Tattoo's new issue is running all over the globe

The new issue of The Tattoo, which is online now, features news stories about the German election and a plane crash in South Africa along with three reviews of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and a photo page featuring Usain "Lightning" Bolt during his stop this week at the ESPN campus in Bristol, Connecticut.
Youth Journalism International senior reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins, from Connecticut, took photographs of Bolt before, during and after the speedy Jamaican raced ESPN employees. You can see them here.
He also chipped in a glowing review of the rock museum. Two other reporters, Katherine Holland, of Pennsylvania, and Mary Majerus-Collins, of Connecticut, had a different take on it. They actually thought it was booooring. Read all the reviews here.
We also have senior reporter Katie Grosser's story about the German election Sunday, which we published last weekend. Grosser lives in Germany. To get a sense of what young German voters were thinking, check it out here.
And junior reporter Nicole Megan Gounder gets extra credit for racing to the scene of breaking news in her Durban, South Africa hometown after a passenger jet crash landed in a nearby schoolyard. Fortunately, there were no passengers aboard at the time and all four of those badly injured are expected to recover. But as Gounder reports, if it hadn't happened on a national holiday, it could have been a terrible disaster because the plane came down right where kids love to gather before school begins. Read her story here.
It's a pretty good package of stories and pictures for our third issue of our 16th year at The Tattoo.
As always, we appreciate your constructive criticism, tips and suggestions. We'd love for you to pass this along to anyone teens in your life (or those who care about young people).
We love giving young people a voice.
There's more in the works, of course, and hope you'll check out ReadTheTatto.com's vast archives as well. If you've never read it, we especially recommend Samantha Perez's stunning journal of surviving Hurricane Katrina.
You can also follow Youth Journalism International, our educational wing, on Twitter @yjinternational and on Facebook by becoming a Fan of Youth Journalism International.
Thanks so much for your support.

***********************************
Copyright 2009 by ReadTheTattoo.com. All rights reserved.

The Tattoo eyes German elections

Youth Journalism Internatkional senior reporter Katie Grosser lets the world know what young voters in Germany are thinking as the country heads to the polls to elect a new parliament and perhaps a new government, too. Read all about it here.
For those who don't know, The Tattoo is an online newspaper featuring the work of young writers in more than 20 countries and most U.S. states, including many in our home state of Connecticut. It's in its 16th year and won many, many awards for some stellar work.
You can follow it online at http://www.readthetattoo.com/ and http://www.youthjournalism.org/, along with social media sites. It's at www.facebook.com/youthjournalism and on Twitter @yjinternational.

***********************************
Copyright 2009 by ReadTheTattoo.com. All rights reserved.

The Tattoo goes Inside ESPN

Thirty years ago this evening, a new sports network began broadcasting out of a trailer in Bristol, Connecticut. That tiny operation has grown over the past three decades to become the worldwide leader in sports, with its headquarters looking ever more like a major college campus and that trailer just a distant memory. It has thousands of employees and fans in every country. To celebrate the anniversary, two Youth Journalist International reporters from Connecticut, Clare Hern and Kiernan Majerus-Collins, ventured inside to find out what makes ESPN tick. Their work -- a stellar package of seven stories with lots of pictures, is online now at ReadTheTattoo.com

It's a great read, the perfect subject for The Tattoo's 200th issue.

Earlier Tattoo stories about ESPN by alums Collins Seguin, T.J. O'Connor and Justin Skaradosky, are also online. Check out the links on our "Latest Issue" page.
We hope you'll read carefully and let us know how we're doing. We're always eager for tips, suggestions, constructive criticism and any help anyone can offer.
The Tattoo is a teen-written, online newspaper that began 15 years ago and has grown into the world's premier showcase for youth journalism. Youth Journalism International, the educational nonprofit that works with the students, is busy every day helping young writers in many countries learn the craft and build bonds across borders with their colleagues across the globe.
Thanks so much for your support of youth journalism.

***********************************
Copyright 2009 by ReadTheTattoo.com. All rights reserved.

New Tattoo issues online now!

We have a new issue online at www.ReadTheTattoo.com that I know you'll want to check out soon.

Two of Youth Journalism International's teen journalists in India, Hashra Mishra and Janina Ramachandran, detail the terror of watching Mumba, the city of dreams, locked in battle with terrorists for three days last week.

Back in the U.S., three teen writers - Brice Birdsall in Oregon and two Connecticut reporters, Leah Igdalsky and Kiernan Majerus-Collins -- weighed in on Black Friday in the wake of the trampling death of a Wal-Mart worker in New York.

Speaking of New York, don't miss a brother and sister take on the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. Kathryn and Matt Middleton, who live in Pennsylvania,tell what it's like to see the famous parade up close and personal instead of on television.

Birdsall also has a review of Twilight, the hit new vampire movie.

I failed to send out a notice about our last issue -- sorry for that oversight! -- but let's catch up now.

Genoa, Italy's Eugenia Durante wrote about a student protest against planned education cuts by the government while Mishra had a piece about Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Australia's Rebecca Baylis wrote her take on the election of Barack Obama, whose acceptance speech moved her to tears. And Connecticut's Justin Skaradosky had another of his great cartoons, too.

We're working on an election reaction package featuring the thoughts of more than two dozen young people in eight countries on five continents. It's an ambitious effort for Youth Journalism International, but we're getting there. You wouldn't believe how much material there is to try to organize coherently. When it's done soon, you'll appreciate the work that went into it.

As always, we're grateful for your support and any help that you can offer. We're eager for constructive criticism, tips, advice and any talented teens you may have in your life.

As the recent carnage in Mumbai makes clear once again, learning together about our world and the ties that bind us all, young and old, is an endeavor that's not merely nice, but perhaps the most important thing we can do. We're lucky to have so many wonderful young people in our broad Yoouth Journalism International family and so glad that their work is seen and appreciated by so many.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by ReadTheTattoo.com. All rights reserved.

Teens around the world react to Obama's victory

Yard signs in Connecticut after the presidential election.

Mary Majerus-Collins/YouthJournalism.org

Be sure to keep up with The Tattoo in the days ahead. We're working on an issue, tentatively slated to appear on November 17th, that details the views of more two dozen teens from around the world.

We'll have students giving extensive views from many countries, including South Africa, Kuwait, Germany, the United States, Australia and India. It's going to be an enlightening report when we can pull it all together.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by ReadTheTattoo.com. All rights reserved.

Election '08 issue is online at ReadTheTattoo.com

After some unusual hitches, we have managed to update The Tattoo to include the new Election '08 issue here.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

The Tattoo's new Election '08 issue is online

The Tattoo's website can't be updated at the moment, thanks to some kind of glitch with our host server, so the new Election '08 issue is housed temporarily here, on a makeshift blog. Don't let that stop you from reading some wonderful stuff from teens all over the world. Go check it out.

I'll put a notice up when the website is updated again.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Election 2008 issue coming later today

Coming later today -- The Tattoo's Election 2008 issue, featuring stories and opinion from South Africa, Afghanistan, Germany and more. See how teens around the world are viewing the showdown between Barack Obama and John McCain.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

New issue features everything from jazz to Chinese military showers

In our October 27, 2008 issue, Youth Journalism International reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins weighs in with a news story about the unique jazz improvisition program that has helped make West Hartford a high school jazz destination and a review of the new musical 'Big River' at the historic Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut.

Zhu Qin Zhe, a Chinese teen and junior reporter for Youth JournalismInternational, writes about life in a military camp for teens in China, including the sweetness of the countryside and the need to take wicked fast showers.
Finally, West Hartford's Leah Igdalsky has a review of singer and musician Andrew Bird's recent gig at the fabulous old Calvin Theater in Northhampton, Massachusetts. 

***********************************

Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Former Tattoo reporter assaulted at Palin rally

Former Tattoo ace Joe (Wilbur) Killian, who is a reporter in Greensboro, N.C., got assaulted by an angry Republican yesterday. Read his account of what happened here.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

What do Johnny Pesky and Prudence Crandall have in common?

They're both featured in The Tattoo's new issue, online now.

Red Sox great Johnny Pesky, left, and Kiernan Majerus-Collins, in 2006. (youthjournalism.org photo)

Reporter Kiernan Majerus-Collins writes about the decision by the Boston Red Sox to retire the number 6, which legendary second baseman Johnny Pesky wore back in the day.

Gabi Smith-Rosario, sculptor Gabriel Koren and Mary Majerus-Collins at the Connecticut State Capitol last week. (youthjournalism.org photo)

Junior reporters Gabi Smith-Rosario and Mary Majerus-Collins, both of Connecticut, wrote a package of stories about a new statue placed in the State Capitol in Hartford -- the first in more than a century. It honors Prudence Crandall, a teacher in the 1830s who integrated her school for girls and got run out of town for it.

Australian junior reporter Alex Patrikios adds a tale of interning at a Melbourne newspaper and getting the chance to sit in media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's very own chair there. He wasn't in it at the time.

Finally, senior cartoonist Justin Skaradosky, also from Connecticut, weighs in with a cartoon about the war on terror.

It's a great issue. Go read it.

***********************************
Copyright 20086 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Two new issues of The Tattoo online now

We have published two more issues that are chock full of advice on how to survive high school. In our September 15th issue, you'll find two Justin Skaradosky cartoons making fun of motivational posters, a piece by Wisconsin teen Emily Mongan about Freshman Kill Day, an essay by South Africa's Mariechen Puchert urging teens to make friends to cope with high school, Tennessee teen Sarah Heath's warning not to make your life an after school television special and West Hartford, Connecticut teen Wesley Saxena's sage advice on the bridge into high school. "It Ain't Like In the Movies," warns Mariah Pulver of Arizona.
In our September 22nd issue, you can read about how teens in Kuwait scrape by during the hunger of Ramadan, thanks to Sana Ali's report. Also featured in the issue are New Jersey teen Shekinah-Glory Dhanie-Beepat's take on homeschooling, another Justin Skaradosky cartoon, Katie Grosser's piece from Germany about being the new foreign kid in school, Harsha Mishra's account from India about the horrors of acne, Georgia's Donicea Johnson's advice to freshmen to get involved and Zhu Qin Zhe's personal tale of making a choice in China.
Talk about spanning the globe!
We have dozens of new writers who are dripping with talent so, please, keep an eye on what they do in the weeks and months ahead.

September 22nd issue and September 15th issue.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

More back to school advice from The Tattoo

On the heels of last week's all-Olympics special issue, this week we return to tradition to offer a new Insider's Guide to High School installment, the 20th issue we've devoted to back to school advice over the years. We'll likely have another back to school issue next Monday, too.

This week's issue includes useful advice from teens in Italy, South Africa and the United States. It features two new cartoons from the talented Justin Skaradosky as well.

There's also a review of "No Child..." -- a play currently on stage at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Connecticut -- by two veteran writers for Youth Journalism International, Wesley Saxena and Kiernan Majerus-Collins.

We hope you'll enjoy it.

***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Another monster hurricane heads for New Orleans

As Hurricane Gustav heads inextricably toward the Gulf Coast, taking aim at New Orleans, this seems an opportune time to recommend once again the brilliantly written, moving and insightful journals that Louisiana teen Samantha Perez wrote for us beginning the day that Hurricane Katrina rolled ashore. You can read them here.
For those who are wondering, we don't know how Samantha is faring this time. We've tried to contact her, so far without success. But we are thinking of her and her family as another storm bears down on her hometown.

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Tatto summer party underway in Connecticut

Here's a first picture from this year's annual Tattoo Summer Party in West Hartford.
From left to right: Nicole Bernosky, Sarah Jordan, Katie Jordan, Teague Neal, Luke Pearson, Stefan Koski and Kiernan Majerus-Collins. Katie Haire showed up shortly afterward.

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

New issue of The Tattoo features the story of a teen who survived a deadly twister

When a half mile-wide tornado ripped through tiny Parkersburg, Iowa recently, it left much of the town in ruins, five dead and a high school torn to bits.
As the wind howled, 16-year-old Krista Kannegieter huddled in the basement with her parents, listening to a sound “like a freight train” rumbling overhead.
Veteran Tattoo writer Beth Pond tells Kannegieter’s story in this week’s issue of The Tattoo teen newspaper, online at ReadTheTattoo.com.
Also in our new issue is a review by Rachel Glogowski of “The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore,” a Tennessee Williams play now at Hartford Stage and another stellar cartoon by Justin Skaradosky.
Take a look at what these talented teens are doing and let us know what you think. We welcome constructive criticism, tips, advice, help and kind words for our young writers. We’re also eager to round up any talented teens in your life, anywhere in the world.
Keep reading in the days and weeks ahead. There’s much more to come.

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Another new issue of The Tattoo is online now

Our new issue features the latest, and perhaps final, installment of Louisiana writer Samantha Perez's stunning diary of coping with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Don't miss it -- and if you haven't read her journal, grab a box of Kleenex, clear your calendar and do it. It's an extraordinary tale of courage and hope in the midst of one of the nation's worst natural disasters.
The new issue also has a solid news story by Connecticut's Rachel Glogowski about teen driving, a fascinating take on voting by London teen Louisa McIndoe and a new cartoon by Justin Skaradosky.
There's also a little story about The Tattoo's on air experience with Hartford radio wizard Colin McEnroe, who's also a darn fine writer with several books and many articles to his credit.
At the station, Tattoo writer Luke Pearson got to meet one of the radio personalities he likes. Here they are:

Tattoo writer Luke Pearson and Jenny Boom Boom, of Hartford's radio station Hot 93.7.

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Tattoo writers on the radio Wednesday

Tattoo writers will be among the teen journalists that WTIC-AM radio host Colin McEnroe plans to have on his show starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday. It's possible to listen live online here no matter where in the world you may be.
What are they going to talk about? Journalism. School. Life. Whatever. It'll be fun because McEnroe has a quick wit and a solid background in journalism. He still writes a column and a blog for The Hartford Courant.
If you can listen, do. And, hey, don't hesitate to call in, too!

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

New Tattoo issue ranges from Myanmar to West Hartford

In our new issue at ReadTheTattoo.com, Youth Journalism International’s young writers have delivered a wide-ranging assortment of stories, pictures and cartoons.
Singapore teen Geraldine Soon wrote months ago about her journey to Myanmar long before this month’s cyclone ripped through a wide swath of that poverty-stricken but beautiful place. Check out her account – and luscious pictures – as well as her opinion piece on what’s happened there in recent days.
West Hartford writer Kiernan Majerus-Collins has a hard-hitting opinion piece calling for schools – and students – to stop using “gay,” “fag,” and “homo” as casual slurs. Don’t miss it.
There are also two new cartoons from the talented Bristol artist Justin Skaradosky, one on proms and one on school funding, and a solid news piece from Beth Pond about the effort to help Darfur one empty bowl at a time.
There’s also a review by Bristol’s Rachel Glogowski of the stage production of “The Bluest Eye” that you won’t want to miss.
Thanks for reading The Tattoo. Please don’t hesitate to let the young people in your life know about us. We’re always looking for talented teens anywhere in the world.
We’re also always eager for constructive advice, tips or even donations that will help The Tattoo continue to offer the best teen journalism in the world.

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

RIP, Dith Pran

In the days before Cambodia collapsed into chaos and death, New York Times photographer Dith Pran had to choose whether to join his family in exile or stay on to record the scene. He decided to stay, a move that put him in the middle of a four-year journey through the Khmer Rouge hell that descended on his country, an odyssey portrayed in the harrowing film "The Killing Fields."
After his escape, he became a staff photographer for the Times and a champion for his countrymen and against genocide.
There can be few journalists whose decision to cover the news has brought so much pain with it. But in that crucial moment when Dith picked duty over safety, he showed for all time his strength and character. No doubt he would have picked differently had he known everything that would follow, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. He is a hero.
Here is the Times story about Dith's death today.


Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

New issue in the works for Monday. Don't miss it.

Just so you know... watch for a new issue of The Tattoo on Monday! Here's a new Justin Skaradosky cartoon to get you in the mood:

By Justin Skaradosky/ ReadTheTattoo.com

Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Halls of Shame adds two from New Jersey

It’s been awhile since we’ve inducted anyone into our Halls of Shame for tossing the First Amendment out the schoolhouse window.
But it’s time to turn up the heat again.
Publication of The Pioneer student newspaper at New Jersey’s Clearview Regional High School has been held up this week because school administrators don’t like an editorial cartoon that takes aim at anti-sex education activists, according to a story in the Gloucester County Times.
The cartoon shows a Teen Prevention Education Program volunteer “being burned at the stake by two Pure Pioneers, designated as such by their pioneer-style caps. The Pure Pioneers is a group of parents that has been vocally opposed” to the teen program that has older students educating younger ones, with teacher supervision, the paper reported this week.
“Once the administration caught wind of what we were doing, they brought in an attorney and now the issue is in prior review," senior Jordan Rubin told the paper. “This is the first time in The Pioneer's history that we've been in prior review and considered for censorship."
It’s unclear why school leaders got so freaked out about the cartoon since the district’s attorney wouldn’t talk, citing “attorney-client privilege,” the paper said. That the attorney obviously doesn’t comprehend that he works for the taxpayers, not some backward school superintendent doesn’t seem to matter. And the censors themselves? They had nothing to say.
There's nothing quite like censors who are so contemptuous of freedom that they don't even see a need to explain their thinking, such as it is.
So let’s honor Principal Kevin Kitchenman and Superintendent John Horchak with a spot in our Halls of Shame. They apparently would rather dishonor the Bill of Rights than tell some mouthy parents to back down and get out.
Instead of showing students what it means to live in a free country, they’re busy teaching their community that censorship is fine, that students have no right to an opinion and that the Bill of Rights doesn’t apply in Harrison Township, New Jersey.
We hope that the student paper will go to print quickly when officials realize how badly they’ve screwed up.
And we trust that the student journalists who are trying to do what newspapers should will realize that they’re entirely in the right in this dispute. Don’t back down, kids.


Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Tattoo cartoonist has many talents

Take a look at what talented Tattoo cartoonist Justin Skaradosky can do:



Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.

Afghan soccer player

Those of you who read Katie's Jordan's pieces in 2004 might enjoy knowing what's happened to one of the girls who played on the Afghan team that Katie wrote about. The New York Times has a story, pictures and video online today.
What's particularly interesting for The Tattoo is that the girl that Katie talked to four years ago, who lived in Afghanistan, is now going to school in New Jersey with one of our Tattoo writers today, Kathryn Middleton. It's funny how things turn out.


Our official policy: We hate blogs.
***********************************
Copyright 2008 by The Tattoo. All rights reserved.