CONTRAST is an great new magazine for young people living in Hackney. The first of four issues to be published in 2007 hit the streets in the first week of April. The magazine offers advertisers a unique opportunity to engage with young people, including the ‘hard to reach’ urban youth market.
5,000 copies are distributed free to young people and CONTRAST has an estimated readership of 20,000.
The young people’s free magazine is written by teenagers in the borough. An editorial team of 13- to 19-year-olds determine the content they and their peers want to read and then produce the articles, designs and illustrations under the guidance of an experienced production team. The magazine celebrates the experiences, the lifestyle and the successes of Hackney’s young people and it is the place where young people share their unique view of the world with others.
Hackney Youth Service decided to produce the magazine as a result of its award-winning consultation, ‘Children and Young People Strategy, A Good Place to Grow’, which revealed a need across the borough for a magazine on issues relevant to 13- to 19-year-olds. The project is funded by the borough’s Youth Opportunities Fund.
Twice-weekly production meetings are held where young people bring forward their ideas and get a chance to put them into practice and learn valuable media skills. CONTRAST is quickly becoming a ‘must read’ for young people in Hackney. It answers a proven need for a magazine covering issues important to teenagers and using people from this group to write and produce it ensures that is speaks with the correct voice.
