About One80

One80 is a comprehensive community engagement strategy and the ultimate source for teen media covering topics of interest and issues that matter… all from a youth angle!

Overview
Our History
Our Mandate
Our Reach
Our Values
Our Goal
Our Content
Our Challenge
Content Disclaimer

Overview

One80 is Canada’s largest circulated by youth, for youth news medium and a *national award winning volunteer citizen journalism initiative for young people. Working with an audience of youth 14-24 years of age, One80 educates young people in ways to better engage their communities and confront important local issues through a thorough and ethical process in journalism and broadcast media.

As a not-for-profit, charitable initiative not only do we provide socially beneficial services and lasting youth experiences… as media goes, we’re pretty darn entertaining! After all WE KNOW OUR MARKET, BECAUSE WE ARE OUR MARKET!
*2004 Bell Canada Award of Excellence

Our History

Established in the fall of 2002 through a grassroots youth-led project, One80 quickly established creditability across the media market as the recipient of the 2003 OCNA* Award for ‘Best New Youth Publication’. With a two-prong approach focusing on i) the development of youth-led media products and ii) a volunteer media education curriculum (supporting literacy and civic engagement through journalism), One80 has quickly grown from a local initiative to a province-wide (and soon to be national) venture for youth.

*OCNA – Ontario Community Newspaper Association 

Our Mandate

One80 is a youth media collective with the sole purpose of being a successful testament to youth achievement, ability and civic contribution through socially and economically viable youth-led media properties.

Our Reach

One80 operates a not-for-profit; youth-led enterprise and mentor guided teen news collective. Our resources support the delivery of media education and opportunities for volunteer journalist contribution to over 22 000 young people and a growing number of over 250 000 readers across Canada who consume One80 year round. Our award-winning newspaper distributes over 55 000 copies monthly across the GTA (Toronto, Peel, Durham, York and Halton) through 475 sites and through interactive access online at www.oneeighty.ca.

Our Values

As a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs across Canada, One80 is guided by an important set of core values that provide healthy experiences toward the development of Canada’s young and supports positive youth contribution back to their communities through an ethical practice in civic journalism.

As a program of Canada’s longest serving and most trusted national youth organizations, One80 believes in supporting the strength of potential in every young person and follows the following core values:

Inclusion & Opportunity

\We strive to offer children and youth from all economic, cultural and social backgrounds access to the resources, supports and opportunities that will enable them to overcome barriers and achieve their positive potential in life.

Respect & Belonging

We provide a safe, supportive place, where every child is listened to, respected and valued in an environment of inclusion and acceptance. Our staff and volunteers model honesty, fair play, positive attitude, cooperation and respect for self and others.

Empowerment

We believe all young people can grow into responsible, contributing and self-reliant members of society. Children and youth are at the centre of everything we do. Through adventure, play and discovery, we encourage and empower them to develop healthy lifestyles, a life-long passion for learning, leadership and life skills and a sense of social responsibility.

Collaboration

We work together with families and volunteers in each community, in partnership with the public and private sector, to create healthy community solutions to providing children and youth with what they need for optimal development.

Speaking Out

We speak out on behalf of children, youth and their families to reduce disadvantage, enhance their lives and enable their voices and ideas to be heard.

Our Goal

With the support of educators, community stakeholders, private sector and youth, One80 will establish a national network of opportunities that encourage young people to effectively engage their communities (on various subjects) in a clear and concise manner. Through ongoing education and practical activity youth will have the tools to contribute valuable insight through established media or where available respected youth-led media platforms (such as One80).  

Our Reason

In many strong cases, youth are marginalized from opportunities to contribute - due to age, limited access or lack of trust in their abilities. We believe that through education and ‘real’ opportunity young people can positively impact their environments and meet the challenge of responsibility head on. Furthermore, through a thorough practice in journalism we have proven that youth can inform and meet their peers in an open forum of media using carefully considered facts.

Our Content

From social justice to education, entertainment to lifestyle – One80 weighs in on all subjects that matter and (in some form) impact youth. Each news assignment, feature or special section that eventually makes up content for One80 is established through youth input or focus groups and further vetted through weekly editorial meetings.  All non-opinion articles involve expert sources and each article is further supported by experienced staff who provide assignment direction. (One80 also has access to some of the leading news editors in the country providing over 50 years of experience). Editorial Mission

Our Challenge

Using journalism and the tools of media can effectively further the personal and social development of all youth regardless of age or ability.  This process in civic journalism gives young people the opportunity to think critically on important issues and express their thoughts and findings in a clear and engaging manner.
We look forward to continuing the positive experience, which has led to over 800 quality youth developed articles and media samples.

If you are interested in helping youth engage their communities through positive media or supporting the development of engaging youth relative content, feel free to contact us.

One80 is a 180-degree turn about to how traditional media is conceived, developed and generally consumed… all from a youth angle. We look forward to working with your group, organization or community

Content Disclaimer

If you need assistance with this site, or desire removal of or credit for anything presented on these pages, please contact us and we will immediately take care of it for you. Copyrighted materials that appear on this website were considered to be available to One80 Youth Media Group for use solely in a non-profit manner and as an educational/instructional tool for youth under the provisions of the ’Standards of Fair Use’ established in Rose-Acuff Music v. Campbell; but if you feel that use is not appropriate, please send us an email so that we can quickly correct the problem.