Our future is in our hands.
The Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) 2009 in Southport gave every student delegate an unforgettable experience and a real taste of journalism and the media industry.
Twenty-five would-be journalists from all over the United Kingdom had an opportunity to get involved in journalism during the ADM. Â Nobody knew what we would be doing during the conference or what people expected from us. That is why it was both challenging and exciting. But we did it. And we did it well.
The ex-President of National Union of Journalists (NUJ), James Doherty, told delegates in his final speech that there is nothing more pleasant than a thankful word about the job that are you doing, to help people overcome difficulties in their lives. Now all of us students know that is so true, because it was very important and pleasant to hear from experienced journalists throughout the ADM that they were proud of the work that we had done within a few days.
These few days showed us the real life of real journalists, when within half an hour or less, we had to produce NEWS.
We understood the pressures under which journalists work. We understood that not all of the interviews would go as successfully as we hoped. We understood that sitting on the floor in a room with 20 other people to cover the conference was sometimes a necessary evil. We understood that you may still have to be productive after only three hours of sleep.  We understood that “journalists and journalism” matter. We understood that WE can make a difference.
Julija  Jegorova
First-year journalism student, University of the West of England
Bristol Branch NUJ student delegate to ADM 2009
One response to “A student’s experience of the NUJ conference”
This sums it up exactly. I was at the NUJ ADM as a student as Julija has absolutely nailed it. We all came away with a far greater understanding of our union and our career, as well as having met some amazing people.