letter from the editor (volume 1:issue 1)

Greetings! It is an honor to introduce a new look, home, and editor to Youth Media Reporter (YMR) at the beginning of a New Year.
Originally launched and managed by Open Society Institute, YMR is now housed at the Academy for Educational Development in New York City; specifically AED’s Center for Schools and Communities. AED, an organization that pioneers positive approaches to leadership in youth development and civic engagement, is proud to re-launch YMR. YMR will continue capturing, building, and celebrating the dynamic, thriving field of youth media with a new synergistic approach.
As the new editor of YMR, I welcome youth media professionals, leaders, creators, and activists to the year 2007; a year bound to expand and connect work from the fascinating and multilayered perspectives in the field. From my own diverse background, which includes empowering young women leaders through music, teaching gender studies in academia, promoting youth and media activism, deciphering civic engagement best practices, working in LGBTQ communities, actively performing in bands, and having an interest in pop culture, art history, and design, I am honored to become part of the YMR community.
As editor, my goals are to:
• Increase the visibility of the youth media field and the publication;
• Build the youth media field by providing a space for dialogue and documentation;
• Support the development of the field to become more professional as a national media movement;
• Reach a wider, more diverse audience;
• Share knowledge of youth media across fields such as community and youth organizing, civic education, service-learning, and youth and community development;
• Promote the work produced by and for young people in video, film, television, radio, web, art, and print;
• Celebrate and emphasize the degree that young people and their allies use media to make a difference, ignite creative imagination, and match leadership with voice.
My hope is to build YMR as the publication and intellectual resource for youth media professionals domestically and internationally. YMR is for anyone interested in original reporting, commentary, and articles written by the youth media community. It has always been my belief that spaces to share information, reflect on work done, develop practice, ascertain new approaches and pedagogy, and celebrate youth led social change are ways we make a difference in our communities, our culture, and our lives. YMR is part of harnessing the creation of a new culture that embraces the power of youth media.
Be on the look out for new articles and updates around the 15th of every month. Tell us about your work, your media, and your viewpoint: report from the field and make a difference!
With great holiday warmth,
Ingrid Hu Dahl
Editor, YMR