CAIRO — Bashkatib, an initiative that began in 2013 to help young writers publish their works, is expanding.

Egypt is known for its suppression of the press, ranking 159th out of 180 on Reporters Without Borders' 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Yet in Minya governorate of Upper Egypt, a small initiative is schooling youngsters in the art of journalism.

On May 21, the initiative launched the Minyawi Newsletter, the second of its projects in southern Egypt. The project has featured stories on journalistic topics and is run by a team known as the Minya Youth, whose members range in age from 12 to 17. The group began operating after its members took a series of journalism workshops. The majority of their news reflects the reality of marginalization that the region has experienced over the past several decades, by recording stories narrated by young people there.

Bashkatib was founded by Ahmad al-Hawari, an Egyptian journalist who established a network of local newsletters published on an irregular basis and managed by young journalists in areas of Egypt that have been neglected or relegated to second-class status. The children produce local news for an internet site and the project also serves as a forum for dialogue among themselves. In addition, they occasionally produce paper pamphlets that are circulated for free in the neighborhoods where they work.