The Daily Mail has partnered with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to offer journalism training scholarships to two young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Trust was founded by Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence, now Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, in 1998 and has helped disadvantaged students into careers in architecture – the profession which Stephen wanted to enter.
It is now looking to expand into other professions such as journalism.
Details of the scholarships are being sent to inner city schools, academies and universities with the course starting in August.
Baroness Lawrence said: “I am delighted to announce the Stephen Lawrence trainee reporter scholarship in partnership with the Daily Mail.
“The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust’s mission is to transform the career opportunities of aspiring, talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“This rare opportunity to train in journalism via the highly sought-after “best course in the business” – on the Daily Mail – is an excellent example of how we demonstrate Stephen’s legacy.”
Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, said: “We share with Stephen’s family the wish that more hardworking students from disadvantaged backgrounds should also look to journalism as a career – just as Stephen aspired to become an architect before his life was so viciously cut short.
“We are delighted that we have been able to provide a substantial investment for these bursaries and bring them into our training scheme.”
The Daily Mail campaigned to bring Stephen’s killers to justice after he was stabbed to death at the age of 18 in an attack at a bus stop in south east London in 1993. The subsequent Macpherson Inquiry into the killing accused the Met of being “institutionally racist” and two men were convicted of murder in 2012.
