Budding young journalists in The Highland Council area will soon be given the chance to learn and practise their reporting skills.

BBC Radio Scotland and Highland 2007 announce today that Highland 2007 will supply radio training equipment and digital cameras to all 30 associated school groups (Secondary school and its associated Primaries) in the Highlands.  This will be followed by BBC Scotland and the Highland and Islands Community Broadcasting Federation providing training in the use of the equipment, leading to broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland.

A plan is in place for each school group to provide small teams of ‘community reporters’, who will begin training this autumn.  These teams of young reporters will be armed and ready by the beginning of Highland 2007’s programme of events, to start recording and feeding back their experiences to BBC Radio Scotland’s listeners.

The best of each team’s work will be featured by BBC Radio Scotland’s special series of programmes broadcast from Inverness, dedicated to coverage of cultural events during Highland 2007.

Other media opportunities will also be available to the young reporting teams.  Their reports will be available online, and where possible, the schools will be encouraged to hook up with local Community Radio stations.  They will also be encouraged to share their audio material with other schools across Scotland through podcasting, together with making a digital picture archive of their year using the cameras supplied in the initiative.

At the end of Highland 2007, each associated school group will have both a picture and audio archive of their year, as well as recording equipment to use from thereon so that pupils can use their new skills regularly in the future.

Jeff Zycinski, Head of BBC Radio Scotland, says, “We are very excited about working with Highland 2007 on this project.  It offers a great opportunity for schoolchildren in the Highland region to get involved in programme making in their local community.  We also hope that the relationship BBC Scotland develops with each school will extend to future projects and collaborations.”

Alison Magee, Chair of Highland 2007 added, “This is the latest in a whole series of initiatives which emphasise our commitment to young people in the Highlands not just in 2007 but beyond.

“Young people are a core part of the cultural celebrations that are planned as part of Highland 2007 and this partnership with BBC Radio Scotland and the Community Broadcasting Federation will help us to ensure young people play an active role in what will be a hugely exciting year.”