Shouting out to Gauteng's youth

Pupils at various high schools in Gauteng were canvassed to determine the contents pupils would like to see in the magazine. They were also asked to come up with suggestions for the name of the magazine. The learner who came up with the winning name of Shout Out won a R5000 bursary and a Compaq computer, as well as two Compaq computers for her school.

Shout Out will have an initial print run of 250 000 and will be distributed free of charge via the Gauteng Department of Education's infrastructure. The magazine will cover issues in education, lifestyle, society and sport. There will be topics such as career options for school leavers, tertiary institutions, available bursaries and how to apply for them, how to get a student loan, getting a job, developing life skills, as well as the promotion of arts, culture, music and sport. The front section of the publication will be utilised to address educational issues from the Department of Education; the other categories will follow.

Each issue will have a theme reflecting the academic calendar. For example, at the beginning of the year, the theme could be about planning carefully for the year ahead. At the end of the year, it may be about effective study methods and, for those in matric, dances and preparing for life at tertiary level in 2004.

As the content will be provided by a pool of young and aspiring writers Shout Out could very well serve as a valuable platform for future journalists.