The workshop is being offered in person at Estonian schools in Toronto and Hamilton. It is also being offered remotely for Estonian communities in Montréal and Vancouver. Tuesday's workshop included 12 in-person students and one from Vancouver participating over Zoom. Over the course of 30 minutes or so, we discussed what journalism is, why it's important, and how to develop, research, and communicate stories, either in written articles, photography, or video interviews.
Overall, we stressed that at its core, journalism is storytelling. As Estonians, it is important that we share our culture with the world to preserve and celebrate it. The activity aims to achieve this by asking students to complete either a written article, photo series, or video interview that answers a prompt focused on one aspect of their heritage.
When brainstorming ideas, one student answered the prompt, “What is your family's experience immigrating to Canada from Estonia?” through a video interview with his grandparents. When deciding to answer the question, “How do you connect to your Estonian heritage and culture?” another student suggested taking pictures of some Estonian food. It was clear that they grasped the concepts well and were engaged with the ideas.
…at Hamilton Eesti Kool on Sunday October 20th, we will go through the same materials and inspire a new batch of students to embark on a creative exploration of their culture through journalism.
The next workshop is set to take place at Hamilton Eesti Kool on Sunday October 20th, where we will go through the same materials and inspire a new batch of students to embark on a creative exploration of their culture through journalism. If you or your child are not located in Hamilton, please send an email to natalie@eestielu.ca to receive a Zoom link for students who would like to participate remotely.
We are also very pleased to announce that this workshop offers four $150 prizes to be awarded to the best submissions, thanks to the generous support of the Integration Foundation in Estonia. The winning entries, which will be announced in December and January, will not only receive a cash prize but will also be featured on our website and social media! Stay tuned to see the creative ways that Estonian youth in Canada conceptualize and express their heritage.
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
