*Mark Jordan, a producer from BBC London, recently volunteered to share his knowledge of working in news and current affairs with the youth homeless charity DePaul.
The half day workshop was made possible by a partnership with BBC Outreach which offers BBC staff the opportunity to volunteer time and skills to make a big difference in communities across the UK.
Mark’s blog talks about his experience on the day and uncovering an original untold news story.
I experienced a fascinating morning meeting a team of staff from the youth homeless charity DePaul. They need more volunteers to become “Night Stop” hosts and wanted advice on how to get their message out to a wider audience.
They were sitting on an amazing story - volunteers, like you and me, offer their spare rooms for young homeless. At first they were reluctant to face 'the elephant in the room'... that the guest would rob you!
They explained this happens so rarely - so we discussed turning that overwhelming gut reaction into an engaging top line for a press release.
How much of a good Samaritan are you? Would you open your home to a complete stranger? Meet the people who did and those glad to have a warm bed for the night.
It was great to give back something – to share my experience of working in network news and current affairs for over 20 year. For me, I got to discover a diamond of a story that would work for any local or national news and current affairs programme. Getting out, meeting new people and listening is what original journalism is all about. This opportunity through BBC Outreach provided me with all those things.
*If you’re interested in volunteering to become a Night Stop host, visit the charity website www.depaulnightstopuk.org
