Children's and Youth Amateur Press in the Context of Media Education

This article focuses on issues of independent children's and youth press, represented by school newspapers.The theoretical and methodological foundation of the proposed research consists of provisions reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that combines ideas from media pedagogy, juvenile journalism, developmental psychology, as well as concepts of practice-oriented education.The research shows that the most effective models for developing amateur journalism are those based on principles of participation, trust, initiative support, and partnership between children and adults.The obtained data allowed the formulation of several important conclusions that are significant both for educators and mentors working with young authors, and for the professional community of journalists and media educators.Practical experience gained in newspaper editorial work shows that training young journalists requires a balance between adherence to professional standards and creating conditions for creative freedom.The problem of adult dominance in the editing and layout process requires pedagogical reflection and correction.The development of methodological recommendations proposed in this study was an attempt to overcome this contradiction through the implementation of a flexible class structure based on activity-based, person-centered, and project-based approaches.Special attention in the recommendations is given to the class format: the combination of theoretical block, practical work, game element, and reflection stage ensures engagement, forms emotional and intellectual motivation, and contributes to the development of meta-subject competencies.It is this approach, in our view, that allows for the most effective integration of educational goals with adolescents' need for self-expression and social activity.