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New Nonprofit Seeks to Empower Nurture and Mentor High School andCollege...

8211;- Who'ss Up Next Network (http://www.wunnetwork.com/) (W.U.N.N.), a new Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization, builds on the age-old wisdom that it takes a village to raise a child.

(W.U.N.N. (http://www.wunnetwork.com/)) provides sports and broadcast journalism experience to high school and college students in Philadelphia and its surrounding communities by hiring talented, high-achieving individuals with an interest in the field. Through an online network devoted to high school sports, the organization is a news channel hosted by students highlighting students that features video, photos, interviews, scores, profiles, blogs and more.

's8220;The group encourages communities, families and businesses to get more involved with young people as we offer them positive programming and extend real world experience,'s8221; said Gary Peterson, W.U.N.N. founder. 's8220;In addition to featuring students in sports, W.U.N.N. will have resources for star athletes to help them succeed academically and navigate from high school to intercollegiate athletics. With all this, W.U.N.N. is committed to growing the area'ss high school sports as an alternative to often expensive professional sports, and a positive form of family entertainment. We believe this can be achieved with a quality platform that provides local high school sports with more and better coverage -- and from a student perspective. That is what makes the network unique.'s8221;

There are five components of W.U.N.N. that are designed to foster leadership and professional experience:

Online Media

Through hands-on experience, W.U.N.N. student staffers are trained to work with modern technology and learn the operations of the broadcast media. They write, produce and host an online sports show devoted to local high school athletics.

Print Media

Offering further experience within the world of sports journalism, W.U.N.N. will have a focus on written pieces posted to the organization Web site, www.wunnetwork.com. Another goal would be to partner with select neighborhood and city newspapers to create opportunities to feature stories covered by the students within the program.

Counseling

This component will assist college-ready high school students through scholarships, free SAT prep, help navigating NCAA guidelines (for athletes), and more.

Intramural/Summer Sports and Paid Internship Program

Each student hired by W.U.N.N. is paid based upon grades and academics. There are also opportunities to advance. Statisticians, reporters, photographers, camera operators, etc., are all hired and trained to develop skills that allow them, as well as the network, to shine.

The Newsroom

Like any media outlet should, Who'ss Up Next Network aims for diversity within its student staff. It encourages a wide range of viewpoints and focuses on journalism with universal appeal -- without racial, gender or socioeconomic lines. Even so, the organization's8217;s mission is still to empower traditionally at-risk young people with an avenue to express themselves, all while offering a rare career opportunity right within their community. The program also encourages young women and minorities to enter into the field of journalism through outreach.

Training

Students will get all of the necessary training, mentoring and material required for them to learn and apply the standard practices of each discipline in which they partake (during the program, all students will be trained on statistics and how to conduct proper pre-game, half-time, and post-game interviews). Nonetheless, W.U.N.N. strives to instill values beyond the 's8216;who-what-when-where's8217; of the task at hand. Education, hard work and professional dedication operate in tandem with a regular production schedule and requirements. Likewise, the group focus on sports is far more than a by-the-numbers recap of ball matches (as can be found elsewhere). There is an emphasis on human interest features that put real stories behind the area's8217;s local athletes, teams, coaches and sports families. W.U.N.N. will feature high-achieving high school athletes as a form of positive recognition, as well as an example of what can be achieved by every young person that the organization reaches. Another cornerstone of the program will be a focus on journalistic ethics and integrity, as well as overall professionalism. Students will be asked to treat their positions as they would treat any other job and will be given as many tools as possible to do so.

Credentials

Over time, W.U.N.N. will strive to establish strong roots within local sports so as to secure access to sporting events, schools, players and coaches on a regular basis. All in all, the nonprofit's8217;s model as an organization is to produce quality coverage of high school sports in Philadelphia. W.U.N.N is its own media channel, but seeks opportunities to have its student participants's8217; work published in local papers and shown on local television.

The Student-Athlete: High School-College Transition

The Who'ss Up Next Network is not simply a medium providing coverage and publicity for the area'ss high school athletes: it also provides a support system for those athletes excelling in the game and pursuing the intricate world of intercollegiate sports. W.U.N.N. helps make that transition from high school to intercollegiate athletics easier. How many kids dream of being a professional ball player or sportscaster How many of them know how important their high school athletic career really is The Who'ss Up Next Network knows, and has resources to aid in their quest of any type of sports career. Young athletes can get guidance on NCAA eligibility requirements (i.e. Division I and II NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse). In addition, the nonprofit has a system in place that helps get star athletes discovered by recruiters by giving them tools to get through the process.

For more information, visit http://www.wunnetwork.com

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