JEA has a new opportunity for your student journalists, and we’re excited to announce the details:

“Lunch with the President”

This one-hour activity at each spring and fall national convention will give student journalists a chance to meet with JEA’s president for a personal interview in a press conference environment. The honor gives students an opportunity to practice journalism, report on the state of our organization and scholastic journalism in general, and share ideas or agenda items coming from their own student media programs to be heard by the president. It’s a multi-way conversation, a special event, and another way to provide meaningful experience practicing their craft.

During Friday at the convention, up to 10 selected students will meet privately with JEA’s president to report on issues in scholastic journalism, to be covered at home in their student media. They’ll also have the president’s attention for ideas and suggestions related to student and adviser needs in scholastic journalism. In other words, they can tell JEA (via the president) what the organization can do to help them. They’ll produce some kind of piece based on the interview (story as a minimum, either online or in print, but preferably it will have multiple components such as photo/audio/video/etc). JEA will promote the finished pieces on the JEA website, social media and listserv so their work is seen by a wide audience.

Selection: Students may apply individually or with one partner from their school, and the event will be set up like a press conference. JEA leaders will select 10 kids to participate (solo or in pairs, but 10 total) based on their answers to two essay questions on an online application. The application is live now:

Deadline to apply is March 30, 2014. Students will be notified by April 4.

We hope this will be the first of several similar experiences — and we’re looking for ways to create opportunities outside of our conventions to reach all types of students from all areas. If you have questions about Lunch with the President, please contact JEA Vice President Sarah Nichols at sarahjnichols.sjn@gmail.com.