Jasmine Fellows
Cosmos magazine editor
Quality journalism is not just for adults. Young writers and readers seek science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) news that is relevant and fact-based. In a move that supports the future of STEM journalism, CSIRO Double Helix magazine and Letterly will host a “Young STEM Journalism Bootcamp”.
The Bootcamp is to run through January 2025, during Australia’s school holidays. Perfect for high school students, the online program will help young writers translate STEM into clear, relatable stories, that will be published by CSIRO.
With guided feedback from experts, including the Double Helix magazine team, participants will learn to research, write and fact-check stories, developing their critical thinking and communication skills.
“Science communication can change the world,” says Editor in Chief of CSIRO Publishing magazines unit, Ian Mannix. “We want young writers to be part of that opportunity.
“It’s important to recognise that young people have an important viewpoint, and come from a different perspective than writers like me who’ve been in the business for 40 years.
“This project will provide a great foundation in writing knowledge for participants.
“It’s a great opportunity to build the talent pipeline for science journalism. We need to equip young people with the skills they need to understand science, so they can make evidence-based decisions to shape their futures.”
Double Helix will publish their work on its website and the best stories will be printed in Double Helix magazine.
“Some might even sneak into Cosmos, alongside the very successful podcasting content from young people who created Next Gen for us last year,” Mannix says.
The Letterly project builds on the history of CSIRO’s Double Helix magazine, which has almost 40-years’ experience of delivering quality science journalism to school-aged students.
Letterly is a US-based startup with an education technology tool designed for 1:1 writing instruction.
Enrolments can be made via the Letterly website. Early-bird rates are available until 30 November.
