How to work with SRL: New for the 2023-24 school year!

BACK TO SCHOOL KICKOFF

The SRL team held a virtual back-to-school kickoff event in late August to share how we’re doing things a little differently this year. Watch the recording to learn about our new processes, resources for you, and other ways that team SRL can support your student reporting!

DEADLINES

The 2023-2024 school year prompts are open! From music and performance to book bans and gun violence — report a story in your community and share it with Student Reporting Labs by one of two deadlines: December 15, 2023, or March 15, 2024. These deadlines are for completed video stories. In most cases,  SRL does not require pitches.  Why are there two deadlines? We want to give options to schools that work on different timelines. 

Note: SRL’s On Our Minds podcast does require pitches (due September 22, 2023, and January 13, 2024) and the podcast has other deadlines throughout the school year. 

PITCH US!

SRL welcomes student ideas, and we’d love to hear about a story from your community that you think the world should know about– including topics not listed in our 2023-2024 school year prompts. Students may use this form to submit their own story ideas. If their pitch is selected for potential publication, a member of our team will reach out. Be sure to review the elements of a good pitch before submitting. Here’s an example of a great pitch.

PUBLICATION

SRL encourages you to publish your story on your own — use your school’s platforms: website, social media channels, school broadcast, etc., and be sure to tag SRL! More tips here. 

If you would like your video story to be considered for publication by SRL, please submit it by December 15, 2023, or March 15, 2024, using the submission form at the bottom of the assignment in StoryMaker. Due to the volume of submissions SRL receives, we cannot guarantee publication. If your story is selected, a member of our team will reach out to you directly.  

Selected student work will be featured on national news outlets and social media– including the PBS NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms.

HOW TO GET HELP FROM THE SRL TEAM

To support SRL students and educators throughout the process, youth media producers are available to consult with students on story pitches, scriptwriting, voice-over narration, rough cuts, and final videos. If you have a quick question, the fastest way to contact our team is to fill in this form. Have a more in-depth question? Book office hours with our community engagement team here to get help at any point during the reporting or production process.

Note: If you’re working at a district level or seeking to learn more about professional development for teachers at scale (school administrators, etc.) contact Victor Fernandez at victor@reportinglabs.org.

STAY CONNECTED

Get us in your inbox — sign up for our newsletter. 

Get us on your phone — join either the SRL Educator WhatsApp group or SRL Student WhatsApp group to get the latest opportunities and updates delivered straight to your phone.

If you’re an educator, join our Facebook group to engage with more educators like you — this is a place to share your questions and wins!

OTHER CURRENT OPEN CALLS FOR STUDENTS

  • SRL is seeking high school journalists to join our Student Advisory Team and help shape SRL’s editorial coverage. Time commitment: one hour-long Zoom call each month during the 2023-24 school year.  Apply by September 15. [CLOSED]
  • On Our Minds is Student Reporting Labs’ award-winning teen mental health podcast. We’re starting to make season 4 with students, and are looking for hosts, stories, and theme music:
  • 2023-2024 school year prompts From music and performance to book bans and gun violence — students are invited to report video stories in their community and submit them to Student Reporting Labs by one of two deadlines, December 15 or March 15.
  • An upcoming episode of SRL’s “Moments of Truth” series will feature a conversation among teenage peers who are concerned about their level of social media use. Teens can pitch their stories here. [CLOSED]