Koror, Palau - The origins of this transformative collaboration trace back to 2009, rooted in an ambitious vision to prove that young people can be trusted with significant responsibility. Katy Atkinson, Co-founder and CEO of The Reporters' Academy, recalls how the partnership began when her organisation was struggling to gain media accreditation for young journalists at the London 2012 Olympics. "We started noticing all these really exotic athletes coming to our area in the North West of England, training in the training camps. We started creating small films on Fijian swimmers that were staying in Liverpool and PNG athletes that were training in crew up in Manchester," Atkinson explained during a recent interview.

The breakthrough came when Dr Robin Mitchell, recognising the potential of these young storytellers, issued an invitation that would change everything. "Robin Mitchell realized that there was this keen group of young people taking an interest in the athletes that were training, and said, Why don't you come over to the Cook Islands?" Atkinson recalls. That invitation led to eight young people from Manchester travelling to the Cook Islands for the mini Pacific Games in 2009, marking the beginning of what has become a lasting legacy partnership.

The relationship deepened over the years, particularly through the championing efforts of Baklai Temengil from the Palau National Olympic Committee. "She has really championed the youth ever since we met her. She saw our young people telling the stories of Palauan athletes, and said, We want to have that for our Palau and Palauan in general, Palauan young people, Palauan athletes," Atkinson noted. This vision led to the establishment of training programmes in Palau, beginning in 2015 and culminating in the comprehensive capacity-building initiative that has prepared local youth for the current Games.

The training programme has proven transformative for participants, with 20 young Palauans aged from 12 to adult mentors receiving intensive instruction in filmmaking, interviewing techniques, and media production. The programme's methodology goes beyond technical skills, focusing on building confidence and professional capabilities that extend far beyond journalism. As Atkinson observed, "The highlights for me are seeing them just grow in confidence. So the first time I met them, a little bit shy, a little bit nervous of the equipment, and now we can say, hey, let's interview all the volunteers, and I just see them spread out across the venues."

The impact on individual participants is profound and personal. MC, one of the young journalists, shared how the programme has transformed her approach to communication: "Good, the first time I joined this programme I was nervous but now I have the confidence, and I am not afraid to speak." Her experience highlights the programme's success in building not just technical skills but personal confidence that serves participants well beyond their journalism training.

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Maya, another participant, emphasised the programme's unexpected impact on her self-perception and future aspirations. "Good, I never thought of myself going on social media, I never really had the courage before," she admitted, before adding her advice for future participants: "Always pay attention to your instructors because what they teach me is really valuable and actually really good." Her enthusiasm for the programme's future potential is evident in her commitment: "I believe I will be doing this again, I don't ever see myself stopping but if I do then I will try to bring myself back because this has really taught me a lot of things outside of sport."

The programme's success is supported by a dedicated team bringing diverse expertise to Palau. Katy Atkinson leads the initiative alongside Matt Bowcott, a BBC Executive Producer who himself participated in the original 2009 Cook Islands programme as a teenager, demonstrating the programme's own legacy of career development. Sarah Jones, the team's Oceania Aquatic Expert and project manager, rounds out the core team, bringing specialised knowledge of Pacific swimming and aquatic sports.

The programme's immediate results are impressive, with participants conducting 65 interviews that generated over 40,000 views on social media platforms. However, the longer-term impact extends far beyond these metrics. "Some of the young people were at the cusp of graduating high school here, and I've already been hearing stories about how they've been offered jobs from the local media here," Atkinson revealed, highlighting the programme's direct contribution to career development and economic opportunities for participants.

This initiative represents more than journalism training; it embodies ONOC's commitment to comprehensive youth development across the Pacific region. The programme creates pathways for young people to travel with their national teams as accredited media, providing international exposure and professional experience that extends far beyond their home nations.

The Reporters' Academy's work in Palau demonstrates how strategic partnerships between international organisations and regional bodies can create lasting change. By empowering young Pacific voices to tell their own stories, the programme ensures that the region's sporting achievements and cultural narratives are shared authentically with global audiences, while simultaneously providing career pathways and skill development for the next generation of Pacific communicators.

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