CBC JOURNALIST NEIL SANDELL WINS ATKINSON FELLOWSHIP IN PUBLIC POLICY

Will Focus on the Struggles of Young Adults in the Work Force

June 7, 2011 – Award winning CBC journalist Neil Sandell is the recipient of the 23nd annual Atkinson Fellowship. The announcement will be made tonight at The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s 14th Annual Awards Gala.

Sandell’s research project is entitled “Help Wanted: The Struggles of Young Adults in the Work Force.” When it comes to unemployment, young adults in Canada and abroad have been the group hit hardest by the recession. Despite Canada’s economic recovery, there are 200,000 fewer young people working today than two years ago. In Ireland, Italy, and Spain, the unemployment rate hovers at 40%. 20-somethings, some with multiple degrees, are searching for work in their field one and even two years after graduating. Those with only secondary education are falling further behind.

"Long term unemployment and underemployment among young adults represents a profound squandering of talent, education, and creative energy,” says Sandell. “It is dispiriting for the individual. For society, it is a quiet disaster.” Sandell will examine the causes of unemployment among young adults and investigate solutions to the problem.

“In supporting this research, the Atkinson Foundation throws a spotlight on an issue of profound concern, one that frustrates young adults and confounds their parents" says Sandell. "This fellowship is a rare opportunity for a journalist to dig deep, think big, and make a difference. I’m grateful for the support of the Atkinson Foundation, The Toronto Star and the Honderich family.”

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Background

Neil Sandell is a senior radio producer at the CBC, his professional home for more than 25 years. Based in Toronto, he has worked on most of the network’s iconic programs: Morningside, As It Happens, Quirk n Quarks, and IDEAS. For five years, he was senior producer of Outfront, an award winning program put microphones in the hands of ordinary Canadians to document their own lives. As a producer and editor, Sandell has won over 15 national and international radio awards. These include honours from the New York Festivals, the CAJ, Amnesty International Canada, the Gabriel Awards, the RTNDA, and the Third Coast Festival in Chicago. Sandell has a passion for mentoring young journalists. He has taught workshops in Oslo, Chicago, Alert Bay BC, and Nuuk, Greenland. Born in Winnipeg, he is a graduate of the University of Manitoba.

Established in 1988, the Fellowship is named after The Star’s early publisher Joseph E. Atkinson, and is designed to further Atkinson’s tradition of liberal journalism. Under the terms of the Fellowship, Sandell will receive a stipend of $75,000 and up to $25,000 for expenses as he spends a year doing research on the public policy issues outlined above, preparing a series of in-depth articles which will be made available to all Canadian newspapers in the fall of 2012.