Category: 2010

The 3rd Annual Youth Producing Change (YPC) World Premiere is coming up June 18-19 in New York City, and we would like to invite your youth to attend their special YOUTH MEDIA PRESS CONFERENCE.
This year’s Youth Producing Change program includes 11 incredible films made by teens across the globe who are exposing human rights crises (environment, poverty, right to education, LGBTQ, political asylum, etc.) in their own lives and producing real change. Several of these filmmakers will be traveling from Kenya, California, The United Kingdom, Texas and New York.
When: Friday, June 18th, 4.30pm-6.30pm
Where: Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, Plaza Level (at Lincoln Center, between Broadway and Amsterdam)
What: Youth media producers from across NYC will have the opportunity to meet teen YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE filmmakers from Kenya, UK/Afghanistan, Los Angeles and San Antonio. There will be chances to network, interview the filmmakers and have your youth share about their own experiences, projects and pursuits as they create their own media. *Snacks will be provided.
Prep: In advance of the press conference, we will send your group a DVD of all of the films, so your young people can be prepared and will have seen the films that we will speak about.
Up to 20 youth media press conference attendees will receive free tickets to stay for the evening screening and reception (7-9:30pm). SPACE IS LIMITED SO PLEASE RSVP ASAP to aminmas@hrw.org.
Screening:
Friday, June 18, 2010
7:00pm
Film screening, and discussion with youth filmmakers. Reception to follow. | Invite friends on Facebook
Saturday, June 19, 2010
1:00pm
Film screening, and discussion with youth filmmakers. | Invite friends on Facebook
All screenings at Film Society of Lincoln Center Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street, Upper Level (Between Broadway and Amsterdam)
Special YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE ticket price – $7 ($12 regular)
*Tickets will go on sale May 20,2010

Housing & Travel Message Boards for the AMC and the U.S. Social Forum
Thousands of people are making their way to Detroit this summer to attend the 12th Allied Media Conference and the U.S. Social Forum. Many of them want to stay for the full 11 days of both events – from June 17 to June 27, but will only be able to do so if they can secure affordable housing (from cheap to free!). Other people can afford to stay in a hotel for that whole time but would rather invest their money in Detroit neighborhoods than downtown hotels.
AMP Awards Micro-Grants to Support Grassroots Fundraising to get to the AMC
Allied Media Projects invited the coordinators of the 14 tracks of AMC2010 to submit proposals for media projects that would support the grassroots fundraising and organizing of their tracks. We awarded micro-grants of $400 on a first come first serve basis. Learn more about the awesome projects that are seeded through this process and how you can support: the New Mythos Tour, the Eco-Justice CD Compilation, and the Medios Caminantes CD Compilation
AMC and USSF organizers want to make sure everyone has housing, and we also want to see as many resources as possible flow into our communities as a result of these two events. In order to facilitate this match-making, Allied Media Projects built a message board system where people who have housing to offer and people who need housing can find each other. If you are interested in making your house or apartment available, or if you need to announce your need for housing, check out the new Housing Message Board.
This message board system also contains a Travel message board to coordinate travel solutions to the AMC and USSF. We’ve also created a General message board which is a good place to share ideas, announce calls to action, job postings, etc.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This is just the beginning of us moving towards a more interactive Allied Media web presence that facilitates our network’s connectedness year-round.
Announcing “Bridge” Activities from the AMC to the U.S. Social Forum
Every year at the Allied Media Conference, we build communications infrastructure that stays in Detroit beyond the conference. Last year, we encouraged AMC participants to spend the week following the AMC in Detroit to launch the radio station and recording studio at Hush House in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood. This year, we are planning three projects that will start during the AMC and continue in the days after. Each of these projects are co-hosted by local organizations. They form a “bridge” of activities between the AMC and U.S. Social Forum, and offer a way for Detroiters and visitors to share knowledge and build community together.
These bridge activities include the “Another Detroit is Happening” mural project, a community wi-fi build, and the launch of a new community radio station. Learn more about these projects and how to get involved.
Become an AMC Network Sponsor
The AMC’s Network Sponsorship program is an opportunity for the AMC community to invest in the success of the conference.
Here’s how it works: Your group reserves 10 conference registrations at the requested rate of $100 each by April 30, 2010 and you receive the benefits of our “Ally” sponsorship level as a bonus ($600 value). Reserve 20 conference registrations at the $100 rate and receive the benefits of the “Supporter” sponsorship level as a bonus ($1,000 value).
We introduced Network Sponsorship for AMC2009 and seven organizations took advantage of this plan. We want even more organizations to invest in the AMC through Network Sponsorship in 2010. It’s not too late to become a Network Sponsor. Contact us for details.

AMP Awards Micro-Grants to Support Grassroots Fundraising to get to the AMC
Allied Media Projects invited the coordinators of the 14 tracks of AMC2010 to submit proposals for media projects that would support the grassroots fundraising and organizing of their tracks. We awarded micro-grants of $400 on a first come first serve basis. Learn more about the awesome projects that are seeded through this process and how you can support: the New Mythos Tour, the Eco-Justice CD Compilation, and the Medios Caminantes CD Compilation.

World Savvy’s Global Youth Media and Arts Festival celebrates the creativity and vision of NYC youth artists! This year, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the first World Savvy Album, produced in collaboration with The Orchard, and available for download on iTunes as of May 21. Please join us for this exciting event showcasing media, art, and live musical performances from middle and high school students in New York City focused on
Immigration + Identity
JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE YOUTH AND THEIR ARTWORK!
And help support World Savvy’s Spring Campaign to raise $40,000 for our programs by June 30.
VIP Reception & Special Performances
Friday, May 21, 2010
5:00-6:30PM
Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets.
Purchase tickets by May 1st to receive a 15% early bird discount.
Host Committee support for the Festival is also available:
– Global Sponsor $1,000
– Community Ambassador $500
– Neighborhood Advocate $250
Contact Carissa Johnson at 718-210-3634 or carissa@worldsavvy.org to join the Host Committee or for more information about the Festival.
VIP Reception followed by
Festival Celebration
6:30-9:00PM
Free to the Public
NYU Commons Gallery
NYU Steinhardt
Barney Building, Ground Floor
34 Stuyvesant Street, New York, NY
@ 9th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
Please check www.worldsavvy.org/new-york for more information.

http://www.bavc.org/bumptraining
Do you work with students/youth who are interested in music? Would you like to be able to offer a class where they can learn the technical and critical skills to produce their own music? The Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) is offering a FREE teacher training workshop where you can learn what you need to know to start your own music production program.
Who is invited?
Community-based organizations, teachers, after-school programming providers, and anyone interested in offering a digital music production class for youth. Instructors with regular access to a computer lab are especially encouraged to apply. Any experience with music is helpful, but not required we’ll teach you what you need to know!
What exactly will we be doing?
Working from BAVC’s BUMP Beats curriculum, we will be covering the basics of computer-based music production using the Reason software program. Technical topics will include drum programming, working with samplers and synthesizers, basic keyboarding and music theory. In addition, we will discuss best practices, such as critical listening exercises, efficient troubleshooting, and using web-based materials to enhance instruction. We will also be offering several supplemental workshops around classroom management, artistic responsibility and program funding/sustainability. Click here for more information (www.bavc.org/bumptraining).
Why should I be interested?
Many youth are craving the opportunity to learn about music and become creators, but don’t have access to the training and equipment to make this possible. Offering this opportunity can be a powerful draw to your program. From an educator’s perspective, music can be an excellent catalyst for teaching technology skills, media literacy and critical thinking. We will work with participants on how to begin building their programs within their budgets and provide advice around fundraising and sustainability.
Where/when will the training happen?
June 21-25, 2010 at BAVC’s Townsend St. training facility in San Francisco.
How much will it cost?
The training is FREE, but we are asking for a $100 deposit to hold a spot in the class. Deposits will be refunded at the end of the class.
For more information, please contact Chris Runde (crunde@bavc.org) at 415-558-2181.

Welcome to YMR’s second issue in 2010, documenting Part II of an evolving fantastic group of youth media educators that work in the Greater Boston Area.
While Part I investigated race issues, the divide between higher education and the community, partnerships with health providers, the use of graphic design as an important medium, and the lessons learned from a youth-led film festival, Part II emphasizes unique perspectives including art therapy, responses to Haiti, professional development for educators, and using youth media facilitation to improve overall non-profit organizations.
A warm thanks to all eight contributors for their dedication and hard work:
• Beth Balliro (RYMAEC, Massachusetts College of Art and Design)
• Chris Gaines and Paulina Villarroel (RAW Arts/Reel 2 Reel Program)
• Danielle Martin (Peace in Focus, MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media)
• Alan Michel (Home, Inc.)
• Beverly Mire (Terrascope Youth Radio)
• Jessica Moore (Teen Voices)
• Maya Stiles-Royall (Home, Inc.)
A special thanks to Christine Newkirk, senior program associate at AED who conducted the interviews featured in this issue.
The next issue of YMR will introduce News Literacy to the youth media field, alongside our first of a series of guest editors and experts.
We welcome you to join the conversation for each of these articles using YMR’s “comment” feature. You can also send feedback or comments directly to idahl@aed.org. If you are interested in posting a pod or vodcast response, please contact YMR’s media crew or email cnewkirk@aed.org.
Warmly,
Ingrid Hu Dahl, Editor-in-Chief, YMR

Youth Media Reporter is managed by the Academy for Educational Development

Youth media can spark media storytelling and improve the internal practices of an organization so that it is technology savvy and accessible to the younger generation. This level of reflection and adaptability can prepare youth media advocates to justify the field’s importance and reframe the discussion for a wider audience when project-based funding sources dry up and budget cuts loom.
After ten years facilitating youth media projects rooted in the rich soil of Boston, I see an immense potential in collaboration among the variety of community media/arts and youth-serving organizations in our city and its suburbs. Together, we can develop and articulate a common framework for integrating youth media as a valuable tool to reflect and improve upon our practices; and, in the process, encourage our youth participants to contribute to organizational growth and sustainability.
Youth media educators are in a unique position to support organizations by:
• fostering individual voice and participation;
• creating critical moments to articulate and decipher an organization’s culture; and,
• challenging, and therefore transforming, how an organization learns and adapts by matching youth media facilitation to what an organization does, says, and believes.
In this article, I’ll offer my recent MIT@Lawrence research experience at YouthBuild Lawrence as a reflective case study of how I attempted to integrate youth media as a tool and methodology, combining urban planning and business theories with tested community organizing and project-based learning techniques.
YouthBuild Lawrence “Keep Lawrence Clean” Project
YouthBuild is a national network of local programs that help “low-income young people ages 16–24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning job skills through building affordable housing (YouthBuild USA).” My project with YouthBuild in Lawrence had two goals:
(1) to teach community organizing though a multi- prong awareness and hands-on engagement approach; and,
(2) to experiment using new media tools to raise youth voices, calling for change in their community.
Over the course of one spring semester, I worked with a small leadership team of young people to launch bi-weekly sessions embedded inside a day of normal YouthBuild programming, developing an awareness campaign around litter; such as, gathering signatures on a petition to get the city to change trash pickup regulations. To support these actions, the youth produced their own commercial and a photo-map documenting littered alleyways. Whiles these media projects were empowering for the participants, the organization struggled to find a way to incorporate media projects as a sustained aspect of the overall program.
As was the case at YouthBuild, I am often invited to a youth development organization to train youth in new media skills. The first goal of these media trainings is to nurture individual youth participation through leadership and peer mentoring. But upon reflection, I found that outside academics and media facilitators need to find a more collaborative approach with local staff and youth participants to develop a sustainable youth media adoption strategy. The moment when an organization tries to adopt any new tool is an opportunity to discuss how and why it learns and grows. As active “process consultants,” collaborative youth media facilitators can use the point of entry of sharing new technical expertise to also build organizational capacity.
Based on the lessons learned in Lawrence and subsequent projects in Bangalore, Springfield and Boston, I’m developing a description of my technique for collaborative facilitation and new media tools that can be adopted by both youth media and other youth development practitioners and youth participants (see diagram below). This facilitation strategy evolved through both real-time action-research and post-work reflection to use participatory media training as a point of entry into community organizations.
In this work, I tried to describe, for both youth media facilitators and any other community practitioners, how I approached integrating youth media projects into the larger youth development aims of organization like YouthBuild. Each of the eight facilitation strategies is grouped by how deeply I dove into the organization’s culture.
The eight facilitation techniques tempers my own experiences in the Boston area with organizational learning theory. Based on the work of MIT’s Edgar Schein and other researchers, this collaborative facilitation strategy believes the best way to help an organization change or adapt is to tease out aspects of the organizational culture: shared assumptions, stated values in mission statements, and values expressed as actions in everyday behaviors and programs.
Since the YouthBuild project, I have developed the following techniques to collaboratively teach media skills in a way that aligns to an organization’s culture. The approach re-articulates what an organization truly believes, says, and does, while empowering staff and youth producers to adopt the most appropriate media tool to reach individual and collective goals.
I now often start my interventions and new youth media projects with more in-depth inquiries about why the organization exists, what it values and how it designs and prioritizes its actions. Then, and only then, do we start talking media tools that could help achieve their aims. When I share these experiences with my peers and youth leaders, it often sparks discussion of how and why community practitioners should add this new dimension to their facilitation, to not only spark media storytelling and member activism but also to improve an organization’s internal practices.
Here’s a quick description of the 8 techniques, with some references to certain participatory media tools that pair well each facilitative action:

Next Steps
By sharing new technical expertise, youth media educators can play a unique role in nurturing both youth participation and organizational capacity through collaborative facilitation. The next step for the youth media field, in Boston in particular, is for more practitioners to document, evaluate, and share our techniques for collaborative facilitation, peer networking, and youth leadership in the context of organizations. Our local communities are full of youth media facilitators and other educators who would greatly benefit from learning from each other’s collective insights and approaches specific to raising young people’s abilities, expression, and voice while bolstering the organizations that support them.
Danielle Martin graduated as a Master in City Planning from MIT in Sept. ‘09, spending two years leading the MIT@Lawrence university-community partnership and completing a thesis where this case study first appeared. Before MIT, she served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Community Technology Centers VISTA Project at UMass Boston [now The Transmission Project]. She also spent four years directing the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club (MA) Computer Clubhouse. She is currently consulting with several academic and community-based partners around adopting new media strategies, piloting an afterschool program around conflict-transformation and photo-journalism with Peace In Focus, and creating a community within MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media, the Department of Play, focused on the design of new mapping and mobile technology and methodologies to support youth as active participants in their local communities.