Get down to work right after the meeting

The application form had 13 questions, the first meetings with the aspiring students took place at 13:00 - these unusual circumstances followed the launch of Den’s 13th Summer School of Journalism. The curator of the school Inna Pavliuk assumed that this magic number betokens successful work for the students. The participants of the school are full of high expectations and are making grandiose plans for the month.

A student of Lviv Ivan Franko National University, Dmytro Plakhta has applied to for the training for the second time - and this time successfully. He is sure that he will succeed in showing his worth.

“After my last year’s failure to get in the newspaper Den, my journalist activity has taken a different turn,” Dmytro says, “I have started to work in television journalism, but the press has still remained an important part of my work. I decided to have a shot once again and this time I succeeded. I think that the newspaper Den is a new quality level I want to reach. With the help of the newspaper I want to improve my journalistic skills. I have always worked as a non-staff contributor; therefore the opportunity to work for a month as a staff journalist in a newspaper, having my finger on the pulse of life of our country, is very appealing to me. Hopefully, my work with Den won’t be limited to the Summer School only and I will also work as a non-staff contributor in the future.”

The participants haven’t decided yet on what topics they will be working during the month. Most of the students take interest in culture and social topics, but there are exclusions as well. For example, Natalia Shymkiv, a student of the Lviv-based Ivan Franko National University, sees herself in political journalism.

“I take interest in politics and have a few ideas concerning the materials,” Natalia says, “After the training I am planning to work as a political journalist. Actually, my acquaintance with the newspaper Den began with reading the books Ukraine Incognita. TOP-25 and Extract 150. This is an extremely deep literature; so, I felt that I reached a higher level every time I closed the book. I liked that a lot. I decided to enter the Summer School of Journalism of Den, because I consider it to be the best platform for becoming a real journalist. Hopefully, I will be able to realize the theoretical knowledge I’ve obtained in the university in the materials that will be published in Den/The Day.”

This year’s students include real “veterans.” Marta Franchuk, a Kyiv Mohyla Academy student, is a graduate of Den’s 12th Summer School of Journalism. Marta is happy to be in a company of people who are ready to develop and improve themselves. She also believes that namely Den is the best publication that can help these young people become professionals.

“I will always be thankful to the newspaper Den for giving me a ticket to the world of journalism,” Marta says, “These are not empty words. They really mean a lot for me. Namely in the newspaper Den I started believing that I really can write. A year ago I didn’t imagine myself a journalist; I thought my future lied elsewhere. When I entered the school, I understood that journalism was my cup of tea. After the Summer School I have been developing and taking part in a variety of projects. Nonetheless it seemed to me that I did not reveal myself to the full during my training in the Den School. Last year I was immature and didn’t see that I had any future in mass media. Now I have ‘ripened’ a bit, obtained more knowledge, and I know where I can apply it.”

Generally, over 500 young and talented journalists have trained in Den’s Summer School of Journalism. The new students have a month of interesting meetings, roundtables, and trainings ahead of them, which bring them one step closer to their dream.