You know what they say... April showers bring May podcasts, events and opportunities galore.

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NYC students: Apply to the Summer Youth Podcast Academy

We’re accepting applications for the seventh annual Summer Youth Podcast Academy. This three-week workshop offers immersive, hands-on training for students to create original podcast episodes. Participants also receive mentorship from professional storytellers, editors and producers.

• July 27 to August 14

• $500 stipend + daily lunch allowance

• Open to current 9th-12th graders in NYC public and charter schools

• Learn more and apply by Sunday, May 17

Separate: NYC schools 72 years after Brown v. Board

To mark 72 years since the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, we’re partnering with the Center for Brooklyn History to host a live recording of the Miseducation podcast. We’ll take an intergenerational look at inequities in New York City public schools and discuss trials and triumphs in the longstanding struggle to integrate the nation’s largest school system. Special guests include former Park Slope Collegiate principal Jill Bloomberg, Small Schools Athletic League founder David Garcia-Rosen, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.

• Monday, May 18

• 6:30-8 p.m. 

• Center for Brooklyn History (128 Pierrepont St.)

• Free with RSVP

18 high schools selected for Mississippi High School Journalism Project

Mississippi has a storied history of raising journalists who change the world—from the fearless reporting of Ida B. Wells to the global influence of Oprah Winfrey. To ensure that legacy continues, The Bell is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of the Mississippi High School Journalism Project.

We’ve selected 21 educators from 18 public high schools to lead this charge. With the combined support of Press Forward Mississippi and the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, these teachers will establish credit-bearing journalism classes starting this fall.

The journey begins this summer at the University of Mississippi, where teachers will attend an intensive four-day training institute. Led by Journalism for All curriculum designer Katina Paron, the cohort will gain tools and strategies to empower the next generation of Mississippi journalists.

Read more about the initiative and the participating teachers.

40 high school students to intern at local newsrooms this summer

This summer, 40 high school students from 25 Journalism for All schools will participate in a first-of-its-kind citywide high school newsroom internship program. As part of the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, the Youth Journalism Coalition matched select student journalists with newsrooms for paid, six-week internships. Students will tackle real-world reporting projects, experience professional newsroom culture, build industry connections and enhance their career readiness.

The newsroom partners are Amsterdam News, BQE Media/Queens Ledger, BRIC TV, Broadway Education Alliance/Playbill, Bushwick Daily, Capital B, Disabled Journalists Association, Documented (pictured above), The Indypendent, PBS News Student Reporting Labs and Vamos Forward.

Student journalists tour the New York Times printing plant

The Bell’s student reporters and Youth Journalism Coalition student leaders took a special behind-the-scenes trip to the New York Times printing plant in College Point, Queens, last month. They got to see the printing presses in action, flip through not-yet-published newspaper editions and learn about the plant’s history from Mike Connors, managing director of production and a 50-year plant veteran. Thank you to Mike and Elizabeth Davis-Moorer for arranging this eye-opening experience.

Youth Journalism Coalition student leaders connect with Utah teens

Youth Journalism Coalition student leaders gathered with a group of teen journalists from Salt Lake City’s Highland High School at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY last month. The New Yorkers and Utahns were fascinated to hear about the differences in each other’s daily lives, comparing their respective commutes by subway and car. Most importantly, they walked away with a deeper understanding of how journalism connects people across communities. Thank you to the Highland Rambler and Katina Paron for this special opportunity.

Latest from the P.S. Weekly podcast

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Featured student opportunities

The Pulitzer Center is accepting submissions for its Fighting Words Poetry Contest, inviting students to explore how journalism and poetry can connect global issues to local and personal contexts. K-12 students from anywhere in the world may enter for the chance to win cash prizes and publication on the Pulitzer Center website. Submit here by Sunday, May 10.

The New York Times Learning Network is accepting submissions for its Student Podcast Contest. Students ages 13–19 may work independently or collaboratively to create an original five-minute podcast on a topic that matters to them. Winning entries will be featured by The New York Times Learning Network. Learn more and submit here by Wednesday, May 13.

The Service Collective is recruiting for its summer internship program, an opportunity for rising 9th-12th graders passionate about civic engagement and community service. Interns will volunteer at a variety of Brooklyn-based nonprofit organizations for 12 hours from June-August. Apply here by Friday, May 15.

The National Coalition Against Censorship and Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Initiative are co-presenting a free, online, three-week institute for high school and college-aged students. Participants will grow their public speaking skills, collaborate with other youth organizers, and learn advocacy and organizing tactics. Apply here by Friday, May 15.

YouthBridge-NY is accepting applications for its one-year fellowship, a transformative leadership opportunity for rising 11th graders across New York City. This program brings together a diverse cohort of high school juniors to participate in skill-building workshops, volunteer for community causes, and work together to create a social justice project. Learn more and apply here by Friday, May 15. 

The New-York Historical is accepting applications for Tech Scholars: Podcasting, a week-long summer intensive for 9th-12th graders in the New York metro area. During this hands-on residency in July, participants will collaborate to produce a new season of the teen-led podcast, Through Fresh Eyes. Apply here by Sunday, May 17.

The M.F.K. Fisher Foundation is accepting submissions for the 2026 M.F.K. Fisher Emerging Writers Contest. Writers ages 8 and up may submit an original unpublished essay or short story inspired by this year’s theme, “Fire.” Winners in each age category will receive cash prizes and publication on the Foundation’s website. Submit here by Monday, May 25. 

The NPR Student Podcast Challenge is now accepting entries from youth in grades 4-12. Winners will have their stories featured on NPR programs and receive a trophy and certificate for their school. This year, to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, judges will award an additional prize for stories that explore what it means to be an American. Learn more and submit here by Sunday, May 31.

Reel Works is accepting applications for four summer programs for NYC youth: Animation Lab, Dual Language Doc Lab, Intro to Broadcast Journalism, and Supported Experimental Lab (for neurodivergent students). All programs provide valuable hands-on training and media-making experience. Learn more and apply here by Monday, June 8.

The Theater Development Fund is offering a free membership to all 2026 graduating seniors from New York City’s public and charter high schools. This exclusive offer allows students to purchase steeply discounted tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, with prices ranging from $11 to $62.50. Sign up here.

Made By Us is inviting 14-30 year-olds to participate in Letters to America as part of the Youth250 initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Through essays, videos, speeches and artwork participants can share their vision for the future of America. Select submissions will be shared by media partners, museums, and civic organizations for National Youth Takeover Day on June 27. Learn more and submit here.

From the archives

Alumni spotlight: Giana Nevarez Tevere

“The Summer Youth Podcast Academy taught me how to work under strict deadlines, think resourcefully and develop a compelling storyline using audio alone. Most importantly, it taught me to expand and explore my passions in-depth. Before The Bell, I was mainly interested in writing articles and contributing to my school newspaper, the Bard Broadside. The Bell introduced me to podcast creation in a hands-on way, helping me find my place within audio journalism. Today, I remain immersed in journalism and have taken on leadership roles as a copy editor and a digital content editor of the Bard Broadside. As I approach the end of my high school experience and look ahead to my next four years at McGill University, I’m eager to take advantage of every storytelling opportunity. Rest assured I will seize every chance to use my favorite audio recorder (the Zoom H5).”

— Giana Nevarez Tevere, SYPA ’25

Photo of the month

Last month, our team went on an unforgettable retreat to Mississippi. We immersed ourselves in the region’s civil rights history, engaged in thought-provoking conversations with community leaders in the capital city of Jackson (including Alex Lawson, pictured in the center) and had a blast jamming to Delta blues at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale. Pictured from left: Adrian, CJ, Cait, Sabrina, Alex, Mira, Maria, Sophie and Taylor.

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