We kid you not! A newspaper for kids by kids

Ever seen kids in Hollywood movies delivering newspapers door-to-door? Now, picture this—a bunch of children of ages 6–19, who collaborate on sourcing news and employ technology to deliver it on the computer/mobile screens of other children across the country. This isn’t a sight from a movie but a reality in modern-day India. The Paper Route, a digital national newspaper created by kids for other kids is literally, shaping the news today.

The idea that started it all
Brainchild of Anjana Vaswani, a seasoned writer who has authored four children’s books, in addition to working for a daily newspaper previously, The Paper Route is the culmination of an idea that struck Vaswani ten years ago. “Back then, I had an idea for a printed kids’ publication but schools didn’t receive it with enthusiasm. Today, a decade later, international schools want students to engage with news, form their own opinions and get involved with the community,” says Vaswani, “We’re writing to schools across the city to get their students involved. With schools closed for the summer, it’s been challenging though we’ve received some queries from Bihar and Goa.”
Could that be the reason why the team took the digital route? “The speed and economy of digital publishing and its potential reach makes it possible to reach out to kids, be it on their computers or phones,” explains Vaswani. 

Kids running the show?
Vaswani believes that the way to get kids interested in news is to let them take the initiative to find stories that matter, in the papers or even in the world surrounding them. “We’re always loading kids with information but often, they’re more eager to learn when they come across information on their own. For instance, when my 12-year-old realised that J.K. Rowling had used Latin names and references in her Harry Potter books, she was so fascinated that she signed up for a Latin course online during her summer vacation.” 
The editorial team from Mumbai comprises Priyanshi Vakharia (17), the Editor-in-Chief; Sidhant Sharma (12), who is in charge of sports; Kashin Patel (17), who heads the arts department and Supriya Ravishankar (17) who edits the newspaper’s World section. The Entertainment Editor Akash Shroff (13) hails from Bengaluru’s Vidya Niketan School whereas Prithvi Madan (16) from Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Cochin, is being considered for the position of Science Editor. “These are four-month positions and each editor picks his or her successor from applications received,” explains Vaswani.

A social initiative
Aside from the fact that kids are completely in charge, this is also a purely social initiative. “We hope to get professional editors to offer writing tips via podcasts and any ad revenues we get will be ploughed right back into the organisation, firstly, in the form of prizes (for Best Editor, Best Writer and Most Popular Article) and later perhaps into educational programmes,” says Vaswani, “The dream goal being to gift kids a two-week creative writing course at Oxford University, and even pay for their flights, if our finances allow it.”
With kids from municipal schools and organisations like Teach for India and Muktangan likely to participate, an opportunity like that could open new doors. “And if that did happen, how amazing for the kids who contributed to the site or even shared our articles online to know that their efforts are directly responsible for this,” concludes Vaswani.

TEAM SPEAK

One of the reasons The Paper Route came about was for inclusion—we don’t want this to be a SoBo initiative—we want it to go to places and to people who have things to say. If it can get people to recognise the validity of an argument irrespective of their opinion, then we’ve accomplished what we set out to do.
Priyanshi Vakharia, 17,
The Cathedral and John Connon High School, Mumbai

The Paper Route will not only connect children of all ages but will also connect children from different backgrounds and provide a pedestal for children to share their opinions and ideas.
Kashin Patel, 17,
St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

I have worked on an article about non-verbal means of communication, involving para language, proxemics, signs, symbols, tones, sounds, pitch of one’s voice, body language and kinesics. The article speaks of the relevance of non-verbal communication and ratifies the fact that actions speak louder than words; it was a thrilling experience writing it.
Supriya Ravishankar, 17,
St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai