University Of Hertfordshire Helps Local School Students To Get Ahead

MA students on the Journalism and Media Communications Programme at the University of Hertfordshire have collaborated with local charity Act for Change, under the supervision of Sharon Maxwell-Magnus and Mimi Tessier, to write articles and design a teenage appropriate layout for three editions of the magazine Get Ahead.

This is an innovative new publication designed to increase aspirations amongst local pupils and one of the few postgraduate courses where students have been given the opportunity to launch and promote a new magazine.

The opportunity

The innovative Get Ahead project began when the University was approached by the Radlett-based charity Act for Change, which works with deprived and at risk children in Hertfordshire schools. Act for Change wanted to work with university students and community schools to develop positive, but accessible, role models for pupils which in turn could increase their job prospects.

For the University, this was an excellent and timely opportunity as tutors on the MA Journalism and Media Communications course felt that they wanted to create real-life working experiences for their students which reflected the vocational nature of the course. This would enhance the MA students’ employability with hands-on experience and enable team work and problem solving.

After discussion with the director of the charity Lea Misan, Emma Greening of the Outreach and Widening Participation and between Sharon Maxwell-Magnus, Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Mimi Tessier, Subject Leader for Mass Media Communications, it was decided to create a client magazine for Act for Change. The magazine would be written, designed and edited by the MA students as part of their course and would improve the aspirations of 16 and 17 year old students.

The process

Once funding was gained from the UH Charitable Trust as part of their community outreach and widening participation agenda, initial ideas for the magazine and assignment criteria were discussed. Planning and development followed where firstly, students pitched a variety of articles to Lea Misan with Sharon Maxwell Magnus marking and Mimi Tessier moderating. Suitable articles were then commissioned and written as part of the students assignments for the module: Writing for Magazines and Understanding the Magazine Business.

The second stage, as part of the module: Communications Technologies using InDesign, involved students creating a newsletter, a print magazine and an interactive version of the magazine.

The results

Get Ahead has been distributed to the schools Hertswood, St Mary's, Goffs, Turnford and Bushey Meads and used in workshops with positive feedback from all of those involved.

“This initiative, drawing on the youthful engagement of University students to engage even younger people aged 15 – 18 has been very well received, motivating and providing the inspiration young people need to get up and get ahead in their lives; how to overcome adversity and grow their personal resilience, where to look and find work experience placements, and how to find ways to give something back through volunteering.”

Lea Misan, Act for Change

“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.”

Sharon Maxwell Magnus, Senior Lecturer in Journalism

“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.”

Emily Iversen, MA student, University of Hertfordshire

Find out more

Further funding is now being sought to create further issues of Get Ahead. For more information please contact:

Sharon Maxwell Magnus, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Hertfordshire
T: +44 (0)1707 285 729

Mimi Tessier, Subject Leader for Mass Media Communications, University of Hertfordshire
T: +44 (0)1707 285 709