The Green Line Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Project Wins Gold Award

Congratulations to The Green Line (external link)  for receiving a gold award from the Global Youth & News Media Prize for Journalism (external link) . This year's theme was "Youth help local journalism survive." The Green Line demonstrated that with the Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Project.

The Green Line is a community-oriented news outlet that dedicates itself to helping young and other underserved communities navigate life in the city.

Founder and editor-in-chief of The Green Line, Anita Li, was an instructor and Journalism Innovator in Residence at Journalism at The Creative School.

In a previous interview, Li mentioned how optimistic she is about the future of journalism.

“I think it's really important to recognize efforts that are effective and innovative and actually serve the community in a genuine, authentic way.”

Aralynn Abare McMane, Ph.D, executive director at Global Youth & News Media, says the award helps put The Green Line, “on another level as having excellence against international measurements.”

The Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Program (external link) , located at Market 707, in collaboration with the Scadding Court Community Centre, provided young locals with the opportunity to work in a community newsroom and engagement outpost.

Over six months, the 11 youth participants learned how to film, edit and share stories of local businesses and community leaders in the neighbourhood.

The jury said the project demonstrated an innovative civic partnership model (external link)  that directly supported local economic development while training youth in media skills.

“By embedding a community newsroom within a social enterprise market and having youth produce profiles of local businesses, they directly contributed to increased vendor revenue (63 per cent reported increases) and main street vibrancy.”

The jury noted, “It also helped build trust and community with people, which goes a long way, especially in journalism, and can morph next into financial support by vendors for The Green Line itself.”

Yara El Murr, managing editor of The Green Line, reflected, saying it was nice to see long-lasting connections grow from the project (external link) .

“A month after the program, I would run into one of our youth journalist participants chatting with one of the food vendors in the market,” El Murr said. “These connections that were made, they were built on trust, understanding that everyone belongs to that community and they care about it.”

Adele Lukusa ‘22, an engagement reporter at The Green Line, shared that during her first year at TMU, she knew that she would end up at a place that really connects with people, like The Green Line.

"It's amazing to see that connection [at events] where you talk to someone and then they eventually come back [and participate.]”

The Green Line team were presented with their certificate by assistant professor Angela Misri and associate professor Nicole Blanchett in front of JRN 314: Reporting for TV students as Misri and Blanchett (and professor emerita and adjunct professor April Lindgren) are co-directors of The Local News Research Lab (external link, opens in new window) , a partnering institution supporting the awards.

El Murr added that The Green Line engages with an audience of mostly Millennials and Gen Zs by speaking their language and meeting them where they are to deliver quality, informed news.

The team uses feedback from their audience to decide what they cover and how they cover it.

“It’s really cool to have this sense of camaraderie and community by listening to what people want, and we respond to it,” she said. “We're still doing rigorous, serious news, that’s fact-checked and all, but we are also translating it into TikToks.”

Anthony Lippa-Hardy ‘25, video producer at The Green Line, added that you don’t see too many young people in journalism because it can be a tricky field to get into.

“It’s nice to see the tangible difference that [the project] makes because you’re watching people who don’t really understand the field of journalism, get into it.”