An after school how-to journalism program wants you to remember the three R’s: Report. Write. Reform.

Such has been the mantra for Bronx Youth Heard, an eight-year journalism workshop that teaches basic journalism skills to high school students living or going to school in the Bronx. The course is now looking for Bronx journalism students who have something to say within the confines of news gathering principles.

“Bronx Youth Heard fills a gap for students who have a voice, but have limitations expressing that voice,” said David Cruz, Program Director for Bronx Youth Heard who doubles as the editor-in-chief of the Norwood News. Its publisher, the Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit in Norwood, facilitates the bi-annual program. “The idea here is to empower young people and remind them that ‘Yes, you do have a voice.’”

Cruz is in the midst of recruiting Bronx high school students for the program, which is set to begin Oct. 1 at Hostos Community College in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Students take a 12-week course either in the winter/spring or fall, learning journalism fundamentals. A seasoned journalist leads classroom instruction, teaching topics that include identifying news, the elements of a news story, how to gain confidence for interviewing sources, and how to craft a news story. One of the program’s more thrilling aspects comes from a field exercise called Vox Pop, where students pepper random passersby with an assigned question.

“That gets the kids excited, no question,” said Cruz, who emphasized that “you don’t have to be interested in journalism to apply for the program.”

The latter part of the program is spent writing news stories students had developed, incorporating journalistic principles they learned.

Those stories are then featured in the Norwood News, which publishes two special sections yearly to showcase the students’ work. As with most news articles, the students will have a byline and photo of themselves that go along with the news stories.

“These stories can be great additions to a student’s growing portfolio,” said Cruz. “Some past students have shared this with college recruiters as part of their body of work.”

In the past few years, Bronx Youth Heard students have written stories that have shed light on stop and frisk for transgendered people, the so-called “sneakerhead” culture, and money money management for teens.

“One thing we stress to the students is to focus on stories with the teenager in mind,” said Cruz. “Those stories offer a different perspective of what teens are thinking when it comes to a certain topic. In many cases, some of the responses from teenagers are quite surprising.”

Editor’s Note: To apply for the program, you can click on this link-http://bit.ly/BYHFall2015– to fill out an online application. Any questions, contact David Cruz at dcruz@norwoodnews.org.