During the lockdown period, A2 student Orla McAndrew has shown initiative, creativity and determination as she, along with a group of young women, established the brand new website and project ‘Empoword Journalism’.
Founded in May 2020, ‘Empoword Journalism’ is a project which spans across multiple platforms and is led by self-identifying women. It is a place for entry-level journalists to engage and connect with others.
It all began after Orla and her team attended a zoom chat called ‘An Evening with 5 Fabulous Females in Journalism’. It soon became apparent that Orla shared similar views to other budding journalists in feeling that females are under-represented and that it is currently a huge challenge for women to break into the industry. ‘Empoword Journalism’ was then created as an accessible platform for young journalists.
Ever since then, over 100 articles have been created by over 70 contributors, which have covered a range of topics, and they are on the lookout for more!
If you would like to contribute to the website then you can join their Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/669865370255616
When talking about the project for their 100th post, Orla commented:
“This project is important because it unites women across the country; creating a network of women and non-binary journalists. This network is key to support journalists emerging into a male-dominated industry where it is difficult to be taken seriously. I’m so excited to see where this project will go and to work with/learn from these incredible women”.
Check out the ‘Empoword Journalism’ website here: https://empowordjournalism.com/
This is an outstanding, passionate project and we wish Orla every success as she embarks on her new journey.