Karam is curious, interested in others and that led him to enroll in the 687 Richelieu Laval Squadron cadets and to participate in the competition. (Photo submitted)
Canadian Forces newspapers are looking for youth reporters from military families between the ages of 13 and 18 who want to share a story about an issue that is important to their life or the community around them.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Newspapers Youth Reporter Competition gives young people a unique chance to tell their story in print, online or on social media with the help of Canadian Forces Newspapers journalists, editors and photographers. The winner of each category will receive a scholarship proudly presented by Adobe valued at 500$ as well as a one year subscription to Creative Cloud.
Karam Albatal is the winner of last year’s CAF Newspapers’ Youth Reporter Competition, sponsored by Adobe. His story, published in the Spring 2021 edition of “Play” magazine, tells us about the vision of happiness he has imagined for himself, thanks to his unusual personal story. Born in Brazil, his parents came back to Syria so that he could learn about his Syrian roots and grow up in his parents’ culture. While there, he took advantage of his studies to learn French, a language that would come in handy when his family chose Canada as their home a few years later.
“Happiness is simple and anyone can experience it. However, happiness is not easy to achieve but it is found in the simple things in life. During my immigration journey to Brazil, Syria, and Canada, we did not lack for anything, but we did not live-in luxury. And although the situation was not always easy, we were happy. ” Finding happiness in simplicity is how Karam lives his life. It is no surprise that the $2,500 he won will be invested in his future medical studies.
This year the selection committee will select the top stories in a variety of formats to be featured during the final week of April, which is the Month of the Military Child. All selected recipients (winners) will receive a scholarship instead of one grand prize winner and the opportunity to be published on our CFMWS Channels (website, social media, email) and Canadian Forces Newspapers.
The application can be found at CAFconnection.ca/YouthReporter.
Application Deadline 28 February 2022
