Students Launch Magazine To Help Teenagers Get Ahead
Students from the University of Hertfordshire are collaborating with local charity ‘Act For Change’ to launch Get Ahead magazine, an innovative new magazine designed to increase aspirations amongst local pupils.
Get Ahead is written and designed by ten Journalism and Media Communications MA students from the University of Hertfordshire, and is the first ‘written by students for students’ magazine of its kind in the UK. Aimed at 15 – 17 year old youngsters in Hertfordshire, the magazine is designed to increase career and educational aspirations amongst these students, in a time where youth unemployment is at an all-time high.
Emily Iversen, one of the MA students working on the project, said: “Get Ahead explains what skills the youngsters need and how they can get them, using local role models as examples. This is an amazing opportunity for MA students to get our work out there. Get Ahead is a great chance to help inspire other students who feel like they have no prospects in the current climate and show them that they can succeed and how they can do it.”
Get Ahead will be used by teachers to run workshops on behalf of Radlett-based charity Act for Change, which aims to develop young people's personal and social responsibility through training provided in schools and local communities. Lea Misan, Executive Director at Act for Change said: “Get Ahead is an exciting new venture for our charity and the University of Hertfordshire. With it, we hope to provide a vehicle for University students to encourage other young people to learn skills for a better future and inspire them to act for change within their own communities.”
Get Ahead will launch with three initial issues: The first issue looks at local role models, the second looks at how volunteering can increase employability and the final issue discusses university and apprenticeship schemes. All issues feature real-life examples and aim to inspire local students to enter higher education and to get equipped with essential experience.
Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Sharon Maxwell Magnus says: “For our MA students there is a tangible benefit in working on a real magazine which they know will be read. The teenagers also get to read articles from students who are not that much older so really understand their hopes and fears.”
Get Ahead will be distributed to the schools Hertswood, St Mary's, Goffs, Turnford and Bushey Meads. The first issue will be published on 29 March and will be available both in print and online. The second issue will be published after Easter and the final issue will be available online in May. Get Ahead is sponsored by the newly-formed Outreach and Widening Participation Department at the University of Hertfordshire.
ENDS
For more information, please contact Ann Bruno, University of Hertfordshire Press Office on 01707 281269, Email: a.a.bruno@herts.ac.uk
Notes to Editor
About the University of Hertfordshire
- The University is the UK’s leading business-facing university and an exemplar in the sector. It is innovative and enterprising and challenges individuals and organisations to excel.
- The University of Hertfordshire is one of the region’s largest employers with over 2,300 staff and a turnover of almost £231 million.
With a student community of over 27,700 including more than 2,900 international students from over eighty-five different countries, the University has a global network of over 170,000 alumni.
- The University of Hertfordshire was awarded ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2010’ by the Times Higher Education (THE) and ranks in the top 4% of all universities in the world according to the recent THE, World University Rankings.
- For more information, please visit www.herts.ac.uk
- Did you know? University of Hertfordshire students worked on the special effects in Clash of the Titans 2, X Men and Captain America – We are creative
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