When Rachael Smith dreamt aged 14 of being a journalist, it seemed unreachable. Now she is a BBC School Report mentor encouraging the next generation.
‘I knew instantly that I had to be a mentor’
Nine years ago I walked into my first school not knowing what to expect. I was Miss Smith and not Rachael, and I was BBC the brand rather than just a journalist. I met my teacher and shook her hand: ‘we are on this journey together,’ I said.
g up to be a mentor for School Report was an easy decision for me. The reason for this goes back to when I was 14 years-old and in my careers office being asked ‘What is it you want to do?’ I knew my answer was in something creative but I couldn’t sing, dance or act that well. What I could do was talk and so I thought the best place for me was in reporting.
At 14 years old, the thought of me working for the BBC seemed like an unreachable dream and so when I finally got a job as a journalist I was thankful to see that BBC School Report existed and I knew instantly that I had to be a mentor.
Volunteering as a mentor is a rewarding two-way experience. I get to keep my skills fresh and I learn and develop new skills whilst schools I work with get to develop in a variety of ways.
One school I’ve worked with has gone from not knowing what School Report is to running a year-long journalism group, where school reporters work as mentors to younger pupils. Pupils from this school are continually seeing the benefit of journalism as part of their learning; so much so that one ex-School Report pupil was accepted on a highly-competitive US journalism exchange programme.
Some schools I have worked with are classed as hard-to-reach, which means that they are schools in communities that may not be accessed by the BBC in other ways. What it means for me, as a mentor, is that I have to be mindful of the complexities that a teacher has to consider when taking on a project like School Report - factors to consider, be that financial, social or cultural.
Before I visit a school I discuss expectations with the teacher on the phone so that they know who I am; what I can do and also I can hear a little about their concerns or queries. Each school has their own unique way of working and this means the guidance I provide the teacher or worker can vary depending on their needs. It may mean looking at different ways that the pupils can tell the story they want to or finding creative ways of running news day on a tight budget.
If I make a school visit I will usually run a session with pupils that encourages them to think about what story they want to tell and show them how easy it is to find a news story if you look for one.
School Report has given me the opportunity to work with schools on some fantastic stories: from showing knife crime through animation, running a BBC Question Time style discussion during an election year, through to watching the 2012 Olympic torch being made and interviewing Lord Coe.
If you think School Report produces ‘soft news’ I would challenge you to take some time to really listen to the pupils involved and you’ll see they have as many similar concerns as us adults.
I am always joyfully surprised by the focus and dedication of the schools involved in School Report. I am looking forward to being a mentor in 2016/17 and I know my 14-year-old self would be proud.
BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the BBC closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community and staff volunteering.
