At a time when social communication between people has taken a backseat owing to virtual and online methods of learning, communication & conversation is the need of the hour. EducationWorld in association with Purple People Labs has come up with an innovative journalism workshop ‘Students Say’ where they have given a platform to young budding souls to communicate. Produced by EducationWorld Films “Students Say” is a seven-day online workshop that is mentoring students to speak up as young reporters. The workshop has begun on June 14 and will continue till  June 21.

The core idea of ‘Students Say’ is to help students identify and broaden their horizon. It is important that they should be listened to, says Shweta Parekh, who is the brainchild behind “Students Say”.

As the name says, ‘Students Say’ is a digital media literacy programme where children will be trained in Audio-Video production, Electronic News Gathering and other tools and techniques of TV Journalism. Focus has also been given to digital media literacy where digital media skills, ethics and fluency will also be checked upon.

Parekh, who has previously worked in several newspapers and television channels, always wanted to do something for children. “Children after standard five or six are always left out since they have already crossed the age of watching cartoons and are not yet considered grown-ups. Hence, there was a need to do something for them that would develop their skill set. There has to be relatable content for them to spent their time after schools and studies. That is when I thought of beginning my entrepreneurial journey in the year 2012.”

“The major challenge that I faced”, says Parekh, was “between the heart and head; between stereotypes and innovation.” Although this is not considered as breaking stereotypes, yet this is an innovative programme that will ensure students get a dedicated platform to interact.”

“The idea is to see how you understand and articulate any information,” added she.

The first programme of Students Say fellowship, India Chapter has 21 students from 21 different cities of India. “The reason why I decided to keep the number low is that we want each student to interact. Unlike other workshops, this will not let any student be a mere spectator. They will be taught news writing and other tools of reporting where everyone will have to take an active role in making videos, audios, stories and contribute in some way and also learn from each other,” stated Parekh.

Apart from the online modules, there are offline as well which will be developed as the schools re-open.

The students who complete the workshop will be awarded a certificate and later they will be the campus directors of their schools who will head them in the near future.