Student journalism is where the best careers start.
Whether you've recently graduated or are well into a career in journalism, joining our Alumni Network offers networking opportunities, training events, and a chance to sign up as a mentor for our mentoring scheme.
Our members use the opportunities they get from the SPA to go on to work for local, national and international media, set up their own businesses and branch out into freelancing.
But student journalism is under threat, as budget cuts loom over student newsrooms and skills passed from team to team are severed.
We need our alumni to help us support student journalists for the years to come.
Join our Alumni Network through the form below.
The SPA would love your help to keep supporting the next generation of student journalists.
We are committed to increasing diversity in in the media industry, and every year support students from backgrounds not traditionally represented to attend our conference. But we can only run our events with your kind support, to keep prices either free or as low as possible.
Give a one-off donation here or consider becoming a sponsor. Contact our sponsorship officer here to find out more about the packages available - from small to large, it all helps!
Student journalism is worth protecting and supporting because what goes on in our universities and colleges is important. As well as being diverse communities in their own right, they are also often significant employers and financial contributors to their local area so it is important that what goes on in them is scrutinised and reported on. Good journalism is crucial in a democracy to shine a light on what’s going on.
Student journalism gave me the basic skills I consider to be essential for a journalist. But most importantly I made friends and contacts throughout my training who became a significant part of my professional network that I still turn to today. The standard of journalist and reporting is improved by ensuring people joining the industry get professional training. The quality increases and errors are reduced. Even for those who break into the industry organically, taking the time to learn the basics through student journalism only improves output and performance.
The SPA helped me connect with and learn from other student journalists - both as a student myself and later as a professional volunteering for the organisation. There ca be so many barriers for young people from less privileged backgrounds entering the indsutry, and the SPA is a great network, source of support and force for diversity. I’m proud to continue to support them now I’m years into my career.
The past. The present. The future.
Our alumni make the SPA.
They speak at our events, they mentor our members, and we’re so proud to see where they end up.
If you want to share your memories, stay connected, and give back, join our alumni network above.
Got a question?
If you have any queries, get in touch with our Alumni Officer via email.