Category: 2009

Participate in the Eighth Youth Media Blog-a-Thon
Topic: Yes, We Care! Young People Weigh in on the Health Care Debate
For more information, contact Eming Piansay, Co-Editor, YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia
415.503.4170

Yes, We Care!: Young People Weigh in on the Health Care Debate.
YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia and WireTap Magazine are proud to present the eighth Youth Media Blog-a-Thon, set to kick off on October 1st and going on till October 8th.
They’re lying about us. Long before Representative Joe Wilson infamously called President Obama a liar during his historic health care speech, Capitol Hill politicians and media pundits were pushing one very controversial point: young people didn’t care to join the healthcare debate.
Statistics repeatedly show that young people are some of the most vulnerable and chronically uninsured groups in the country. Over time, some of us are kicked off our parents’ health insurance plans. Others work part time jobs that don’t offer any insurance. Still others can only dream of health care as a distant luxury.
It’s time to show the world that ‘Yes, We Care’. And yes, our lives do matter.
Here are some ideas to address in your blog posts:
• In the highly publicized speech in which he outlined his administration’s health care agenda, President Barack Obama made a point of saying that a public option would not benefit undocumented people. Do you agree? Disagree? Prove it to us and tell us your story.
• Let’s face it: the only thing that sucks more than being sick is knowing that there’s something out there that could possibly make you better, but you can’t afford it. Do you know someone — or are you someone — who has suffered because you can’t afford health care? Tell us your story.
• Why is health care important to you? Record a vlog telling President Obama and our local politicians why health care matters to young folks.
• What do you (or members of your family) do when you are injured or ill?
• How do you pay for visits to the doctor? Are you (or your parents) in debt from medical bills?
• Do you support Obama in saying that he will “…provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance … and lower the cost of health care for our families…” Why or why not?
• How will you receive coverage once you don’t qualify under your parents’ health care?
• Media reports suggest young people aren’t active in the health care reformation. How do feel about that? Do you think it’s true? Tell us why.
If you are interested in being a part of the Youth Media Blog-a-Thon, please email Eming Piansay at epiansay@newamericamedia.org.
Sponsoring Organizations:
For over 15 years, YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia has been a leader in youth-produced content in the Bay Area. Through our active website (http://www.youthoutlook.org), YO!TV – a weekly 30-minute television show on Access 29 in San Francisco, and our weekly YO!Radio segments aired on KMEL 106.1, YO! gives young people a voice on the issues they most care about. YO! content is also regularly syndicated in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oakland Tribune and more. The YO! blog has been active since 2007.
WireTap is a national news and culture magazine by and for socially conscious youth. Our online community promotes social justice, inspires action and gives young people a voice in the media. Wiretap provides free, daily content to over 60,000 monthly visitors and 14,000 weekly newsletter subscribers. Our award-winning journalism and youth commentary is syndicated every week on the Nation.com, AlterNet.org and Chicago Sun Times, and college papers, and hundreds of our stories get linked to in widely read blogs and websites, from Mother Jones’ blog to Fear of a Brown Blogger to social networking site MyBloc.net.

Weekend Training Series for Mentors, Teachers, Educators and Community Activists
SATURDAY & SUNDAY October 3rd 9AM-5PM, October 4th 9AM-2:00PM
This training series will provide educators with cutting edge best practices in social justice, spoken word and hip-hop education. This weekend participants will work with professors, activists, educators, emcees and spoken word artists to engage in the critical literacy work that Urban Word NYC is known for. The workshops are geared towards building foundational frameworks, that are then followed up by specific sessions for: writing mentors, NYU community members, and NYC public school teachers. The range of perspectives provided will bridge both theory and practical application, as well as inform your personal pedagogy to enable you to work and grow as an educator dedicated to liberatory education. Also included will be a lunchtime panel with the Hip-Hop Association, as well as presentations by NYCoRE, EARS, DNA works, and leaders from our sponsoring orgs. For a full conference schedule visit www.urbanwordnyc.org.
REGISTER NOW!
Suggested donation for weekend training is $100. Includes breakfast & lunch.
Please be sure to pre-register by emailing Program Director, Parker Pracjek at parker@urbanwordnyc.org.
Training is free for UW mentors, NYU students and staff, and the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival staff.
For additional information, please call 212-352-3495. Scholarships available.
You can also find more information at http://www.urbanwordnyc.org/uwnyc/index.php?q=node/254.

The Sadie Nash Leadership Project (SNLP), is currently recruiting young women for our Fall 2009 Leadership Institute (formerly known as Nash University). Classes will meet twice a week (one weekday, and one Saturday), and will incorporate both community building and intensive leadership development. They will also integrate college awareness, health and self-care, and increased communication skills. Participants will receive an end-of-year stipend based on their participation and attendance in the group, and are eligible to receive school credit.
Young women can choose between two tracks:
Track A) Sisterhood Academy – This class will focus on identity and leadership development, and will explore career and life options, healthy relationships, mental, physical, and emotional wellness, and creative self-expression. Participants will build practical skills and knowledge on issues such as wellness, financial literacy, college awareness, stress management, and job readiness. Classes will meet on Wednesdays 4:30-6:00pm, and Saturdays 12pm-3pm in Brooklyn Heights.
Track B) Making Waves – This group will focus on leadership development, social justice, activism and social change and participants will learn about historical and contemporary female leaders and social justice movements, local government, local leaders, and relevant social justice campaigns in our city. As a culminating project, participants will design and execute a social justice youth summit to educate and mobilize their peers around issues of concern to them. Classes will meet on Thursdays 4:30-6:00pm, and Saturdays 12pm-3pm in Brooklyn Heights.
We are currently accepting applications for both these tracks! Applications can be found at http://www.sadienash.org/apply_nashu.htm. We are also holding two Open Houses for interested applicants and families – Sept 25th, 2009 at 4:30pm, and Monday Sept 28th, at 12 noon. Both open houses will be held in Downtown Brooklyn at 157 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please RSVP to shreya@sadienash.org. Applications are due by Tuesday, Sept 29th, 2009 and we encourage youth to apply today!
Please contact Shreya@sadienash.org or call 718.422.8664 to RSVP or for more information.

JOB POSTING
September 14, 2009
MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH COORDINATOR & YOUTH MEDIA INSTRUCTOR
40 hours/week
Membership Outreach duties include increasing SCAT membership through outreach to schools, clubs, and not-for profit organizations in Somerville. Other duties include maintaining the member database, representing SCAT at community events, intern fairs, and public meetings, and working with members to enhance their participation at SCAT.
Next Generation Producers (NGP) is SCAT’s teen media program. The position will work with SCAT’s Youth Media Coordinator to plan and evaluate NGP curriculum, inspire and teach diverse groups of Somerville teens, supervise assistant instructors, and maintain the NGP web presence.
The person hired will be an experienced media producer and youth educator who is passionate about working with urban teens on documentary, music video, and informational video projects. He or she will be committed to utilizing media for creative expression and community development.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will have a college degree, excellent communications and group facilitation skills, and substantial digital video and studio production experience. He/She will be comfortable working with a diverse membership. Filemaker database and administrative experience are a plus.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
YOUTH MEDIA
• NGP program instruction
• Assist the Coordinator with lesson planning
• Seek community collaborations for participant recruitment
• Coordinate project screenings
• Maintain NGP web page and post completed video projects
• Supervise assistant instructors and peer mentors
• Research grant opportunities to support NGP programs
MEMBERSHIP & DATABASES
• Coordinate membership drives and other outreach activities; represent SCAT at community events.
• Process memberships, maintaining accurate written and computerized records and quarterly statistics.
• Oversee membership renewals and other communications
• Ensure that central mailing lists are maintained
• Coordinate screenings and other member events to promote active participation in SCAT
• Coordinate volunteer opportunities, including the weekly reading of Somerville newspapers for the visually impaired.
• Assist with distribution of press releases, newsletters and flyers
OTHER PRODUCTION/TRAINING
• Produce community oriented programming for cablecast as assigned.
• Assist members with pre-production, production and post-production needs.
ON CALL DUTIES – Two evenings/week, 1 Saturday/month
• Answer phones, serve as receptionist
• Oversee equipment and facilities reservations, pick-ups and returns
• Tell newcomers about SCAT. Signs up new members
• Sign up members for classes
• Make dubs upon request, sells tapes, books, t-shirts, etc.
• Keep the facilities clean and neat
• Answer members’ technical and procedural questions
• Troubleshoot technical problems and routes broken equipment to technicians
GENERAL
• Attend staff meetings and special events
• Other tasks as directed
This position is full time with benefits, including a 401K match after one year employment. Some evening and weekend hours are required. Salary range is $32,000- $35,000, based on experience. Multilingual and minority candidates are encouraged to apply. SCAT is an equal opportunity employer.
To apply, send a cover letter and resume by October 16 to director@access-scat.org or Director, SCAT, 90 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143. No phone calls please.
For more information:
90 Union Square
Somerville, MA 02143
617.628.8826 (v)
617.628.1811 (f)
www.access-scat.org

Showcase your students’ video production talent as they share how they are making a difference!
National Middle School Association is now accepting video submissions to be played at the general sessions at our 36th Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN, November 5-7, 2009. More than 7,000 educators from around the world will view the winning videos. Chosen videos will also be recognized on the conference website and in the conference program book.
Each entry will receive a participation certificate!
For more information, please visit the NMSA Annual Education Conference website, http://www.nmsa.org/annual/.

Read below to learn more about four new opportunities to fund your youth-led service and learning projects:
Grant: After School Grants! Projects started by young people who are providing after school activities that help youth in their community.
Funder: Do Something and JCPenney.
Eligibility: Young people under age 25.
Deadline: Sept. 15.
Amount: 10 $500 grants and five $1,000 grants.
Contact: www.dosomething.org/grants/afterschool.
Grant: Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge – For youth-led environmental projects.
Funder: Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association.
Eligibility: Students in grades kindergarten to eight.
Deadline: Jan. 31, for elementary schools; March 15, 2010, for middle schools.
Amount: Students compete for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes.
Contact: http://wecanchange.com.
Grant: State Farm Youth Advisory Board – For service-learning projects that address certain issues, including drivers’ safety, access to higher education and environmental responsibility.
Funder: State Farm.
Eligibility: Individuals between the ages of 17 and 20 as of June 30, 2009.
Deadline: Oct. 2.
Amount: From $25,000 to $100,000 each.
Contact: www.statefarmyab.com/apply.php.
Grant: Big Green – For environmentally friendly projects that encourage youths to take care of the environment, be active, live healthier and engage in community service.
Funder: Nickelodeon.
Eligibility: Elementary and middle schools and after-school community-based organizations with 501(c)(3) status serving kids age 5 to 15 years.
Deadline: Dec. 31.
Amount: $2,500 or $5,000 each. The latter amount must be matched one to one.
Contact: www.bghevent.com/grant/index.htm.

Links | Documents | Conferences
Journalism That Matters Mid-Year Gathering
“Create or Die: Forging Communities that Initiate, Innovate, Incubate”
June 3 – 6, 2009 | Detroit, MI
Wayne State University – Journalism Institute for Media Diversity | St. Andrews Hall
How are we going to reshape journalism so that it engages and serves all people and communities? Initiative, innovation, incubation. For three days in Detroit, some 150 or more people will work at the intersections of journalism, technology, community and diversity to answer our convening question — with action. We’ll share innovations and ideas already in process in the new media landscape, inviting entrepreneurs to showcase and further develop their work over a one-year cycle. Bring your project idea to a focused, three-day gathering of results-driven journalists, entrepreneurs, programmers, technologists, bloggers, videographers, funders, venture capitalists, artists and educators to discover, assess, shape and create new enterprises and new approaches to journalism in a digital age. We’ll learn about Detroit’s changing economy as a metaphor for the change and opportunity dogging journalism.
To register: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=mfptz
NAMAC Pre-Conference | National Youth Media Summit Report-Out
August 26, 2009 | 2:30-5:00 p.m. | Boston, MA
Emerson College, Multi-purpose room | 150 Boylston Rd
National Youth Media Summit
August 5-7, 2009 | Lake Forest, IL
McCormick Foundation & The Academy for Educational Development
Tribeca Film Institute: Our City My Story 2009
May 1, 12pm, 2009 | Manhattan
Every year, hundreds of NYC students pick up cameras and tell their stories. Our City, My Story is Tribeca Film Institute’s annual celebration of the incredible vision, excellence and diversity of New York City youth-made media. Students from all five boroughs continually create powerful films–each exploring a unique perspective or take on the city they live in. By presenting the year’s most exciting youth-made media, this special curated program gives a voice to the best of NYC youth work during the Tribeca Film Festival. Large audiences are welcome.
http://www.tribecafilminstitute.org/youth/our_city/

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MIT Project New Media Literacies Spring Conference: Learning in a Participatory Culture
May 2, 2009 | Cambridge, MA
At NML’s May 2nd conference, we will share our new web-based learning environment, the Learning Library, and host a series of conversations and workshops about the integration and implementation of the new media literacies across disciplines. Workshops include “The Complexities of Copyright: Shepard Fairey v. the AP,” “Mapping in Participatory Culture: Boundaries,” “Using Wikipedia in the Classroom” and many others. Henry Jenkins’ closing remarks will address the future of NML and participatory democracy.
http://newmedialiteracies.org/

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New York City Grassroots Media Conference: Hope to Action
May 30, 2009 | New York City
Co-Sponsored by the Film and Media Department at Hunter College, CUNY
The enthusiasm that mobilized the public for the historic 2008 election campaign ignited the hopeful hearts of a country at a crossroads. As a powerful spark of grassroots organizing swept through the country, the world witnessed our nation wield unprecedented power by voting for large scale social change. This momentum offers our communities an unprecedented opportunity to act as critical agents in charting the road forward. But even as we celebrate this victory, uncertainty looms ahead. Many of us have lost our jobs, our insurance, and our economic stability; many of our independent media producers and social justice organizations face diminished financial support and increasing barriers. In these challenging times, how can we build a stronger media network that ensures the visibility of our communities’ voices, images and stories?
http://http://nycgrassrootsmedia.org/conference

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Alliance 2009 National Conference: Community Media at the Crossroads
July 15-18 | Portland, OR
View Earlybird Brochure here: http://www.ourchannels.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/acm_intlconf_ebbrochure_final020409.pdf
For more information see: http://www.ourchannels.org/

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The 11th Annual Allied Media Conference
July 16-19, 2009 | Detroit, MI
The 11th annual Allied Media Conference will be held July 16-19, 2009 in the McGregor Conference Center (495 Ferry Mall) on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit.
The Allied Media Conference is the central project of the Allied Media Projects (AMP) network, which emerges out of ten years of organic relationship-building. Since the first conference (then the Midwest Zine Conference) in 1999, people have been compelled by the concept of do-it-yourself media. Later, as the Underground Publishing Conference, the emphasis was on building a movement of alternative media makers. With the shift towards Allied Media, the AMC has attracted more and more people who are interested in using participatory media as a strategy for social justice organizing.
http://www.alliedmediaconference.org/

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2009 NAMAC Conference
August 26-29, 2009 | Boston
NAMAC and the Center For Independent Documentary will co-host the Boston Conference. Further information will appear in NAMAC’s electronic newsletter, website, and special announcements in the coming months, so stay tuned and mark your calendar.
http://www.namac.org/conference
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2009

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“Claiming the Digital Divide: Perspectives on Global Youth Media & Social Change”
A panel held at the Academy for Educational Development
Thursday, May 8, 2008 | 100 Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor New York City
12:30-2:00 p.m. Light refreshments provided.
Claiming the Digital Divide aims to bring together youth media educators, academics, graduate students, and leading practitioners to discuss global and local youth media as it relates to social change and the field.
On a daily basis, young people enter and engage in dialogue about real issues affecting their lives with other young people using technology. There is energy in such virtual networking and information sharing and when expanded more globally, has the power to affect young people in ways that enable them to connect with international issues and social change. This is provides young people with a chance to connect around the globe—without ever having to head to the airport with an over-priced ticket.
Youth media organizations have created important pathways for young people to create global alliances, share commonalities in a local and global sphere, and gain access to new forms of technology. Such techno-social bridging addresses issues at the heart of youth media: access, global relationships, and young people’s critical role in addressing local and international issues. We invite you to engage with the following panelists:
“Comparing Notes – U.S. and Colombian Youth
and Community Media Practices and Challenges.”
by Diana Coryat, Founding Member of Global Action Project and recent Fulbright Scholar to Colombia.
“Global Youth Dialogue in Virtual and Networked Spaces”
by Shawna Rosenzwieg, On-Line Educator, Global Kids
“Telling Stories of Self: Learning about Race, Gender, Nationality and the Structure of Urban Schooling through Youth Produced Videos”
by Allison Butler, Ph.D. Media Studies & High School Media Teacher.
“Global Youth Journalism in a Web 2.0 World: New Opportunities and New Challenges”
by Anindita Roy, Director of Membership and Youth Media Programs, iEARN.
“Ideas on Inclusion: New and Old Media Tools in Youth Alliance Building”
by Chelsey Hauge, Graduate Student in Media Studies, The New School & Graduate/Media Intern at Youth Media Reporter.
Along with the audience, panelists will explore the various ways young people use media technology to connect locally and globally across traditional lines of difference (race, gender, sexuality, and geographical location).
Claiming the Digital Divide will include topics that range from:
-the ways media is used to create alliances and international youth communities; and/or how youth access and connect to new media devices and spaces (social networking, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc);
-how adults/academics can collaborate with young people in new media environments;
how young people virtually enter and engage in conversation about real issues affecting their lives;
-alternative media communities;
-the intersections of race/gender/nationality in youth media making; and
-international youth media exchange.
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2007

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The National Media Education Conference (NMEC): iPods, Blogs and Beyond: Evolving Media Literacy for the 21st Century
June 22-26th, 2007 | St. Louis, Missouri
NMEC 2007 will bring together educators and media literacy practitioners to share their work and learn from each other. Attendees include leaders, teachers, education researchers, public health professionals, youth workers, technology experts, media producers, and others.
www.amlainfo.org/nmec2007

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Pens of Power
August 4th, 2007 | Boston, MA
Connecting young teen writers to consider taking their writing to the next level in journalism and career pathways.
www.teenvoices.org

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NAMAC: The Frontier is Here
October 17-20th, 2007 | Austin, TX
The Frontier is Here will highlight individuals and collaborations that have fostered innovative arts projects (in both traditional and digital environments), the growth of independent film, artistic and community-based applications of emerging technologies, the democratization of creating and connecting to content, the evolution of digital copyright, and the value and importance of community-based media and visual arts centers.
www.namac.org

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Journalism That Matters
August 7-8th, 2007 | Washington, D.C.
The Journalism that Matters Consortium and The Media Giraffe Project invites you to spend a day and a half in both structured and open dialog on these and other questions at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Aug. 7-8, 2007. Join this convening of editors, publishers, writers, researchers, academics, students, entrepreneurs, public advocates, independent and “citizen” journalists intent on defining and launching “The Next Newsroom” using open dialogue, break-out task groups and circle-round sharing of ideas and solutions.
http://www.mediagiraffe.org/artman/publish/article_561.shtml

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Links | Documents | Conferences
Youth Media Organizations
Video
Educational Video Center – www.evc.org
Global Action Project – www.global-action.org
YO! Youth Outlook – www.youthoutlook.org
Conscious Youth Media Crew – www.consciousyouthmediacrew.org
Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) – www.bavc.org
Real Girls Media – www.realgrrls.org
Real Works Teen Filmmaking – www.reelworks.org
Tribeca Film Institute – www.tribecafilminstitute.org
The Ghetto Film School – www.ghettofilm.org
Youth Channel – www.youthchannel.org
Spy Hop – www.spyhop.org
Alaska Teen Media Institute – www.alaskateenmedia.org
Print
Children’s PressLine – www.cpl.org
Girls Write Now – www.girlswritenow.org
Teen Voices – www.teenvoices.com
New American Media – www.newamericamedia.org
L.A. Youth – www.layouth.com
VOX Teen Communications – www.voxrox.org
Youth Communications – www.youthcomm.org
IndyKids – www.indykids.net
Urban Word NYC – www.urbanwordnyc.org
Young D.C. – www.youngdc.org
Music
Bay Unity Music Project (BUMP) – www.youthsounds.org/bump/index.html
Youth Movement Records – www.youthmovementrecords.org
Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls – www.williemaerockcamp.org
Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls – www.girlsrockcamp.org
Radio
Radio Rookies – http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/
Radio Arte – www.radioarte.org
Youth Radio – www.youthradio.org
Kboo Youth Collective – www.kbooyouth.org
Generation PRX – http://generation.prx.org
Blunt Radio – www.bluntradio.org
Youth Voices/Sierra Leone – http://www.voiceofchildrenonline.org/
Intermediaries
Listen Up! – www.listenup.org
National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture (NAMAC) – www.namac.org
Educational Development Center – www.edc.org
Movement Strategies Center – www.movementstrategy.org
What Kids Can Do – www.whatkidscando.org
Funders
Open Society Institute
McCormick Tribune Foundation
Youth Innovation Fund
Knight Foundation
Time Warner

Links | Documents | Conferences
YMR News Literacy Issue (Volume 3: Issue 3)
Download this issue here.
Report: State of the Youth Media Field
This report seeks to provide a recent snapshot of the youth media field and underscore the urgency for youth media organizations to work together, especially at a time when there is a growing need for youth media and the changes it can effect.
It is derived from conversations with youth media practitioners in the United States who attended a National Youth Media Summit in Lake Forest, IL in August 2009. In addition, it builds on many other reports and research, especially a 2004 white paper, “Developing the Youth Media Field: Perspectives from Two Practitioners,” and Open Society Institute documents capturing the state of the youth media field.
Download this document here.
Youth Media Timeline
The Youth Media Timeline compliments the State of the Youth Media Field Report, and reflects the contributions and insights of the youth media practitioners, researchers, funders and producers who attended the 2009 National Youth Media Summit. The timeline was designed by Carly Rounds of the AED Social Change Design team.
You can download the Timeline here.
National Youth Media Summit Official Report Out
The Official Report Out was distributed at the NAMAC Pre-conference event at Emerson College in Boston, MA, on August 26, 2009. This document summarizes the goals and outcomes of the 2009 National Youth Media Summit in Lake Forest, Illinois. Highlights include the full list of issue area strategies developed by the Summit working groups, key take-aways from the summit, and key youth media resources.
Download the document here.
2009 National Youth Media Summit Working Paper
The Working Paper was distributed to all participants of the 2009 National Youth Media Summit that took place in Lake Forest, Illinois, from August 5-7. This paper provides an introduction to the goals of the Summit and a framework for the Summit’s six working group issue areas.
Download the document here.
Youth Media Sector Survey Results
This document summarizes the findings of the 2009 Youth Media Sector Survey. This document was distributed to all participants of the 2009 National Youth Media Summit that took place from August 5-7, 2009, in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Download the survey here.
Youth Media Fellowship
Youth Media Learning Network, Application deadline May 25th, 2007
Download the Fellowship PDF
Investing in Youth Media: A Guide for Grantmakers
Open Society Institute, 2007
Download the Guide for Grantmakers PDF
Youth Media’s Impact on Audience and Channels of Distribution: An Exploratative Study
Open Society Institute, 2004
Download the Explorative Study PDF
Youth Media Evaluation Toolkit
Open Society Institute & Surdna Foundation, 2005
Download the Evaluation Toolkit PDF
Youth Video in Focus
Educational Video Center, 2007
Download information for obtaining copies of Youth Video in Focus PDF