From the Top
From The Top
Embracing Change
Change is one of those words that evokes strong emotions. For some, change is scary, because it plays into the fear of the unknown. For others, change is exciting, because it brings new experiences and new ways of doing things.
We find ourselves firmly in the latter category as 2007 dawns. On Jan. 3, NAA and the NAA Foundation opened for business at a new office in Arlington, Va. Moving posed a lot of challenges, but we look forward to serving you in a convenient location just six miles from the nation’s capital. On the heels of that change comes the 7th World Young Reader Conference. The NAA Foundation is partnering with the World Association of Newspapers to host the conference in Washington, D.C., from March 25 to 28.
This conference builds upon the change we ushered in last July with the NAA Foundation’s first Young Reader Conference in St. Louis. We feel it is important to continue promoting change and growth in the newspaper industry by bringing together those with the most responsibility for future readership – Newspaper In Education and Youth Editorial Alliance professionals.
Granted, collaboration between these two groups isn’t always easy, or popular, but we firmly believe that it’s the right and logical path. We’re encouraged by the step forward taken in this partnership by those who came to St. Louis.
A recurring theme at the World Young Reader Conference is going to be the need for newspapers to change in order to make successful connections with young people who acquire news and information on their own terms. With that in mind, we are reprising the most popular session from St. Louis, with an international twist.
A dozen teenagers from the United States and abroad, selected to serve as the World Young Reader Conference Ambassadors, are teaming up to provide a look “straight from the source” at what young people really want and need from newspapers.
If past performances by teen presenters at NAA Foundation conferences are any indication, delegates to the March event are in for a real treat. Teens who attend our conferences put in long hours over just a few days to craft a presentation full of helpful advice, thought-provoking comments and yes, even sage wisdom. Whatever newspaper department you are from, it all resonates.
Aralynn McMane, Ph.D., WAN director of young readership development, says the teen session in St. Louis was the first youth presentation she has seen at this kind of event that offered real communication, not just a show. McMane notes that she was especially impressed when the discussion turned to MySpace.com, the popular social networking site – with the teens being “the clear experts and the adults the interested learners.”
We can learn a lot from the young people who read and work for our newspapers, and from each other. That’s something that will never change.
Sincerely,
Margaret VassilikosSenior Vice President/Chief Financial OfficerNAA and NAA Foundation
(571) 366-1010
vassm@naa.org
