In a city whose narrative has too often been written by people who have never walked its blocks, a program at the Detroit Writing Room is putting the tools of journalism directly into the hands of the young people who know Detroit best.

The Detroit Writing Room’s Journalism Camp is an immersive two-week summer program for teens ages 13 to 18 that teaches the craft of real reporting. From identifying a story worth telling, to conducting interviews, to writing with clarity, confidence and purpose, participants learn what it means to do the work of journalism. They produce original stories about the issues, people and places that shape their communities. And their work gets published.

This summer’s camp runs weekdays from July 6-17 at Wayne State University’s Manoogian Hall, placing young journalists on a university campus where they can begin to see themselves as part of a broader intellectual and creative community.

For many campers, it is the first time anyone has told them that their observations about the world around them matter. Not someday, but right now.

The program, in partnership with Coaching Detroit Forward and Planet Detroit, is led by working writers, journalists and media professionals who bring real-world experience into every session. Students learn interviewing techniques, story structure, ethical reporting practices and the editorial process — the same foundational skills used in professional newsrooms. But the camp goes beyond craft. It builds something harder to teach: the belief that your voice has a place in the public conversation.

That belief matters in Detroit, a city experiencing a profound transformation. As neighborhoods change, as new investments reshape corridors and commercial districts, as policy decisions ripple through communities, the question of who gets to document, interpret and frame that change is not abstract. It is urgent. And it is deeply connected to equity.

When a teenager from the east side interviews a longtime resident about what their block used to look like, or when a young reporter from southwest Detroit profiles a small business owner navigating a changing commercial strip, they are doing more than completing an assignment. They are asserting that the people closest to a community’s experience are the ones best equipped to make sense of it.

The camp costs $599 for the full two-week session. But full scholarships are available for Detroit students who live in the city or attend a Detroit high school, made possible by Coaching Detroit Forward donors and program sponsors, including Kresge. Students will need to bring a laptop each day, though Coaching Detroit Forward laptops are available for Detroit students to borrow. Students are responsible for their own transportation, and those who drive will receive a parking pass.

The Detroit Writing Room, a nonprofit writing studio in downtown Detroit, has long provided accessible writing support to people across the city. The Journalism Camp extends that mission to the next generation, grounding young Detroiters in a skill set that serves them whether they pursue media careers or simply carry forward the habit of asking good questions and listening deeply to the answers.

To learn more or register, visit detroitwritingroom.com/journalism-camp.