For Charlie, Ellie and Poppy, journalism started as an after-school club. Through The Key to Find Your Spark, it has become something much bigger: a chance to explore a passion, discover new opportunities and start thinking about where their future could take them.
The Key to Find Your Spark helps young people explore what excites them and turn those interests into real experiences. Through KEY+, young people use our 5-step approach to explore their passion, helping them discover new possibilities and unlock future pathways.
For this group, that passion is journalism.
When they first joined their school’s journalism club, it was still finding its feet: “It wasn’t really much of a thing and there weren’t many members… and then we joined and we started planning more stuff and getting people inspired.”
And before taking part in KEY+, the group didn’t necessarily see journalism as something they were passionate about. Ellie reflected on how this changed through the experience: “Well I always liked art and media, but The Key’s made me realise that it’s actually so much more than what I thought. I thought it was just writing and stuff, but you can do loads of things.”
So, The 3 Journalists used their Stage 1 KEY+ project to let more people know about the group. And since then, the club has grown, with young people creating articles, videos, podcasts and an e-magazine showcasing their work. Charlie created a video introducing the journalism club, Ellie explored local history in the North East and Poppy highlighted free activities available in the local area.
As their interest in journalism grew, the group wanted to take their learning beyond the classroom. Rather than simply reading about media, they wanted to experience the industry first-hand. That’s what led them to plan their Stage 2 visit to Media City Manchester (through The Key to Find Your Spark), where they will have the opportunity to explore professional media environments, take part in workshops and learn directly from people working in the sector.
For Ellie, the project has completely changed how she thinks about her future: “I think it’s really important because I feel like if I go to Media City, I can learn so much and stuff. I feel like before this, I did not want to do anything media as a job but now, I’m starting to think about taking a career in media and stuff and I just think it’s so cool to see and learn and stuff.”
The group have planned the visit themselves and invited media students from their school to come along too. To help fund the experience, they used their Stage 1 KEY+ project to organise a journalism club staff breakfast and raffle, raising money towards transport and food costs.
Along the way, the group have grown in confidence and belief in themselves. While Find Your Spark has helped them discover what motivates them, it also given them opportunities to develop new skills, gain real-world experience and explore future possibilities.
Ellie reflected on how much she has changed through taking part: “I’ve learnt communication because before The Key, I was not very good at talking to people in power or just people in general. I feel like I’ve definitely extended my vocabulary, and I’ve learnt how to talk about things.”
For Poppy, the project opened up an interest she never expected to have: “I just can’t wait to be there [Media City]. Also, to be honest, I never thought I’d have an interest in journalism, but I really think it’s a good thing to have in the future as well.”
Poppy also mentioned that the project: “puts a good image on us really because it’s good for your CV to say that this is something I did in school, and I think it’s good to take part in after school stuff.”
And looking ahead, Charlie believes the experience will help the group think about their futures and the opportunities available to them: “I think it’ll be a good experience overall and going there would help choose in what we actually want to do in the future, and it will be good.”
Perhaps most importantly, the experience has shown the group what they are capable of when they are trusted to lead their own ideas. Ellie said: “I never knew until KEY+ that we could do stuff like this, and I think it’s so cool that we get to plan it.”
And Charlie reflected on the wider impact the experience has had on him in school life: “This has been a very good experience during school and has made me feel included and respected more by other staff members and people.”
Their advice to other young people who are still trying to discover what excites them is simple: “I would say expect the unexpected because I had no clue that I’d have such an interest in doing it, and I feel like when you actually do it, you have something that you realise I actually do want to do this.”
“So, I would just say go for it even if you’re unsure. You’ll probably never be sure in life, take the risk.”
Through The Key to Find Your Spark, Charlie, Ellie, and Poppy haven’t just organised a project, they’ve discovered new interests, explored possible career pathways and gained the confidence to pursue opportunities they may never have considered before.
For a group that once saw journalism as simply an after-school club, it has become something much more: a passion, a possibility, and a glimpse into what their future could hold.
As Ellie put it: “I’m just grateful that we had the opportunity to do this and it can inspire you to do so much in the future. And even now, as a young person, I feel like I can do so much.”
For The 3 Journalists, this project isn’t just about a trip to Media City, it’s about discovering where their spark could take them next.
About the author
The Key