As the credit crunch bites and advertising revenues plummet, it might not be long until these "worthless" young people have unemployed journalists working alongside them.
TUESDAY - I'd stayed up most of the night last week to watch Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic Convention. It's impossible not to be moved by the whole occasion. Our political leaders could learn a thing or two from his campaign about how to re-engage young people in the political process.
But today the US elections give me an uneasy feeling about the way children and families are being used. We've already had Obama using his children to show what a united family they are. We then discover that Bristol Palin, the 17-year-old pregnant daughter of John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, is to keep the baby and marry the father (I can't imagine there was much choice about that).
Young people need to be engaged in politics but parading "happy and normal" families in front of them is not the way to do it. Perhaps we have less to learn from the US than I thought.
WEDNESDAY - I've been asked to be a mentor for "Battlefront", a project backed by Channel 4 and social networking website Bebo, aimed at inspiring young people to use the web as a canvas for social change.
I'll be supporting one of 19 young campaigners who are working on a fascinating range of initiatives - from persuading Coca-Cola to use its vast corporate infrastructure in the developing world to distribute condoms in the battle against Aids, to encouraging a healthy body image among teenagers in the UK. It's going to be fascinating to see how this friendly army - with causes instead of cannons - gets on.
THURSDAY - To the Department for Communities and Local Government, to discuss the recently published Empowerment White Paper.
Hazel Blears has always had a strong commitment to youth participation and this new strategy includes a number of innovative proposals for young people, including a ministerial shadowing programme and an internship scheme with local councillors. Let's hope she isn't moved in the rumoured autumn cabinet reshuffle.
Adam Nichols is chief execitive of charity Changemakers.
