD63 & SD79 (and homeschoolers).

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Thursday March 2, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated March 30, 2023]

by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends


Journalism is important in today’s world for delivering factual, timely information about current events, social trends and government decisions.

Professional journalism is delivered through the media industry, through TV, radio, printed newspapers, and online news platforms.

Real journalism helps combat the disinformation, misinformation or simply insufficient amounts of information that are often presented in social media. Journalism is a plank of a properly functioning democracy.

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Island Social Trends is an online daily news portal serving a South Vancouver Island readership.

Island Social Trends Journalism Program:

On South Vancouver Island, the Island Social Trends (IST) Journalism Program is available to students in Grades 9 to 12 in school districts SD61 (Greater Victoria), SD62 (West Shore & Sooke), SD63 (Saanich) and SD79 (Cowichan Valley).

Throughout the school year, students can accept news writing assignments and if up to standard for our readers can have their articles published online within islandsocialtrends.ca . Participate as much or as little as you like or have time for.

The Career Centre at your school will have information on this program. Here is the program profile:


Build Your Journalism Portfolio

  • Opportunity for your news writing to be published within IslandSocialTrends.ca (IST).
  • Work to your own schedule. Choose an appropriate article style.
  • Get tips & feedback about interviewing, writing and format.

  • Articles
    • Pitch a topic; get approval before doing your work.
    • Style options (based on your time, expertise and interest):
      • Current news article
      • Event review / Arts review
      • Opinion-Editorial
      • Topic backgrounder
  • Format:
    • Prepare articles in Word. Include ‘slug’ at the top: your name & contact info, your byline, submitting to, working title, current date, deadline date, word count.
    • Write in clearly composed ‘accessible’ plain English (Canadian Press Style if possible), with a defined target audience in mind.
    • Answer the 5 W’s (who, what, where, why, when) and how.
    • Provide 2 or 3 related photos, if you wish (jpg, max 2MB file size), with captions
    • Include appropriate links (for reference and/or inclusion in the article)
  • Timeline:
    • Throughout the academic year
    • Choose deadlines in collaboration with your teacher and/or the IST editor.
  • Submit your articles:
    • Send articles by email(in the body of the email (or by Word document attachment), with any photos attached
    • Small honorarium possible for certain types of articles.

More information:

For more information, please contact Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke at editor@islandsocialtrends.com .