FOR the third time, the junior broadcasters of the KiDz HuB Network will fly to Philadelphia to cover the annual Penn Relays. The event will run from April 24-26 and many Jamaican athletes will be in attendance, representing both their schools and their country. This year, Jamaica will be celebrating its 50th year of participating in the event.

KIDzHuB is an international non-profit media company which allows students from a total of eight preparatory and primary schools to develop their skills in the field of journalism. They participate in activities such as broadcasting, production and social media marketing. They have forged partnerships with local broadcasters, educators and media professionals to provide mentorship and hands-on training for the junior broadcasters. Being an international organisation, with partnerships in Australia, Germany and the UK, they have also involved foreign mentors in the programme to impart their knowledge to the junior broadcasters.

This year, a team of five broadcasters will be travelling to the Penn Relays. The team consists of the president of the movement, Joshua Dillon, the regional communications director for the Caribbean, Jadan Johnson, Inzingah McCarthy of Allman Town Primary, John Marc Prince of Portmore Missionary Preparatory, and Jordane Clarke of Munro College.

The team will arrive on April 18th, and intends to provide up to fifteen hours of broadcast time, both live and pre-recorded. The network will be broadcasting from the Microsoft store, and will be streamed at www.kidzhub.com.

The organisation does not only see coverage of the event as beneficial to its members, but also to the athletes. While the interviewers are getting exposure, the athletes being interviewed will be receiving practice at answering typical media and career related questions, and are not just being prepared for track events, but essentially, for life.

The network is, however, low on funds, and is trying to garner as much support as possible so that more children may be able to benefit from this amazing programme. They are inviting persons to check out their website, and also to make contributions.

KiDz HuB hopes to launch in Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Grenada, and Barbados by the end of 2014. KiDz HuB is also in talks with Canada, UK the Philippines, and Brazil for a launch by next summer.