The Journo Journey
Your society’s own newspaper created by your society’s kids!
The Journo Journey is a unique, hands-on programme where children aged 8-18 from your housing complex come together to create and publish their very own newspaper. In over 30+ hours of in-person and online sessions, they will learn the fundamentals of journalism, publishing, project planning, space selling, teamwork, and leadership.
30+ hours of mentorship
No cost to society
9 powerful skills
Community building
It’s a gamechanger!
Imagine this: A former Senior Editor of The Times of India mentoring your society’s children for a whole month—equipping them with real-world skills that usually cost a fortune. As a bonus, they’ll grow into more aware, confident, and responsible young citizens.
Let’s Talk
What they will learn
Journalistic Writing
The youngsters will learn how to write articles and stories, what is a news peg, how to decide on news stories and discerning skills
Interviewing skills
This generation finds it difficult to socialise, and hence this skill will help break that barrier. They will learn how to ask probing questions
Editing
They will learn to edit in a live class with Sridhar, especially how to shorten irrelevant copy, how to give headlines and structure the story
Project Planning
They will understand how to plan finances, work load, delegation, deadlines and working as a team to achieve a goal.
Space Selling
The newspaper will be self-financed by the advertisements that the editorial board will be required to get. They will learn how to price, pitch and sell the ads.
Graphic Designing
They will understand how to design advertisements for the paper and create infographics to make their newspaper more informative, impactful and colourful.
Photography
The stories will require photographs and this the editorial board will do. They will learn the basics of newspaper photography and how to take shots.
Circulation and pagemaking
They will see how a paper is designed and printed and finally, they will all be required to distribute the paper within your complex.
What will the paper be about
The participants will be taught to interview residents within the complex and write a journalistic article about them. They will also be taught the dynamics of sourcing ads, pricing them and designing them.
Where has it been done and what is the cost?
So far, such housing complex newspapers have been done in Ashok Towers (Parel, Mumbai), Close North (Gurugram) and Ambedkar Nagar (Worli, Mumbai). What’s unique about the project is that the housing society incurs zero expenses over it. The project cost is borne by the ads that are generated inhouse!
Check out an issue
Let’s Talk
10 Steps to Creating your Newspaper
Express Interest
Fill out the form. We’ll get in touch to discuss the next steps to making this project happen.
Intro Briefing
Mumbai: In-person session for residents and children
Other cities: Online presentation
Kick-off Meeting
Form the editorial board, brainstorm stories, create teams, assign roles, and set deadlines.
Plan Revenue
Discuss ads, sponsorship options, rates, and how the participants can pitch to local businesses.
Start Writing
Children work on stories, interviews, and photos—with hands-on guidance from R Sridhar.
Learn Editing
Live session on editing, headline writing, choosing pictures, and sharpening content.
Design & Layout
Create ads, place them in the dummy, and design the newspaper pages with a professional.
Final Touches
Proof pages, make corrections, give final touches and send the newspaper to print.
Print & Distribute
Get your fresh, printed copies delivered —ready to distribute across your society for you to enjoy.
Celebrate & Award
Host a launch event. All the youngsters get certificates and a proud moment on stage!
MENTOR & COACH
R Sridhar
SR Sridhar spent three decades as Senior Editor at The Times of India, where he launched and led some of India’s most-read niche publications — Times Ascent, Times Property, Education Times, and Downtown Plus, among others. He was also the only Times of India journalist assigned to conduct journalism workshops in Mumbai schools.
Today he works as an executive ghostwriter and book coach, and brings that same passion for storytelling to The Journo Journey — giving your society’s children a front-row seat to how real journalism works.
Glimpses of the fun!
Feedback
Parents were often left amazed — and deeply moved — at the transformation they witnessed. Many couldn’t believe that their usually quiet, complex children had opened up, explored ideas, and expressed themselves with such clarity and confidence. The Journo Journey programme not only helped their kids find their voice, but also gave parents a fresh perspective on just how thoughtful and articulate their children could be when given the right space and support
Hear from the edit team and parents
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it can be done across India. Sridhar will visit your complex to meet the children once the editorial board is set. Post that the meetings will be online, and coordination and training will be on WhatsApp and Zoom.
Yes, a minimum of 20 children are needed.
INR 5,000 payable upfront. This includes over 30 hours of training.
One or two parents will need to get involved to oversee the project.
The quality of the paper, number of pages and whether it’s all colour, will be decided by the number of ads that the children manage to get. Hence, they will stay motivated because if they want a good paper, they need to work hard for it. Printing can be done in your city. If the complex wants to appoint its printer, the responsibility of the quality of the printing will rest on the housing complex.