T - NAMAC

acloserlook
Media Ar ts 2003
CASE STUDIES FROM NAMAC’S YOUTH MEDIA INITIATIVE
KATHLEEN TYNER, Editor
DANIEL "DEWEY" SCHOTT, Program Director
JACK WALSH, 2003 Acting National Director
Funded by a grant from the Youth Initiatives Program
of the Open Society Institute with additional support
from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Acknowledgments
Many hands came together to publish this special youth
media edition of A Closer Look: Media Arts 2003. Thanks
go to participating youth media organizations who
worked with an impressive group of writers to conduct
the case studies.These include Community Arts Center,
Cambridge Massachusetts;Media Bridges, Cincinnati,
Ohio;Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) Youth
Channel,New York,New York;OtherFriday, Maui,Hawaii;
REACH LA, Los Angeles, California;Spy Hop, SaltLake
City, Utah;and Tech Team,a statewide project of
South Carolina Educational Television.
Thanks also to Jack Walsh,2003 Acting National Director
and Daniel "Dewey" Schott,Program Director of the
National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture who worked
with the team to develop and manage the project from
its inception.Our stellar copy editor, Bob Nowacki,
worked meticulously to make this journal fresh,
remarkable,and a pleasure to read.Margaret Tedesco
at seeing words design used her considerable talent
and skill to marry form and content creatively.
Many thanks to filmmaker ScottStark for PERL
programming for the online youth media questionnaire.
Youth media experts and researchers came together to
generously help us field testthe questionnaire. Thanks to
our colleagues Maria Byck,Meghan McDermott,Maureen
Mullinax,Shelley Pasnik,and jesikah maria ross, who
made the questionnaire a much better instrument.
Christine Metropoulos also provided important assistance
with the data presentation design.
Last,but notleast,many thanks to the Open Society
Institute. Their support for the NAMAC Youth Media
Initiative made A Closer Look 2003 possible.
Kathleen Tyner Editor, A Closer Look 2003
This publication may notbe reproduced withoutprior permission from
NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MEDIA ARTS AND CULTURE
145 Ninth Street,Suite 250
San Francisco CA 94103
t 415.431.1391
f 415.431.1392
[email protected]
© 2003 National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
Image Credits: Fro nt , back and inside cover images co u rt e sy of
REACH LA. All other images co u rt e sy of corresponding organizations.
5
I N T RO D U C TI O N :
Mapping the Field of Youth Media
b y K a th l e e n Ty n e r
7
S P Y H O P P R O D U CT I O N S A N D T H E U N I V E RS I T Y O F UTA H
S H A P E A N E W VI S I O N F O R M E D I A L I T E R A C Y
by Rebecca DaPra
13
A PL AC E TO B E H EA RD :
The Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program
by Adriana Katzew
21
REACH L A:
Reaching Out in New Directions
by Jim Moran
29
M A NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OO D N E T WO R K YO U TH C H A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
by Shelley Pasnik
37
OT H E RF RI DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
by Diane Peters and Kathleen Heid
45
T E C H N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
by Candace Thompson
53
MEDIA BRIDGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cincinnati
by Tom Zaniello
61
M A P P I N G TH E F I E L D :
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
with Discussion of Results
by Kathleen Tyner and Rhea Mokund
Artwork by Christopher Harris courtesy REACH LA.
INTRODUCTION:
Mapping the Field of Youth Media
by K a th l e e n Ty n e r
T
his year, A Closer Look:Media Arts 2003 is devoted to youth media,
a concept that encompasses a broad range of organizations that
employ
employ a dizzying array of media to serve youth for diverse
purposes.This year’s issue is a project of the Youth Media Initiative,
a pioneering three-year project launched in 2003 by the National Alliance for Media
Arts and Culture to support this growing field and contribute to the growing knowledge base about youth media.
Because research about youth media programs is only beginning to emerge, it is
difficult to analyze the scope,impact,and character of the field.The seven case studies
and one quantitative survey in this issue add to the body of evidence about the work
of youth media organizations across the United States.They clarify the rationale for
youth media programs and highlight best practices,promising models,and lessons
learned that can be used by other media arts practitioners to creatively and strategically respond to the needs and dreams of the youth they serve.
In an attempt to portray the field accurately, the organizational case studies chosen
for this issue represent a range of approaches and a geographic diversity. They showcase organizations that are developing successful models,conducting evaluations,
solving problems,or meeting organizational challenges in new and innovative ways.
These organizations use youth media to support conflict resolution in Cincinnati;as
part of a social justice and health initiative among gay, transgendered,and lesbian
teens in Los Angeles;to promote girls’use of information technologies in South
Carolina public schools;to encourage teens’ multimedia learning in informal social
settings at a shopping mall in Hawaii;as college preparation for underserved youth in
Salt Lake City;and to make use of innovative distribution channels in New York City.
All the case studies offer multifaceted approaches and reveal common themes about
strengthening and amplifying youth voices.The programs apprentice youth to strategically use a range of media forms,content,and conventions.Along the way, they
encourage civic engagement,model peer leadership activities, value artistic expression,and embody the belief that youth media contributes to a more balanced repre sentation of youth.The programs demonstrate intergenerational collaboration and
are marked by dynamic and charismatic leadership.The case studies demonstrate
the use of new literacy tools in collaborative, youth-centered,and creative learning
environments.
Tensions between competing trends in youth media also pop up.Unsurprisingly, these
strains reflect differences in ideas about the underlying value of the arts, and most
are merely a matter of degree. We can see the various rationales for youth media as
a "continuum of benefit." Some youth media programs promote self-expression and
customized learning for the individual.Other programs place social action at the
center of their work and encourage students to produce media for the greater good.
Most of the youth media practitioners in the studies navigate within organizational
frameworks that attempt to reconcile the needs of individuals with their responsibility to social justice.
5
I N TR O D U C T I O N :
Mapping the Field of Youth Media
The programs also differ in their view of the relative value of media production.Some
see it in service to overarching social and life skills programs th at serve youth,especially traditionally underserved youth.Others are more willing to assign it an intrinsic
value and feature it prominently.
In addition,the organizations make an ongoing effort to balance media analysis and
production.Practitioners know that hands-on work informs media analysis, which in
turn informs subsequent production.The case studies reveal efforts to balance the
traditional emphasis on production in youth media programs with viewing and
critical thinking as well as with representing.
Because the construct of school-aged "youth" is the main constituency for these media
programs, educational theories and practices also come into play. In particular, the
gap between formal,public schooling and informal educational settings looms large.
Although students are sophisticated users and viewers of video, multimedia computing,interactive gaming,and text messaging in the real world,predigital definitions
of school success require young people to park their media skills and cultures at the
schoolhouse door. Youth media programs bridge the gap between students’use of
advanced technologies at home and in social settings and their dismal integration
into the formal school curriculum.They leverage students’expert knowledge of
media and move them to new levels of learning.Many of the programs negotiate
both informal and formal learning environments in the course of their work.
Although the case studies offer insight into a cross-section of youth media programs
to provide valuable lessons for the field,researchers know that anecdotal evidence
is not enough to generalize widely about the nature and kind of activities that can
move youth media programs forward.Even advocates of youth media have charged
that youth media has been informed by many "heartwarming stories" but not enough
hard evidence of impact,success,and lessons learned.
The NAMAC Youth Media Initiative therefore worked with Hi-Beam Consulting to
conduct a pioneering quantitative study of youth media organizations in the United
States.Fifty-nine youth media organizations responded to an online NAMAC questionnaire about their organizational structure,mission,and practices. The study also
investigated the capacity and need for new and existing youth media programs.The
results are included in the final article of this issue, "Mapping the Field:A Survey of
Youth Media Organizations in the United States." This information provides a mother
lode of baseline information that can be used by a wide range of researchers to study
and track the field of youth media over time. Together, the quantitative and qualitative studies in A Closer Look:Media Arts 2003 provide valuable insight and practical
strategies for youth media advocates as they move the field forward.
KATHLEEN TYNERis CEO and President of Hi-Beam Consulting in San Francisco. She is author of numerous
books and articles on media education,including Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the
Age of Information.
6
SPY HOP PRODUCTIONS AN D THE UNIVERSITY OF
U TA H S H A P E A N E W V I S I O N F O R M E D I A L IT E R AC Y
b y R e b e cc a D a P ra
gathering
gaze
J
anet Wandra suggested in an article in Wide Angle in October 1994 that
"children,in relation to film, have what might best be desc ribed as a
‘gathering gaze.’ Through the gathering gaze they attempt to acquire
data,and through data,knowledge and … understanding." A gathering
gaze is the best way to describe the youth in Salt Lake City, Utah, who
make ethnographic documentaries that investigate the "other side of the tracks." In Salt
Lake City, the expression "the other side of the tracks" resonates because the city is literally
divided in half by north/south-running railroad tracks and freeways.Historically, immigrant and minority families and laborers have settled on the "Westside," and middle-and
upper-class residents have lived on the "Eastside." Students from the Eastside who attend
the University of Utah, located on the east foothill of the Salt Lake Valley, far outweigh the
westside
number of students attending the university from the Westside.This year, Spy Hop
Productions and the College of Humanities at the University of Utah instituted a collaborative program that addresses both of these issues—division and diversity—while engaging
HHRHH
youth in media production.
Founded in 1999 by Rick Wray and Erik Dodd,Spy Hop Productions is a not-for-profit youth
eastside
media center that offers classes to help adolescents cultivate their visions and voices via
the big screen,the airwaves,and the World Wide Web.Spy Hop provides a creative and
dynamic media studio environment where young people from both Eastside and Westside
actively engage in the production of their own narratives and find answers to the chal-
the
other
side
of
the
tracks
lenges they face in their own lives.Spy Hop additionally offers students opportunities
to work with media professional mentors,media literacy practitioners,and instructors.
Located in a small downtown studio, complete with the latest in digital technology, Spy
Hop provides educational opportunities that bridge the gap between "in-school" and
"out-of-school" learning.Their programs enable youth,in a constructive,empowering,
and rewarding manner, to communicate ideas,experiences,and feelings by creating their
own short films, musical scores,and Web pages.Spy Hop also fosters positive interactions
between students,mentors,and industry professionals.Students at Spy Hop have the
opportunity to gain vocational skills and also to create relationships with local businesses
and now with the University of Utah.
THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND THE COMMUNITY
When President J. Bernard Machen took office at the University of Utah in January 1998,
his agenda was to better develop community connections,particularly with Salt Lake
north/south
City’s Westside communities.As a catalyst,Machen also pushed a strong initiative to
diversify the student population at the university. Dr. Robert Newman,dean,and Dr.
Maureen Mathison,associate dean of the College of Humanities,share Machen’s vision.
In 2002,they also wanted to expand the college’s course offerings in visual media."Visual
media," Mathison believes,"is extremely important because it’s been undertheorized and
underpracticed in academia.It hasn’t been valued.It’s been with us forever, and it’s something we haven’t paid much attention to because we’ve been so based in print literacy that
we don’t think of visual literacy as literacy. This area,though,is becoming increasingly
important because of technology and popular culture.So we need to start programs that
theorize and help students to become critical thinkers in that area."
7
S PY H O P P R O D U C T I O N S A N D T H E U N I V E RS I T Y O F
U TA H S H A P E A N E W V I S I O N F O R M E D I A L I TE RA C Y
HHRHH
In late spring 2002,Newman and Mathison met with Wray
themselves and the culture of those around them. Says
and Dodd,toured Spy Hop’s facilities,and explored possible
Mathison,"The notion of the documentary, the ethnographic
collaboration.Newman says their meeting solidified the
documentary, is really critical to this because what we’re
College’s desire to work with Spy Hop."We’re interested in
interested in is documenting everyday lives of people,and
working with anyone who is creative and innovative and pro-
that serves as an educational tool.It’s not just learning cam-
duces interesting works of knowledge and ways of coming
era work,or about the technical aspects of visual literacy,
about knowledge.Also, Spy Hop is very interested in reaching
visual media, but it’s also learning about history, culture,lan-
out to ‘at risk’ youth,and has a strong Westside initiative,like
guage—musical ability because there’s usually a soundtrack.
the University does;I think their motivations are very similar,
It’s a holistic way of thinking.It brings together a lot of differ-
or parallel to ours,so it made sense to collaborate." Mathison
ent kinds of skills at one point to create an end product."
seconds that notion."We agreed with their philosophy of
teaching and learning,and we thought there was a compati-
Once Mathison approved the syllabus,Bradley started recruit-
bility between us.Their approach is really cutting edge in a
ing students.He asked teachers,administrators,and commu-
lot of ways,and we recognize that and wanted them to be a
nity leaders in every Salt Lake Valley school and also recruited
part of what we do."
in schools and organizations like the Boys and Girls Club.
ORGANIZING THE COLLABORATION
project.About half the applications came from students
Wray, Dodd,Newman,and Mathison hit upon the idea of cre-
whose teachers told them about the program,and the other
Many teachers invited him into their classes to talk about the
ating a 1000-level class for Spy Hop to teach that could be
half came from students Bradley directly recruited.Bradley
offered through the College of Humanities for college credit
notes,"It’s a challenge to get kids interested in ‘documentary,’
to both high school and college students.Class time would be
and we had a few kids who applied specifically for the film-
divided between the Spy Hop studio and a classroom in the
making opportunity, but quite a few of them applied because
Language and Communication Building on campus.The class
they were interested in the topic more than filmmaking. We
would create three documentary films about the Westside.
pretty much took everyone we could get a commitment from
The topic was chosen for this collaboration because Spy Hop
(we weren’t overwhelmed with applications),although we
already had an agreement with Salt Lake’s Center for
did go through a full application process with the applica-
Documentary Arts to do a series of projects called Crossing
tions and then interviews for the value of the process."
the Tracks:Remapping the Westside. The project’s focus
seemed particularly appropriate for collaboration with the
Keeping students in the course proved as tough as recruiting
College of Humanities because of their interests in develop-
them.Five of the kids who originally started out in the pro-
ing a stronger relationship with the Westside.
gram dropped out. The high school students had time conflicts for nearly the full course of the school year because
After the initial meeting,Spy Hop program manager Matt
their course work started in October, three months before the
Bradley was pulled into the mix.Bradley, a doctoral student at
college students joined them.The classes, which were held on
the University of Indiana,Bloomington, whose studies center
Monday and Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.,also over-
on youth documentary and who is a Salt Lake native, was the
lapped with jobs and school-sponsored activities like sports,
only person on staff at Spy Hop unconditionally qualified to
drama,and debate.Three students dropped the course before
teach at the university level.He collaborated closely with
the official university course got under way. "Two of the stu-
Mathison to develop the course in detail, working hard to
dents who dropped," says Bradley, "were refugee youth from
draw up a syllabus for the class that would not step on the
Bosnia who had conflicts with jobs.Another one of them
toes of the Film School.The solution was to offer a different
had conflicts with her basketball schedule,and so she had
sort of filmmaking class—a class in making a documentary
to drop before we started at the university in January.…
from an ethnographic perspective.The ethnographic
Accommodating the busy schedules of the high school kids
approach was crucial not only because it separated the course
was a huge challenge."
from Film School offerings but also because students would
learn to think critically as they gathered information about
8
"Visual media," Mathison believes, "is extremely important because it’s been under theorized and underpracticed in academia. It hasn’t been valued. It’s been with us forever, and
it’s something we haven’t paid much attention to because we’ve been so based in print
literacy that we don’t think of visual literacy as literacy. This area, though, is becoming
increasingly important because of technology and popular culture. So we need to start
programs that theorize and help students to become critical thinkers in that area."
—Dr. Maureen Mathison,Associate Dean of the College of Humanities,University of Utah
While Bradley persevered in recruiting and maintaining stu-
Mathison sees a program like this as being on the cutting
dent interest,Mathison and Newman went to bat for the
edge of education,and while some might see being on the
high school students with the university admissions board
cutting edge as risk,she sees it as a responsibility. "Trust and
and the college curriculum committee so that the high school
continuity are key to making this work. We’re making a com-
students could enroll for up to three credit hours for taking
mitment to people,and we have to follow through on that. I
the course.Although letting high school students earn college
don’t want to call them [the students] risks.I want to call
credit before completing high school,and without putting
them responsibilities.Doing this is only a risk if we don’t fol-
them through the full-scale admissions process,might seem
low through.… A risk is to let people come up here to fail. I
to be a lowering of standards,Newman does not see it that
would turn that around and say that it’s a responsibility not
way. "I don’t interpret it as a lowering of standards.I interpret
to let that happen."
it as,first of all,giving people who haven’t gone through the
normal mainstream process an opportunity and elevating
GOALS AND BENEFITS
diversity on campus,and that’s to my mind possibly elevating
For the university and the College of Humanities,collaborat-
the educational experience, making it a more quality educa-
ing with Spy Hop is another opportunity to break down the
tional experience.It’s not a matter of lowering standards …
wall between the university and the Westside community.
we expected them to perform at the same level of other stu-
"A lot of people don’t think we’re accessible; we’re the ivory
dents,so the expectations were not diminished whatsoever."
tower; we’re up on the mountain," says Mathison."You can
see this in one of the films they [the students] made—the
In her negotiations with the admissions board and the col-
Westside has the oil refineries,and the Eastside has the uni-
lege curriculum committee,Mathison made a strong argu-
versity. That typifies what the Westside thinks in some ways.
ment for valuing alternative knowledge,and she advocated
We want people to say the Westside also has the university.
turning away from the traditional process that values cultural
That’s our goal.This is an institution that serves all people in
capital and socioeconomic class so that the university could
the state of Utah." By targeting high school students through
provide access to the students they want to serve.Some
Spy Hop before they’ve made a decision about college,
members of the committee questioned her request because
Mathison hopes students will be more apt to consider the
university outreach programs generally take place at the high
University of Utah.She also sees this as an opportunity
schools,or if students come to campus,they are in non-credit-
where the university and the community can come together
bearing courses.Mathison’s answer was simple."We felt it
to build a stronger university and a stronger community by
was important for them to come here because unless you
sharing knowledge.
actually go to a place you don’t feel ownership or entitlement,and you don’t get that unless you actually have the
Administratively for Spy Hop,the collaboration means valida-
experience." Her arguments swayed the board and commit-
tion and greater credibility. It also advances their chances for
tee,and the students were allowed to enroll in the course via
being awarded grant money. As an instructor, working with
concurrent enrollment.Bradley applauds Mathison’s efforts
the university to teach a Spy Hop class is appealing because
and agrees that,"if the university is serious about attempts to
the pressure of being enrolled in a college course increases
reach out to the community to provide greater accessibility to
student ownership."When a student is not paying for a
diversify itself,then it needs to think about the way it mea-
class—Spy Hop offers scholarships to their students and
sures,and what it counts as valid knowledge."
keeps the cost of enrolling in their courses as low as possi-
Nevertheless,two students who had been attending the
you may be less likely to show up, less likely to follow
course at Spy Hop in the fall were not allowed to enroll at the
through on commitments, less likely to be here consistently.
university in January because they could not meet the admis-
When they’re getting a grade,then it does tend to encourage
ble—and there’s no type of evaluation," says Bradley, "then
9
sions criteria, even after the criteria had been slightly altered.
a little bit more participation and consistency where at other
Spy Hop hired these two students as assistants so that they
times,that may not be there.It gives them something else to
could continue to work on a project in which they were
work for. Plus, it really opens up opportunities for a lot of kids
already deeply invested.
who wouldn’t go to college to have that college experience."
S PY H O P P R O D U C T I O N S AN D T H E U N I V E RS I T Y O F
U TA H S H A P E A N E W V I S I O N F O R M E D I A L I TE RA CY
Spy Hop provides a safe milieu for students to get a taste of
the films at a public screening at the city library increased
college because the students are already comfortable in its
students’sense of responsibility. Many came in on the week-
environment.In their eyes,the campus becomes an extension
ends or stayed late into the evening to work.Some had the
of Spy Hop.Thus,the organization acts as a transition,both
needed software at home and reportedly stayed up all night
geographically and socially, between the university and the
to get the work done.
high school or the neighborhood."Because the university is
located up on the east bench," says Bradley, "many of the
Although one of the goals of the collaboration was to bring
youth who participated in the program were a bit intimidat-
together and value different kinds of knowledge,Bradley also
ed to go there.They had been taught Westside kids don’t go
admits it was challenging to find balance in a classroom com-
to the university, and it was a part of town that they weren’t
posed of college seniors in their twenties and 16-year-old high
familiar with.But to be able to go from Spy Hop to the uni-
school juniors.In some ways,he thought it was good because
versity together made the transition more comfortable for
people work at different levels at different skills.
them." As a result, attending college at the University of Utah
could become a choice that might not previously have been in
their vision.
"Knowledge," he says,"was uneven across—not between—
the students." As a result,both he and Mathison hoped mentoring relationships would evolve in which the high school
Notably, when asked if they saw the course as a college class,
students could learn from the college students the realities of
most of the students said no, it was a Spy Hop class.Mathison
being a good college student,and the high school students
still hopes the experience will be an encouraging one that
could teach the college students about camera techniques
resonates positively with them later when they think about
that they had been versed in by Bradley in the fall and also
the university. The important thing,she says,is that "they’ve
about life’s realities on the Westside.
been working with an organization,and now it’s moved, but
the critical thing is that it has moved.So there’s an associa-
Though mentoring relationships did develop,the high school
tion with the university, even though it may not be as explicit
students struggled with the required reading and with writ-
to them at this point."
ing college-quality work.However, when they worked in their
groups,the students valued and complemented each other’s
OWNERSHIP AND BALANCE
different ways of knowing.In general,putting the students
For Bradley, one of the key issues he gr appled with was find-
into groups proved to be a good thing.But,as always,there
ing the right balance between giving enough teacher support
are pros and cons to group dynamics.The groups had an
and giving the students room for ownership and personal
uneven dispersal of college and high school students.One
success."Helping them to maintain ownership is obviously
of the groups had one college student, but when he stopped
something that is very difficult. You have to find that balance
attending the course towards the end of the semester for per-
between not leaving them somewhere where they’re com-
sonal reasons (though he was still enrolled),the remaining
pletely frustrated or intimidated because they don’t have the
three high school students had to pick up the pieces.The
knowledge to be able to do something, but still not doing it
situation would not have been as bad if he had not taken on
for them, leaving it in their hands to accomplish."
so many leadership responsibilities.One of the high school
students,Ben Carthel,took on the leadership role for his
Students had different reasons for wanting to participate in
group and did the best he could with just a few weeks until
the class.Some wanted to learn or build their video produc-
the deadline.He had a piece, It Began West, ready for the
tion skills;others were interested in the topics;others were
screening at the end of May, but compared to the other two
there simply to try something they had not done before.
films, it still needed another month’s worth of group effort.
Consequently, devotion to the project varied.
The other groups’members stuck with their projects and did
Deadlines helped to increase student ownership. The demands
composed of highly independent students accustomed to
of filming and producing three fifteen-minute documentary
producing their own work;they had to learn about negotia-
films in sixteen weeks in time to earn a grade and to show
tion,stylistically and otherwise.
well.The group that produced The Other Side of the Track was
10
HRH
All of the students had difficulty with the concept of ethnog-
vide seminars on financial aid,or get the Vice President for
raphy. They wanted a clear, concrete answer as to what it
Diversity more deeply involved,or possibly introduce the stu-
was, but Bradley wanted to problematize the term for them,
dents to ethnic student associations on campus. Regardless of
so he explained that,historically, ethnography has been the
the means,Mathison is determined to "create support sys-
study of "the other." Using this definition as a base,he pushed
tems to facilitate their comfort with college work and being
his students to explore the historical as well as the contempo-
comfortable on campus." She wants to attend and help with
rary implications of ethnography. They raised questions
more of the classes herself so that she too can build personal
about who gets to study whom and about the relationships of
relationships with the students.
power and privilege.This exploration created an interesting
dynamic in the classroom because when students referred to
Lesson
2
Administratively, Mathison admits that as a new associate
the "other" that they were studying for these documentaries,
dean she doesn’t always recognize that things she took for
members of that "othered" group were sitting in the chair
granted as a professor are organized differently at the admin-
next to them.The students had to think very critically about
istrative level.A prime example of this was getting grade
how they gather, create,and output their ideas about the
sheets and teacher evaluation forms to Bradley. Normally, this
world around them.
sort of mundane paperwork would be taken care of by a
department, but,because the class was being offered by the
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
college instead of a department within the college,she had to
When the students premiered their work in May at a screen-
take care of these details herself and fell a bit behind the nor-
ing,question-and-answer session,and panel discussion at the
mal schedule for such things.
Bradley were thrilled with the community feedback.Because
Lesson
3
When Bradley next teaches the course,he intends to put
this was the first time Spy Hop had ever included a panel dis-
more weight on the readings.He says he let the readings
cussion with a screening,Bradley says it’s a bit hard to mea-
slide because the end products of the course were films,not
sure the community’s comments, but "people seemed really
papers.Even though he discussed readings in class,Bradley
city library, about 175 people attended.Both Mathison and
honest." The comments were diverse.Some audience mem-
admits,"I didn’t have that same type of expectation about the
bers were concerned that the films reified Westside stereo-
reading in this class,and I’m afraid I may have done a disser-
types.Others enthusiastically applauded the films because
vice [to the high school students] because when they do go to
they saw this as the first time the issue of how the Westside
college those expectations are there,and they’re going to
is constructed had been represented.He sees the commentary
have to do their readings."
as a "stepping-stone to conversation.People can start thinking about,and questioning,and talking about what are these
stereotypes? What are the ways we’re thinking about our
challenging.Because two groups worked very well and one
community? And use these to facilitate those conversations."
group did not work quite as well,Bradley says,"I would like to
According to Mathison,the films should continue to foster
have more short meetings with groups to make sure they’re
conversation.They were immediately scheduled for screening
on track.I may have left a little bit too much for them to do."
at a Westside Partnership Board meeting in summer 2003
He did meet with them three or four times, but in retrospect,
and again in October 2003 at the Western States Rhetoric and
he does not think this was enough to make sure that the
Literacy Conference hosted by the University of Utah.
groups kept the work equitable across the group.
LESSONS LEARNED
Lesson
1
Mathison and Newman learned that this program was a good
thing to do and th at it is worthy of expansion.And because
the high school students’relationship is stronger with Spy
Hop than with the university, Mathison says she would like
to find ways to be more supportive of the high school stu dents when they are on campus.The university might pro-
11
Lesson
4
The process of working in collaborative teams also proved
Lesson
5
At the beginning of the semester, he had intended to have
the students write journals.This didn’t happen.Instead,students wrote end-of-semester responses in which they had to
write about what they learned,and they had to write self and
group evaluations.Sticking with the journal in the future will
let him keep up with what each person is doing, what their
responsibility is,and how they are following through within
S PY H O P P R O D U C T I O N S A N D T H E U N I V E RS I T Y O F
U TA H S H A P E A N E W V I S I O N F O R M E D I A L I TE RA C Y
their group.Bradley feels this is particularly important
because the high school students are less likely to be familiar
with the expectations of group work at the college level and
with what college-level quality is.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
The future of this partnership is bright.Both Spy Hop and the
College of Humanities look forward to planning next year’s
class.The topic has yet to be decided.Mathison suggested
looking at stereotypes and countering them;Bradley suggested looking at Eastside stereotypes or perh aps looking at
refugee groups in the Salt Lake Valley. Both are open to the
other’s ideas.
The college believes this class has tremendous growth potential.Students will be able to take the class as many as three
times,as long as the thematic focus is different.If there are
enough students interested,the college is open to offering
two sections during the 2003–2004 school year. And though
they would like to be able to offer more sections than that,
they are currently confined by the amount of equipment
available to them.If a proposal to house the class in either
the English or Communication department is successful,that
"The notion of the documentary,
the ethnographic documentary,
is really critical to this because
what we’re interested in is documenting everyday lives of people,
and that serves as an educational
tool. It’s not just learning camera
work, or about the technical
aspects of visual literacy, visual
media, but it’s also learning about
history, culture, language—
musical ability because there’s
usually a soundtrack. It’s a holistic way of thinking. It brings
together a lot of different kinds
of skills at one point to create
an end product."
issue might be quelled.Alternatively, if the class does not
correlate with the vision of either one of those two departments,Mathison suggests that perhaps the class will evolve
in conjunction with the Documentary Center currently
—Dr. Maureen Mathison,Associate Dean
of the College of Humanities,University of Utah
developing in the College of Humanities.Although the details
of their future collaboration have not yet been defined,the
staff at Spy Hop and administrators at the university are
committed to their responsibility to positively shape the
vision of Salt Lake City’s Westside youth through the media
arts for years to come.
For more information aboutSpy Hop, you can visit www.spyhop.org. More information about the University of Utah’s
College of Humanities is available at www.hum.utah.edu.
REFERENCE
Wandra,Janet.1994."A Gaze Unbecoming:Schooling the Child for
Femininity in Days of Heaven." Wide Angle. 4–24.
REBECCA DAPRA is a second-year doctoral student in the Department
of Communication at the University of Utah,where she studies rhetoric,
gender, and culture. She is editor of the Rocky Mountain Communication Review, an online graduate communication journal.
12
A P L A C E TO B E H E A R D :
The Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program
b y A d r i a n a Ka t ze w
A
cross from Boston,on the other side of the winding Charles River, lies
the city of Cambridge,home of two prestigious academic institutions—
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT).Sandwiched geographically between these universities,in Central
Square,is "Area Four," a working-class neighborhood with the highest
percentage of families living below the poverty line and also with the most diversity.
It is in this part of Cambridge that the Community Art Center resides.Founded in 1932 by a
group of local parents,the center was initially housed in the basement of Harvard’s BuschReisinger museum.It has moved several times but has always maintained a connection
with Newtowne Court,a public housing development across the street from its current
location on Windsor Street.Its participants are mostly children and youth of color.
Tucked into the back of a building that also houses a community and health center, the
center offers two after-school arts programs:the School Age Child Care Program for 5- to
12-year-old children,and the Teen Media Program (TMP) for youth ages 11 to 19.Compared
to any other space in the center, the TMP room is the largest. Teens congregate around a
big table to discuss their projects or lounge on the futons in the room.
“I think kids who live
in struggle tend to
produce work that
connects to social
justice; it’s just the
nature of what people
do. When they’re being
oppressed, they tend
to make art that says,
‘don’t oppress me’
without even being
told to do so.”
—Susan Richards,Executive
Director, Community Art Center
As part of a strategic plan for the center, Commart and Associates (1997),a Massachusetts
consulting firm,conducted more than thirty interviews with constituents of the center and
found that the key strength of the center is the TMP. The TMP seems to be so much the
focus of the center that one staff member called the School Age Child Care Program "its
neglected stepchild."
The focus on the TMP is due in part to the long and strong connection of Susan Richards,
who became its teacher/director in 1985 and remained in that role until 1994, when she
became the center’s executive director. Even now that she has left the center, her connection with the TMP persists,as she stays in touch with several alumni from the program.
With Joe Douillette as its director from 1997 to 2002,the TMP gained national recognition
by organizing and hosting the yearly Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Video and Film
Festival. Desi Washington,current director of the center, explains that,in comparison to the
School Age Child Care Program,"the Teen Media Program has a higher profile;and even
beyond that,the film festival has an even higher profile." He recalls that at a conference he
attended with Douillette,nobody knew of the Community Art Center, but everyone knew
of the Do It Your Damn Self!! Festival.
According to evidence gathered from observations,interviews,questionnaires,and a
review of related documents,the impact of the TMP is clear. The program’s strength lies in
the following areas:
A second home and family
Mentorship
Reaching outproactively
Working together and deciding together
A place to be heard
13
A P L A C E TO B E H E A RD :
The Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program
"I have been in this program for so long that everybody here is so kind and caring. It’s like
everywhere I go I have another brother and sister. Whenever you are down, they are always
there to pick you right back up. They are there to help you through your problems and anything else that you need help with." —Michelle, a former TMP member
A SECOND HOME AND FAMILY
In a grant application to the National Endowment for the
Although one of the program’s stated goals is "to improve the
Arts,Myrlande said that the staff "treat us good because they
lives of teens by offering a consistently safe,supportive,and
treat us like we are their own children." This sense of family
positive environment," the teens experience it as far more
is evident in the center’s kitchen.Karen,the cook—herself a
than that.For them,the TMP is a second home,and the mem-
member of the center back in the ’70s when she was in gram-
bers of the Community Art Center are an extended family.
mar school—leaves the door to the kitchen open and is fre-
For many of these young people,this sense of home and of
quently visited by program members,especially the girls.On
family is the result of their growing up in the center, starting
any given day, one to four girls are in the kitchen helping and
first as little children in the School Age Child Care Program
talking with Karen.Karen is a confidante to these girls, who,
and then graduating to the TMP.
she says,"will come to me and talk to me before they go to
talk to their parents." Karen explains that the children and
This sense of home extends to graduates of the TMP. John
teens come to her because,amidst the continuous turnover of
Will,now a senior in college studying engineering,started
staff members at the center, she has stayed with them since
coming to the center at age 10,only three weeks after he
she became the cook about ten years ago. "I haven’t aban-
immigrated from Haiti.He still visits the center often.A pre-
doned them,I haven’t left them like everybody else,and if
vious staff member remarked that "he’s still here;he’ll always
there’s a problem,they can come to me,talk to me."
be here ’cause not only have we given [him] art; we’ve given
[him] a great big sense of community." At his graduation
MENTORSHIP
from the TMP program three years ago, he described the cen-
Mentorship is an important aspect of the teamwork and
ter as "my home; it’s my second home," and three years later,
collaboration in the TMP. The artist-in-residence program,
he still refers to it as "my own background;that’s where I
started in 1998,provides a strong mentorship component
came from."
for teens.While some of the center’s and TMP’s promotional
material describes this program as being "in full swing," it is
Michelle,a former TMP member, started coming to the center
when she was 6 or 7 years old.Her view is very positive:
sporadic.Only a few artists in residence have worked in longterm projects with the teens—notably, Boston-based filmmaker Robert Patton-Spruill and West African filmmaker
I have been in this program for so long that everybody here
is so kind and caring. It’s like everywhere I go I have another
brother and sister. Whenever you are down,they are always
there to pick you right back up. They are there to help you
through your problems and anything else that you need
help with.
Abderrahmane Sissako. Other mentors include three TMP
alumni who taught photography, video, and graphic design.
Yet the impact of the artists on the teens is clear. Those who
worked with the artists speak of this experience without
prompting.
Myrlande is another member of the TMP whose ties to the
Other mentorship opportunities are conducted in informal
center are long.She has been coming to the center since she
settings.For example,as part of the Do It Your Damn Self!!
was 5 years old.In sharing her story, Myrlande talks about
Festival,the center’s staff,board members,and other commu-
how her parents,as Haitian immigrants,"didn’t really have a
nity members are invited to attend the screenings to help the
lot of experience with things and didn’t know much,so they
members run and facilitate discussion groups with the teens.
wanted to send us to a place that ... could take care of us after
An even greater impact comes from the kind of informal
school, where we got help with our homework." Since the
mentorship that takes place between the program directors
family lived right next to the center when it was in the base-
and the members and among the teens themselves.Both
ment of the Newtowne Court housing project,Myrlande and
participants and alumni speak about the support they have
her older sister were sent to the center. Initially, Myrlande
received from their respective directors.They say the directors
only thought of the center as a place to go after school, but
and teachers have played vital roles in their lives and have
now "sometimes I call it my second home ’cause I’ve been
made a lasting positive impact on them.Beyond their tech-
here so long."
nical knowledge of video and photography, they are mentors
who are personally involved with the participants.
14
When asked what he remembers most of the TMP, Tyrone
Douillette’s positive relationship with the teens is due in part
Bellitti,an alumnus who is a professional photographer and
to the fact that he has learned to listen to the teens and con-
served as a visiting artist at the TMP in 2003, credits Richards.
nect with them on a "soul level" while at the same time
"Working with a mentor who really cared about me and the
maintaining the role of teacher. As he explains,"they want
arts made a world of difference.I believe that Susan really
that,they want someone who really cares about them." This
cared more about the kids than the arts but used the arts as
is echoed by Richards, who notes that her photography room
an outlet to get inner c ity youth involved in something bigger
was "truly like a safe haven … it was always about all of it:
than the street corner."
it was about teaching photography, but it was about them
having a place to go and somebody who l oves them."
The current director of the TMP, Paulina Mauras, says that one
of the most memorable moments in the program was "Susan
Douillette was trained as a producer in college,did live TV for
and all that she has taught me for being my mentor, advo-
a local channel,and ran his own business doing corporate
cate,teacher, friend." She specifically refers to Richards as the
videos.He initially approached his position as TMP director
person who supported her when she became pregnant at the
from the perspective of production and not as a social service
age of 17 and refers to the director that followed,George
person. He thought that he would create a production schedule,
Reyes,as a person who helped her apply for college.Another
and then the teens would learn how to use the camera and
alumna,Ardeene Goodridge,speaks of Richards as a mentor
go at it.But as the TMP director, he began to think of his role
both at the professional level—teaching about media and the
more holistically, realizing that his job should be about more
business aspect of writing proposals and the like—and at the
than teaching them how to use the camera."My job is to
personal level,since "we were like her children."
become like a community member, to truly understand them,
Joe Douillette also made a positive impact during his years as
also then in their development as peers and as video produc-
to be their advocate,both personally in the community and
director. Pablo, a recent alumnus of the program and veteran
ers too." Richards found that Douillette developed a little
member who saw four directors come and go, speaks posi-
community of kids and "realized the beauty and the value of
tively of the structured program that Douillette set up,with
developing this core of kids and how that is like a really
specific groups and activities for the teens.Pablo admitted in
incredible production in and of itself,to get them here and
an interview that "without Joe,I would be lost … I kinda look
get them coming."
up to him as a big brother, so to speak." More specifically,
15
Pablo refers to the support that Douillette gave him,helping
Students also mentor one another through peer instruction
with school papers and college applications,as well as push-
during the course of production.The importance of peer
ing him with writing and public speaking skills.
mentorship is reflected in Pablo’s words:
A P L A C E TO B E H E A RD :
The Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program
Now I’m a "senior" here like my sisters were. I have young people to follow in my footsteps.I now help the young adults here
to learn how to crawl before they can walk with creativity much
like those who came before me.
Pablo’s hope is that this cycle of mentorship "will continue
and become expanded,resembling a ripple in an ocean of
potential."
REACHING OUT PROACTIVELY
The importance of proactive outreach is something that
The teens in the program are integral to the decision-making
process,reinforcing the core value and established practice of
teamwork.For instance,in 1996,a group of girls established
the initial genre categories for the festival.The experimental
category was added later by Douillette and members of the
program.The decision-making power of the teens in the
media program is also reflected in the judging process for the
festival.In 1997, the festival’s second year, the videos were
judged by the 1996 TMP alumnae who had started the festival.
Subsequent TMP members decided that festival entries
should instead be discussed by young people who attend a
alumni and participants stress.Several of them mention how
special screening and discussion session designated exclu-
Richards would draw them in by making herself and the TMP
sively for them as part of the festival.
members visible in the community. The film and video equipment attracted onlookers like a magnet.Alumna Ardeene
Democratic decision making is also reflected in the festival’s
Goodridge remembers,"next you knew, you were wrapped
name change.Originally the festival was named the Do It
into doing something,either holding the camera for that day
Your Damn Self!! Inner City National Youth Video and Film
or whatever … and you’re wrapped in for the rest of your life."
Festival because it was limited to inner-city youth producers.
Richards admits that as TMP director, she became less of a
Subsequent TMP members voted to open it up to teen
teacher and more of a social worker, always reaching out to
producers from urban and rural areas,as well as any other
the community and going after the teens who were getting
place where young producers might not have the space or
lost."I saw that as the urgency, and so I’ve trained [Joe] to do
acceptance to show their films.
more of that,like don’t just work with the ones that show up.
You gotta go back out and get the ones you’ve lost because
The TMP members’belief that they have extensive decision-
they are the ones who are dying out there."
making power is exemplified by Pablo’s comment that "the
festival is run by us teens,administrated by the adults."
Alumnus Bellitti describes the importance of outreach,espe-
Michelle agrees."Not just the adults that work here, but the
cially for children living in dangerous neighborhoods."One
teens that work here [are] running [the festival]." Douillette,
day [Susan] walked into Newtowne Court (the housing
however, explains that while the teens are vital players in the
development) with a 35mm camera and offered to teach me
festival and take charge of as many things as possible,they
how to use it.Susan was a saving grace for me at the time.
do not run the festival by themselves.Many of the key deci-
Newtowne Court was a rough place back then,and my only
sions need to be made by the adults since it is now a national
other outlet was baseball.Susan opened up a new door and
and growing international festival.
allowed me to learn how to express myself without words
through photography." The idea is not to wait for the youth
The desire to create a democ ratic environment extends to the
to walk into the center but to go out to them and bring them
center’s hiring process,an organizational feature attributed to
into this haven within the community.
Richards.Her practice was to include children from the program in the hiring process:"I pretty much started involving
WORKING TOGETHER AND DECIDING TOGETHER
youth in hiring.... I created more of a process, I think, in general,
Each fall,the members of the TMP organize and host the Do
for everything that I thought didn’t exist,like staff involve-
It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Video and Film Festival.
ment in the hiring,and then youth involvement,and now
When the festival approaches,the focus and attention of all
parent involvement ... and it’s always nice when everybody’s
members are on it.The teens screen all video entries in com-
in ... and there’s consensus about who to hire ’cause then you
mittees chaired by teens.Each committee screens the videos
feel like,‘okay, we made the right decision.’" For instance,
from one of the following categories:animation,public ser-
Mauras,then a participant of the program, was involved in
vice announcements, music video, video poetry, experimen-
the hiring of Douillette for the position of director. Douillette,
tal,documentary, and narrative.A smaller group of teens
in turn,carried on the legacy by involving teens in the hiring
then curate the videos to be screened at the festival.This
of a new executive director for the center when Richards left
type of teamwork is part of the fabric of the TMP.
that position.And the same tradition has followed with the
16
departure of Douillette as co-executive director of the center.
Teamwork and collaboration involves a set of clear expectations for all stakeholders,including the staff.Respect is one
of these expectations.Douillette,for instance,established
respect as a guideline for all committees screening the videos
submitted for the festival.He specified that committee
their damn selves, starting one of the foremostnational youth
video and film festivals….The Do It Your Damn Self!! National
Youth Video and Film Festival is our attempt to give youth like
us a national audience to experience and celebrate our unique
perspectives of the cultural life of this country. The mission of
our festival was, is, and always will be, to give youth producers
like ourselves a place to be heard.
members were to be respectful to each other during the video
discussions and in the comments they wrote in the critique
One of the founders of the festival,Mauras,explained in an
forms about each video. He also requested that,as the end
interview for The Boston Globe (Ribadeneira,1997) that "we
of the screening process grew near , the teens give the last
felt we had been doing video forever, but did not really, really
videos the same attention they gave the earlier ones.
have a voice.And we knew there were other kids out there
who were just like us,and who was going to give us the
During Douillette’s time as TMP director, several members of
opportunity?"
the program said that they felt respected by their peers and
by the staff and th at they monitored each other when any of
Inevitably, the ideologies of the directors seep into their
them would be disrespectful.As one member said,"Since I
effort to provide social justice for its participants.For
started to come here,I changed a lot.I became more coopera-
Richards,the teens "develop a voice" through the videos they
tive and professional." He attributes his change to the way
make,and a goal of the TMP is to "help teens learn to use
the other people in the program would work around him
video and photography as a way to speak their mind about
because he was being rude.Now that he has changed his
issues that come up in the community or in their lives"
attitude,he feels that "I get respect here."
(Goodridge,Germain,and Douillette,2000).
A PLACE TO BE HEARD
Though Richards said in an interview for The Boston Globe
Closely connected to the directors’desire to create a demo-
(Negri,1999) that "the content of the video is a vehicle for
cratic environment at the Community Art Center is their
them to express their social,political,or personal point of
practice of creating a space in which the voices of the young
view," she does not hide the fact that she tends to be more
people in the TMP are heard.
political and that she prefers the teens to use their voice in
a more political way. In an interview while she was still the
The creation of the Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth
executive director of the center, she spoke of a video made
Video and Film Festival by a group of girls in the program
by a girl in the program who had recently fled her war-torn
reflects the space for teens to have a voice.The youth
country. The girl’s video was a purely aesthetic piece combin-
producers’mission statement explains:
ing architectural shots with classical music. Though Richards
acknowledges that it was a beautiful piece and that individuals
The Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Video and Film
Festival was created in 1996 by a group of inner-city teen video
producers from Cambridge who felt they were being misrepresented and under-represented in the media.They knew they
couldn’t waitaround for the media to getitright,so they did it
17
should be able to choose the work they want to create,her
worry was that the girls would ultimately forget or push
aside her experiences in her native country if she did not
reflect on them.
A P L A C E TO B E H E A RD :
The Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program
The tension that the directors themselves experience in
"goof-off videos," and others are serious videos.After making
conceiving what the nature of the teens’ work should be is
the documentary, though,she wants to focus on serious
continuously present,and it is inevitably influenced by their
videos because there are "some really strong messages that
ideologies.Richards’s interest in social justice,for example,
people need to listen to."
is reflected when she says,"I think kids who live in struggle
tend to produce work that connects to social justice; it’s just
What is clear from reviewing many of the photographs and
the nature of what people do. When they’re being oppressed,"
videos created by TMP members is that there is great range
she continues,"they tend to make art that says,‘don’t oppress
among them—both in terms of quality and also in terms of
me’without even being told to do so...." However, she recog-
the genres used.Some create documentaries ("A day in the
nizes that "maybe we shouldn’t just assume that children of
life of…"),others create fictional pieces,and others create
color or low-income children are always gonna produce stuff
more poetic and artistic personal expressions.And though
about some social justice issues."
adults might place a video in one category (for example,
social justice vs.artistic expression),the teens in the program
While the members of the TMP can do videos about anything
seem to ignore such need for categorizations and instead
they want, at times the directors of the program play a role
"mix and match" genres and styles according to their own
in selecting the themes.During the 2000 summer program,
vision.
the teens were to create a product every week based on
words that Douillette would give them,such as power,
Yet the voices of the teens are not simply reflected in the pro-
racism,and stereotypes—words that are unquestionably
duction of videos or photographs.Nearly all the teens inter-
charged.Ultimately, though,the teens take the words and
viewed mentioned the impact of Douillette’s push for them to
develop an idea to which they give voice through their
develop public speaking skills and confidence.Alumnus John
videos.Furthermore,several alumni stressed that they do
Will talks about learning to communicate in public and make
not see themselves as having been forced into doing docu-
eye contact as well as acquiring professional and time man-
mentaries about their lives.
agement skills,including how to carry himself, all of which
he learned in the program and all of which have opened
For some of the teens,videos are a good way to express feel-
doors to jobs.
ings and thoughts that they cannot share otherwise.Two
participants of the program,for instance, made a music video
Whether it is through the videos they make,through their
as a farewell gift for the theater teacher at the center as a
selection of videos for the festival,or through activities that
way to "put my feelings into the video" and "express the stuff
allow them to speak in front of others about their work or
you don’t want to say out loud." Another girl said that she
the work of the program,the teens have a place to be heard
sometimes likes putting some of her thoughts into video
in the TMP.
"because you get to see it visually…."
LESSONS LEARNED
Older members of the program elaborate in greater depth
The TMP’s stated goals are to offer a safe and supportive
this idea of video as language.Both Pablo and John Will spoke
environment,to increase self-esteem and critical thinking
of the link between video and literacy. Pablo considers videos
skills through the exploration of media,and to expose the
a great way to communicate with those who do not read. For
participants to the stereotypes and inequities presented in
John Will,a video has more power than the written word.
the mass media and encourage them to use these media
"Not everybody can read your paper," he explains,"but if you
as an agent of change.
put it on video, everybody will understand it,they will see it,
they will learn from it…."
Lesson
1 and of family is an important element
The sense of home
that contributes to the program’s success and its retention
For Michelle,the power of video lies in the changes that it can
of students,especially amidst an organization with a high
bring about in society. A documentary about a homeless man
staff turnover.
that she worked on received a lot of attention, which "did
some good because now they’re really paying attention to the
Lesson
2
A collaborative environment is also key to the program’s
homeless … it’s getting out there, it’s real good." Michelle
success.The program positions media making as a team
acknowledges that some of the videos they do at the TMP are
effort,with some teens writing the script,others appearing
18
in front of the camera,and still others involved in the editing
Older members and alumni,however, discuss messages with a
process. The preparation for the Do It Your Damn Self!!
much more critical eye than do younger members.
National Youth Video and Film Festival also requires extensive administrative and creative teamwork on everyone’s
part—staff and youth alike.
Lesson
3also reinforced through both formal and
Collaboration is
Lesson
8 of youth producers outside the TMP also
Having a network
has a positive effect on its participants.By hosting a festival
and attending festivals in other parts of the country and the
world,the teens are exposed to the work that their peers are
informal mentoring.Credit for the mentorship is attributed to
producing in other places.This exposure to new work gets the
TMP directors, who mentor participants in all aspects of the
teens to challenge themselves and think seriously about their
program and also in basic life skills such as schoolwork,post-
own work.
high-school plans, and personal problems and struggles.
Visiting media artists and other adults who work with the
Over time,teens in the TMP use media to find their voices,
teens also provide mentoring opportunities.In addition,stu-
enhance a range of skills,and build confidence in a safe and
dents informally mentor each other by helping and support-
respectful learning environment.They become aware of a
ing each other in a peer-to-peer environment.
range of benefits they receive from the program,including
Lesson
4
A flexible environment with high expectations for the teens
personal gains,a sense of community, and a growing critical
eye in understanding the mass media.And through the work
further contributes to the success of the program.The adults
they produce and the yearly festival they put together, these
have created an environment that is very different from
young people also reveal themselves as active players in
schools,of which most of the teens interviewed speak nega-
providing alternatives to what the mass media presents
tively. In contrast to school,members described the program
about youth of color.
as an environment where they can think instead of memorize and where they feel respected. At school,they get tested,
quizzed,and graded; at the TMP, "everybody’s a winner,"
REFERENCES
according to one participant.
Commart and Associates.1997. "Key Findings and Themes From
Assessment Interviews." Needham,MA: Community Art Center, Inc.
Lesson
5
The relevance of the program to participants’career plans is
mixed.Some of the alumni report college majors and career
paths directly related to the impact and influence of the TMP.
Yet,though most of the participants interviewed say that
they enjoy video production and photography and foresee
doing them as a hobby, only one expressed an interest in
Goodridge, V.,Germain,M.S.,and Douillete, J. "Lights,Camera,Action!"
4 Word:News & Views in Area 4, 20 June 2000,1-3.
Negri,G."Developing More than Film." Boston Sunday Globe, 19
September 1999,p.10,13.
Ribadeneira, T. "Young Filmmakers Aren’t Kidding Around."
Boston Sunday Globe, 16 November 1997, p.13,15.
video production as a career.
Lesson
6
Skill building is not the only indicator of success for the program.Alumni report that media production stimulates participants’imagination, builds their critical and thinking skills,
and increases their self-esteem.Most members say they are
more confident.Their self-esteem is enhanced by the direc-
ADRIANA KATZEW is an advanced doctoral student at Harvard University
Graduate School of Education.Her interestand research areas include
the intersection of media arts and communities of color, with a specific
interestin youth as well as Chicano artist activists.She obtained her
law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and taught
photography and creative writing to recent Latino immigrants in middle
school through an Echoing Green fellowship.
tor’s encouragement to do public speaking, attend and present their work at other festivals,and make decisions as to
what they want to work on.
Lesson
7
The teens also speak with confidence about the videos they
"[The Community Art Center is] my
home; it’s my second home…my own
background; that’s where I came from."
create. They are knowledgeable about video and photography
technical skills and about the power of the screen and visual
media, and they clearly understand the messages they receive
from advertisements,commercial videos, films, and television.
19
—John Will,a TMP graduate,now a senior in college
studying engineering
Artwork by Luis Sierra courtesy REACH LA.
R E AC H L A :
Reaching Out in New Directions
by Jim Mora n
R
EACH LA was founded in 1992 by four women actively involved in the
Los Angeles arts community:photographer and media artist Eve
Luckring,interdisciplinary artist Diane Bromberg,painter Laura Owens,
and community organizer Tessa DeRoy. They envisioned an organization
that would foster a working partnership between artists and urban
teenagers, who together would address pertinent social issues via the media arts.During a
series of early focus groups to explore how REACH LA might best meet the most pressing
needs of local youth,Luckring and her associates discovered that education about both
media production and HIV/AIDS was missing from high school curricula throughout the
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).Soon after, they met to brainstorm the most
effective and creative means to reach a c ritical mass of young people with information
about HIV/AIDS prevention.
The result of these meetings was Club Prophylactive,an interactive, multimedia dance
event providing an outreach opportunity for a range of clinics and agencies to bring
HIV/AIDS education to young people actively engaged in the Los Angeles club scene.Media
artist Gina Lamb was brought on to assist with the design of the club’s multimedia pieces,
drawing on her previous experience producing videos in youth communities.Richard
"Humpty" Vission,a DJ with local radio station Power 106,took a strong interest in the
club’s emphasis on social action and convinced a roster of talent to get involved,including
the Wu-tang Clan, who made one of their first live appearances at the club.
The smashing success of Club Prophylactive’s first annual event spread the news about
REACH LA—indeed, it built the organization’s reputation.No w, more than a decade and a
multitude of changes later, REACH LA has evolved to offer a much broader scope of youthdriven services and programs.Nevertheless,under the current leadership of Executive
Director Martha Chono-Helsley, Program Director Gina Lamb,and Carla Gordon,Director of
Development and Community Relations,REACH LA continues to adhere to its founders’
original mission to educate,motivate,and mobilize LA's urban youth.
THE MISSION OF REACH LA
The mission of REACH LA is to operate programs that enable youth to improve the conditions directly affecting their emotional,physical,social,and intellectual well-being and to
help them transition to successful adulthood through innovative projects,networking,and
advocacy. REACH LA’s programming is designed to educate,motivate,and mobilize youth to
become proactive educators who can effect change in their own Los Angeles communities.
By training youth in communications skills, leadership,health education,digital arts,and
advanced technologies,the full-time staff provides them opportunities to develop original
products and services that disseminate critical health information to their peer communities,offer connections to youth-friendly community resources,and foster ongoing dialogues on issues of teen wellness,empowerment,and social activism.
Adolescents are among the most difficult target populations to access effectively because
of their feelings of invincibility, their strong desires to be accepted by their peers,and their
developmental need for exploration and experimentation.For these reasons,all program
development is based on youth advisory and leadership and is tailored to "youth culture."
21
REACH LA :
Reaching Out in New Directions
Pictured,from left to right: Taizet Hernandez,Christopher Harris,Esperanza Barajas.
Through its Peer Educator Program, Youth Event and Advisory
Council,and youth training programs,REACH LA positions its
target constituency—teenage youth from Los Angeles—to
take a leadership role in the design and implementation of all
programs and services.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
While diverse and continuously growing,REACH LA’s programs and services focus on five major areas: youth activism,
health and reproductive health, LGBTQ issues (lesbian/gay/
bisexual/transgender/questioning),art,and technology.
Many programs integrate one or more of these areas in what
might best be described as an interdisciplinary approach.
Youth members typically first attend a series of health
GET ACTIVE:Introductions and warm-up exercises
using physical,sensory, and trust exercises.
WHO ARE YOU AND WHO DO YOU PRETEND TO BE?
A self-reflective exercise that helps participants think
abouttheir identities and how personal experience,
peers, media, family, and religion influence personal
growth and risky behavior.
FORUM: Participants act outrisky situations and
rehearse interventions to discover new options to
negotiate them. Participants stop the action of the
scene so that the protagonistcan see the potential
to act differently.
KNOW YOUR BODY: An overview of human anatomy
and personal hygiene.
education workshops as a prerequisite to participation in
media arts workshops.
The organization’s most visible and successful programs
are Come•Feel•Active,Pro•Feel•Active,and Computer•Active.
Come•Feel•Active
Come•Feel•Active (CFA) comprises a series of interactive
workshops and follow-up activities focusing on health education and personal negotiation skills to prevent pregnancy and
HIV/AIDS/PREGNANCY PREVENTION EDUCATION
101: An overview of prevention methods.
DIFFICULT PARTNER:An activity in which participants
play roles to develop their negotiation and communication skills to deal with a difficultpartner.
DEBRIEF: Facilitators and participants work
together to make connections between pregnancy
and HIV prevention and the story solutions that
were acted out.
infection from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Conducted at REACH LA or at designated youth organizations,
clubs,and schools,these sessions are led by peer educators,
POST-TEST: A test for HIV knowledge is administered along with an evaluation survey.
youth who provide the frontline education to other youth
about taking ownership of their own wellness and lives.
In addition to workshops servicing a broadly diverse youth
The peer educators are an intensively trained workforce
segment,REACH LA has tailored a workshop with a specific
well versed in reproductive health issues,facilitation, youth
focus on young women at sexual risk through its CFA:Girls
interventions, program assessment,and evaluation through
Only! Workshop.
REACH LA’s summer boot camp training program run by the
senior CFA staff.
Pro•Feel•Active
Over a period of one to six months,participating youth must
issues of teen wellness with arts,culture,and social activism.
Pro•Feel•Active (PFA) comprises outreach events that blend
commit to attending a four-and-a-half-hour interactive
PFA activities bring young people together for the purpose of
workshop,followed by three one-on-one counseling sessions,
educating,motivating,and mobilizing their communities to
during which they work on a self-selected area for personal
help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy.
growth.A CFA workshop schedule typically includes the
following activities:
22
Pictured,from left to right:Hector Flores,Amanda Alfieri,Mando Blanco.
The most visible example of a PFA event is the perennial Club
REACH LA houses its own digital studio, including Macintosh
Prophylactive, which moves HIV/AIDS education out of the
computer lab stations complete with digital video editing,
classroom and into a comfortable,familiar social setting.On
desktop publishing,and graphic and Web design software.
the dance floor of the club, youth are confronted with slide
This technology was funded by private foundations such
and video projections of positive images of sexuality, statis-
as the California Endowment,Macy’s PASSPORT, S.Mark
tics regarding youth and HIV, slogans encouraging self-pro-
Taper Foundation,Liberty Hill Foundation,Labor Day LA,
tective behaviors,and depictions of safer sexual practices.
Community Technology Foundation of California,and
These presentations are cut like a "club loop" and use psyche-
LIFEbeat Foundation.
delic imagery and graphics to integrate the information into
a dance club format.
The REACH LA Web site (www.reachla.org) is the organization’s most visible digital medium.It functions as both a dis-
Off the dance floor is the Latex Lounge, where representatives
seminator of information and a gallery for artwork,poetry,
from local health agencies and clinics provide HIV/AIDS
and short stories. Youth between the ages of 13 and 23 pro-
information.Here also is a safe place where youth can under-
duce all of the site’s content and work with the staff on its
go anonymous HIV antibody testing.In booths surrounding
design and administration.
the dance floor, peer educators provide counseling creatively
packaged in entertaining,interactive formats.In the Fortune-
REACH for Me is the organization’s biannual magazine devot-
Telling Tent,for instance, youth receive one-on-one risk
ed to urban youth culture.Produced,written,designed,and
reduction counseling through tarot card readings, crystal
published by youth, it provides an outlet for them to express
balls,and assorted familiar divination techniques.At the
concerns,ideas,and issues they face,such as identity, sexuali-
Tattoo Booth, youth are counseled on HIV transmission
ty, and emotional and physical health. To date, approximately
through needle sharing while a tattoo artist draws a custom-
20,000 volumes have been distributed through local social
designed temporary tattoo. And at a variety of game booths,
service and health organizations,community centers,health
the "tools" of safer behavior are integrated into game formats
fairs,libraries,and schools.
such as Twister and Wheel of Fortune.
Youth Arts Collective
Computer•Active
23
The Youth Arts Collective assists youth (ages 15 to 22) in
Computer•Active programs expand REACH LA's vision of
developing professional art portfolios in preparation for
empowering youth through the use of digital video, digital
admission to art schools or art departments within colleges
arts publishing,animation,and graphic and Web design.
and universities.This program’s most recent success occurred
Youth who have previously completed the CFA program are
when the California Arts Council awarded REACH LA a "Next
eligible to attend hands-on technical and artistic workshops
Generation" grant to exhibit the artwork of youth attending
that offer introductory to advanced training in a project-
a portfolio production workshop.Titled Wipe Your Feet, the
based learning environment.These projects have included
exhibition was curated by youth (Ana Lopez,18,and
youth-produced multimedia productions, a magazine for
Esperanza Barajas,20) under the direction of Gina Lamb.
teens,and the REACH LA Web site,all of which spread the
Featuring photography, painting,animation,and digital arts,
organization’s mission to promote healthy lifestyles, youth
Wipe Your Feet ran from June 7 to 27, 2003, at the Track 16
advocacy, arts,and culture.
Gallery in Santa Monica,California.
REACH LA :
Reaching Out in New Directions
LESSONS LEARNED
Lesson
An executive1team is a viable leadership model.
When the current executive team took over the leadership of
REACH LA in October of 1999,the organization was at the
point of shutting down,for the most part because of a crisis
in leadership.Chono-Helsley and Lamb,both of whom had
built their reputations as successful artists and innovative
programmers and nonprofit administrators before their
association with REACH LA,decided to rethink how the
organization should be best administered.
First,they diagnosed some of the problems that led to the crisis.The board of directors, who had gotten a grant to build
themselves to full capacity, had become top-heavy. Fourteen
board members were overseeing two full-time staff members
and six youth volunteers, which increasingly tended toward
micromanagement from the top down.In addition,the executive director resigned,exhausted from having to do everything herself,including raising money, running programs,
and recruiting new youth members.
Evaluating this crisis was,in effect,the first lesson that
Chono-Helsley, Lamb,and Gordon learned during the first six
months of their leadership.One of the first decisions they
made was to replace a single executive director with an executive team that could disperse the division of labor according
to the strengths and experience of each of its members:
Chono-Helsley would take on administrative duties,Lamb
would direct programming,and Gordon would handle development and grant applications.Although Chono-Helsley currently holds the official title of executive director, the team
relies on a consensual decision-making process.This model
lets each team member pursue her role with undivided energy and focus and at the same time be aware of and respect
the demands of her colleagues’obligations.
The second decision that has made a positive impact on REACH
LA’s leadership was to reconstitute the board of directors as
partners, rather than managers, of the executive team. Being
artists with their own vision,Chono-Helsley and Lamb made it
clear from the start that they would resist micromanagement
of their programming ideas. At the same time, they wanted to
enlist board members who would bring REACH LA expertise,
resources, and abilities that the executive team lacked—and
who demonstrated a genuine interest in the goals and vision of
a youth-driven organization devoted to arts,activism, and education. The result is a complementary working relationship not
only among the executive team members but also between the
team and the board of directors.
Lesson
2
Evaluation data provides direction and credibility.
REACH LA has always been interested in using evaluation
tools to measure the success of its programs and make ongoing improvements.By collecting and publishing the data
from these evaluations in a database,they also demonstrate
to their funding agencies th at the outcomes of their strategies are indeed benefiting youth.Evaluation data thus provides the executive team with direction for future programming and services and also establishes credibility with funding agencies.
REACH LA’s evaluation data is comprehensive and varied.For
their CFA program,they developed a complete set of riskassessment tools that probe deeply and specifically into
youth sexual activity, risk behaviors,and partying practices.
Each youth who participates takes a pre-test and post-test on
HIV knowledge,as well as a risk assessment survey.
Data gleaned from these tools is then compiled on a customized database for monthly and annual reporting.At the
end of each CFA six-month session,REACH LA conducts a
quality improvement survey and focus group to gain feedback from CFA participants in order to consider new directions for future programming.The CFA staff meets weekly to
evaluate field implementation,discuss issues and concerns
from the field,and share strategies for interventions and
resources.This process helps to continually better the services
and interventions that REACH LA performs.
The CFA program is also responsible for meeting the Office of
AIDS Programs and Policies "Scope of Work" contract. This contractual obligation provides a yardstick for how well the organization is reaching its goals. In 2002–0 3 ,R E ACH LA met 95
percent of its objectives. For example, their data at the sixmonth mark demonstrates that 99 percent of the young
women participating in CFA have committed to safer sex practices and have adopted at least one risk-reduction behavior.
REACH LA has developed another set of measurements to
evaluate the success of their Computer•Active arts and technology programs.They track hits to their Web site to determine who is visiting the site and the topics surfers were
searching for that brought them there.They have also administered pre-tests and post-tests to young men (ages 12 to 24)
to study how they learned about HIV/AIDS from the site and
how they personally use it.
The Web site has proven to be an indispensable tool not only
because of its immediacy and flexibility in disseminating
24
Artwork by Ana Lopez courtesy REACH LA.
information but also because it provides REACH LA with visi-
youth member, currently occupied by Luis Sierra, who is
bility that needs no promotion. In the last three years,for
probably the most active promoter of the organization on
instance, more than a half-million people have visited the site
the entire board.A former peer health educator and outreach
without any advertising or promotion. Web searches, word of
coordinator, Sierra is an example of REACH LA’s ideal alum-
mouth, and printing the URL on the biannual magazine have
nus, who returns after several years to reciprocate by giving
proven to be all that is necessary to keep the Web site a viable
back to the people who had earlier nurtured his talents.
presence in the youth and health care education communities.
REACH LA also has learned that significant youth input
Finally, although not exhaustively, REACH LA evaluates the
requires committed youth development.Chono-Helsley and
success of its Youth Arts Collective programs by tracking the
Lamb acknowledge that many urban youth are negotiating
placement of its youth "graduates" to the "next level."
the transition to adulthood in a cultural and social abyss,
Working with recruiters from the Otis Art Institute and the
without adequate direction or support to help them make
San Francisco Art Institute,they assess each youth member’s
important life choices.Therefore,an important goal of REACH
work and experience before National Portfolio Day every
LA is to give their youth members confidence in themselves—
January. To date,these assessments have helped to place 99
to help them feel autonomous and to act independently.
percent of participating youth in scholarship programs,
internships,art schools,colleges,universities, leadership
programs,and full-time jobs.
Lesson
3
A youth organization should be driven by youth.
In addition to media arts and health education,the full-time
staff offers counseling on all aspects of making a successful
transition into adulthood: applying to college,choosing
careers,financial planning based on salary and cost of living,
REACH LA’s reliance on youth for the program’s direction and
negotiating committed sexual relationships,and generally
administration is unique.Describing their development
taking the right steps to ensure a healthy, stable quality of
process as "not top down, but youth up," the executive team
life.Although much of this guidance currently is informal,the
acts more like "backseat drivers," guiding their youth mem-
executive team has been considering how they might broad-
bers to take the wheel and drive the content of their art/tech-
en their mission to incorporate youth counseling into their
nology programs and the goals of their educational and coun -
suite of programs and services.They have discovered that an
seling services.Because youth are the primary patrons of
approach to youth development that emphasizes successful
their programs,they know which topics are relevant, which
transitions in every arena—social,cultural,educational,and
methods of education are effective,and which forms of com-
financial—will more likely increase the chance that youth
munication are eagerly received.
members will succeed in art/technology careers,replicate
REACH LA so respects the input of its youth that Gordon sits
own,or return to REACH LA to reenergize a new generation
down with them once a month at the brainstorming table to
of youth in transition.
and develop youth-oriented educational programs of their
solicit their ideas before she wr ites funding applications.The
staff also provides a chair on the board of directors for a
25
REAC H LA :
Reaching Out in New Directions
Outreach Coordinator Ana Lopez is a case in point.Under the
tity in California public schools.Normally, The Friends of
mentorship of the executive team,Lopez has developed into
Project 10 sponsors trained LGBTQ youth to share their experi-
an accomplished representative for REACH LA.In early 2003,
ences face-to-face during staff development sessions. How-
Lopez collaborated with Lamb to curate a program of video
ever, because of the sheer number of school sites involve d ,t h e
shorts,titled Queer Youth Nation, which explored issues of
group sought an alternative to face-to-face sessions.
LGBTQ youth in schools,community, religion,and family.
After a successful exhibition in the LA Freewaves Festival,
So The Friends of Project 10 partnered with REACH LA to pro-
Lamb encouraged Lopez to present locally produced queer-
duce a video that would feature testimony from LGBTQ youth
focused works to Los Angeles schools as an educational facili-
who have experienced harassment and abuse.The video
tator/curator. This exposure resulted in a grant from Liberty
introduced the new law to faculty and staff and informed
Hill to broaden the regional scope and present the program
them of their responsibility to enforce the rights of the vic-
nationally at conferences.Rather than take the helm at this
tim.
point,Chono-Helsley and Lamb pushed Lopez to make all the
contacts and conduct all the speaking engagements.Because
Again,REACH LA staff and youth see this project as an oppor-
of these experiences,Lopez has developed a reputation—and
tunity to further their own mission.Indeed,the video is
resumé—as an accomplished speaker and youth advocate,
activist in nature,since it will be required viewing for every
all by the age of 18.
teacher throughout Los Angeles County. Therefore,unlike
Lesson
4
Collaboration maximizes scarce resources.
most "client-contractor" relationships,REACH LA did not have
to compromise its vision.Rather, The Friends of Project 10
Because the members of the executive team have been
contracted with them precisely because their mission
actively involved in the nonprofit sector for years,they have
adhered to the objectives of the new law.
learned that collaboration is the most efficient and productive way to share increasingly scarce resources.By building
The following are more examples of REACH LA’s successful
relationships and partnering with the staff at peer organiza-
collaborations:
tions that can offer skills,technology, and connections that
REACH LA currently needs,the executive team can more successfully produce the projects and programming that fulfill
their mission.
For example,in 2003,REACH LA created an "art card" project
with the LA County Department of Health.Free postcards
stocked in the restrooms of restaurants and bars are a popular vehicle of promotion and advertising in Los Angeles.
REACH LA hosted and ran a bootcamp for Youth
Organizing Communities, during which thirty youth
underwent an intensive weekend workshop on producing
a video, from shooting to editing.
While REACH LA was building its Web site,the
Hollywood Teen Community Project offered youth labor
in exchange for a link to their own Web site,which HTCP
youth members learned how to build during the
collaboration.
Taking advantage of this medium,the County Prevention
Planning Commission hired REACH LA to design five postcards that they can use to recruit new youth members.The
cover images of each postcard visually attract attention,
while the copy on the back provides HIV statistics among LA
County youth and information on how to get involved with
the commission via a Web site URL.This "work-for-hire" collaboration in no way compromises REACH LA’s mission since
it is precisely the kind of project that its youth might develop
on their own.
Also in 2003,REACH LA is collaborating with The Friends of
Project 10,a nonprofit organization that received funding to
train the staff and faculty in the LAUSD on the California
LA Freewaves hosted the "Webraising" of the REACH
LA Web site at its seventh Celebration of Experimental
Media Arts.
Agencies that have participated in the Latex Lounge
at Club Prophylactive include the AIDS Healthcar e
Foundation,Drew University Mobile Testing Clinic,
Chinatown Service Center, Bienestar, AltaMed,BikeOut,
and LA Children’s Hospital,among many others. REACH
LA required that many of these agencies produce an
interactive game that would be fun to play while it
educated youth aboutprotection against sexually
transmitted infections.The agencies rose to the occasion,
thrilled to tap into their creativity rather than merely
dispense brochures.
Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act.The law prohibits
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender iden-
26
“Desktop Theater”with visiting artists Adriene Jenik & Lisa Brenneis.
Because REACH LA is small and tight enough to be flexible,
term consistency is impossible.REACH LA is therefore just
when opportunities for collaboration arise, it can quickly
beginning to develop strategies of "growing their own"
make the most of them.The staff has learned to be careful,
through advanced and outside technical training for their
however, not to overextend themselves by taking on too
youth to support in-house technical requirements.
many projects at one time.
Lesson
5
The digital arts learning cur ve is steep.
Although human resources may be lacking, REACH LA’s digital
studio is state-of-the-art.The days when they had to rent
As a program director concerned that youth are always at the
expensive camcorders and editing decks are,thankfully, in
cutting edge of new technological developments,Gina Lamb
the past.Now, with affordable retail hardware and software
remarks that trying to keep up with the latest digital soft-
(in particular, eMacs and Final Cut Pro),REACH LA has been
ware and techniques requires a learning curve that never
able to house its own digital studio. When they consider the
flattens out.She would like,for instance,to set up chat rooms
high volume and rapid rate at which youth can produce work,
on the REACH LA Web site but currently lacks the knowledge
the organization has found its investment to be extremely
to implement them.Her remedy? Lamb recognizes that,to be
cost-effective.
a good teacher, she must also be a perennial student.She
deliberately takes on digital arts teaching jobs so that she is
inspired to learn everything she can about new tools and
Lesson
6 focuses on quality, not quantity.
Successful outreach
When it comes time to recruit new youth members,REACH
applications (like desktop publishing,Flash animation,and
LA relies only on word of mouth and existing networks,in
DVD production).
part because the staff lacks the time and financial resources
necessary for full-scale promotions.At the same time,the
Currently, Lamb and Chono-Helsley recognize the need for a
organization prefers to stay under the radar. Unlike large
dedicated Webmaster to update the content of the REACH LA
youth organizations that run dozens of weekend programs
Web site and provide it continuity and consistency. They
for hundreds of participants,REACH LA nurtures small groups
don’t,however, have enough staff to support a full-time posi-
engaged with in-depth projects over weeks,months,and
tion.Neither have they been able to recruit a part-time
even years.
Webmaster because talented candidates can easily find a
better salary in the corporate sector.
The goal of their outreach,therefore,is quality, not quantity.
As a potential after-school program,REACH LA avoids becom-
In the meantime,REACH LA has an arrangement with Pitzer
27
ing a dumping ground for youth whose parents force them to
College to place students with Web and media-based skills as
attend.The full-time staff encourage only those youth who
interns within the organization.By expanding REACH LA’s
genuinely desire participation,particularly because the orga-
programming base with production courses and projects led
nization’s mission to create autonomous,activist youth
by the interns,this partnership has benefited both the Pitzer
requires a strong commitment.In fact,of the 300 youth who
students and the REACH LA youth participants and staff.
may express an interest,typically ten to fifteen will actually
Because interns come and go every semester, however, long-
join as long-term members.
REACH LA :
Reaching Out in New Directions
Teacher networks provide REACH LA with the most lucrative
opportunities for recruitment.The executive team has developed relationships with teachers who advocate the mission
of REACH LA and target specific students whom they believe
to be appropriate candidates.Lamb and youth recruiters
visit schools to present projects to students,email them
announcements,and fax them information about upcoming
events and workshops.Lamb also distributes questionnaires
to survey the kinds of books,movies, Web sites,and art forms
that most interest students.If her inquiries are high,she
selects good prospects on the basis of the content of these
questionnaires.
Lesson
Recruitment7
requires sensitivity to diversity.
Sensitivity to diversity is,of course,a prerequisite for any
nonprofit organization recruiting youth in Los Angeles
County, the most ethnically diverse region in the world.With
such rich diversity come ethnic tensions,ghetto neighborhoods,and gang warfare.By choosing to locate its offices in
an industrial fruit-packing area in downtown LA, which is
nonresidential and thus not a "neighborhood" characterized
by a predominant ethnic group or gang identity, REACH LA
is able to invite youth of every background onto "neutral
ground."
The staff specifically recruits and encourages the participation of girls in all of its programs,for two primary reasons.
First, it has a commitment to work with young women at
sexual risk—which does not mean,of course,that REACH LA
refuses to offer its CFA programs to young men.Rather, the
organization ensures that girls have a safe environment that
develops a more systemic impact on a population with very
specific needs.
The second reason for an emphasis on recruiting young
women is that,as a digital arts organization focusing on computer technologies,Chono-Helsley and Lamb have learned
that their promotions generally attract more males than
females.The organization’s experience reinforces other
research in the fields of science, math,and technology that
document females’ avoidance of technology. Therefore,to
provide a supportive environment in which girls feel more
comfortable and likely to participate,REACH LA has found it
useful to emphasize each workshop’s content rather than
technology.
REACH LA also recruits through LGBTQ networks,in particular
the Project 10 newsletter, which reaches all of the LAUSD
Gay/Straight Alliance coordinators. LGBTQ is a population
with many unique needs but little access to inform ation or
support.REACH LA provides a safe space in which to learn,
voice,and teach others about queer issues in a nonjudgmental environment.The exhibition Queer Youth Nation has been
a highly successful tool in bridging issues of isolation and
acceptance.Other works produced through REACH LA’s video
programs about queer issues have found acceptance in
straight venues as well and have provided an education for
audience members who are normally not exposed to queer
issues and lifestyles.
REACHING OUT IN NEW DIRECTIONS
REACH LA is currently undergoing an identity crisis.Because
the organization’s programs and services have evolved into a
wide-ranging spectrum apparently unified only in their
devotion to youth,the executive team has often described
their attempts to define themselves as "schizophrenic." Arts
and activism,technology and health education, LGBTQ and
heterosexual counseling,digital and print media—the list
continues to grow. Without an umbrella that concisely covers
these seemingly disparate (although truly integrated) components,REACH LA is difficult to pigeonhole.On one hand,that
is what makes the organization unique and powerful.On the
other hand,Gordon,Lamb,and Chono-Helsley have trouble
making a pitch for the organization, which makes fund-raising and outreach more difficult.This state of flux,although
a sign of healthy development,is not yet resolved.Add it to
the list of lessons still waiting to be learned.
In the meantime,REACH LA is in the process of reinventing
itself.By reviewing how much the organization has grown
and diversified over the last three years,by studying their
evaluation data and outcomes,and by strategically planning
with their board of directors,the executive team is beginning
to glimpse more precisely the direction in which their mission is evolving—toward overall youth development and
empowerment.This vision has been driving all of their
disparate programs all along.Oddly, they are only now
really beginning to see it.
JIM MORANis a writer and teacher in Los Angeles.
28
MA NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OOD N E T WO RK YO UT H CH A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
by Shelley Pasnik
T
here is much about the Youth Channel that is unremarkable—or so it
could seem.It is not the oldest youth media arts organization in the
country. Begun in March 2000 at the Manhattan Neighborhood Network
(MNN),an independent and not-for-profit public access center based in
New York City, the Youth Channel does not have the longevity of a place
like the Educational Video Center, which has been turning out youth productions since 1984
(and is profiled in A Closer Look:Media Arts 2000) or Street-Level Youth Media, which is
approaching its 10th anniversary (and is included in A Closer Look:Media Arts 2001).
It is also not the largest.While a few youth media arts organizations focus on the reach of
their programming—boasting of hundreds if not thousands of viewers—the Youth Channel
concentrates on the couple of dozen young people at its core and the other ten to thirty
It is not
enough to
talk about
youth
governance
if young
people
do not hold
the power
to make real
decisions.
youth filtering through one of its customized training programs at any given time.And
it is certainly not the most endowed.Though it is largely subsidized by MNN and has
received an initial grant from the Youth Initiative Program within the Open Society
Institute,George Soros’s philanthropic boost to democratic ideals,the Youth Channel,like
practically every other community arts endeavor, must scramble to sustain itself.In this
respect,the channel is not alone.
Instead, what makes this nascent group stand out is this: it is a channel and community
run almost entirely by youth,and it operates through an unprecedented partnership with
a public access service.A tall order perhaps, but it is one the Youth Channel fills in spades.
PUTTING YOUTH IN CHARGE
By fully integrating youth,ages 12 to 25,into the daily operations, weekly programming,
and overall governance of the organization,the channel offers young people opportunities
to be peer trainers,outreach coordinators,directors,scriptwriters,producers, cinematographers,artists,and leaders.Here are a few examples of how the organizational structure not
only allows possibilities for youth but actually requires them.
Youth as Decision Makers
Each week—typically Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.and Fridays at 3:00 p.m.—participating youth
hold Programming Committee and Youth Channel staff meetings.While staff meetings are
for tending to the most pressing matters the organization is facing regarding policy and
operations,Programming Committee meetings are devoted to Youth Channel content.
Though the specific agendas vary from week to week,the Program Committee reviews
videos for possible airing,refines and applies the criteria it has developed regarding submission selections,begins drafting feedback it will provide to video makers,discusses and
shapes outreach strategies for recruiting new youth interested in becoming media makers,
and generates ideas for future productions.During these and other regular meetings,members also learn media literacy and production skills. They develop their abilities to critique
mainstream and alternative media and discuss techniques they can use to generate their
own programming for the channel.Ensuring that the channel is not working in isolation,
two youth serve on MNN’s board of directors,advocating for the Youth Channel and giving
them a say in the general policies and operations of the larger public access service.
29
M A NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OO D N E T WO R K YO UTH C H A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
Youth as Peer Trainers
tion protests,release of the latest Harry Potter book,B-Boy
In an effort to introduce young people to video production in
and B-Girl Breaking School in Manhattan,and the It Takes 2
general and public access media specifically, youth trainers
break-dancing competition in the Bronx.
offer basic and advanced media production training,media
literacy workshops,a summer video program,and studio
Youth as Media Programmers
tours of MNN. To hone both their technical and their teaching
In addition to making their own productions, Youth Channel
skills,peer trainers meet each week with an MNN staff mem-
members seize opportunities to serve as programmers
ber and with one another to have hands-on discussions of
beyond MNN.For example,some Youth Channel productions
what they do and do not know. Responding to requests for
also have distribution through Urban Visionaries,New York
training from community-based organizations, such as the
City’s only video festival that is organized,curated,and pre-
Women’s Prison Association,Desis Rising Up and Moving,
sented by youth media makers and activists. Youth Channel
Free Arts for Abused Children,and the East Harlem Tutorial
members serve on the organizing committee of the festival,
Program,peer trainers are the sole providers of the Youth
which exclusively features youth-produced work,helping
Channel’s media production and media analysis workshops.
make selection and other curatorial decisions.Likewise,mem-
Though trainers tailor the duration,pace,and depth of each
bers assemble "Open Transmission," the channel’s annual
training to the needs of each community group,trainings
series on Free Speech TV of the best youth-made work it
usually last four to eight weeks,depending on whether the
receives each year. "Open Transmission" features a range of
group members are seeking formal certification.
programming,including art,documentaries,and animation
Youth as Media Makers
Speech TV’s channel on the DISH Network, which reaches
Another component of the Youth Channel’s mission is to offer
more than 7 million U.S.homes,cablecasts on MNN,and airs
alternatives to mass media by providing disadvantaged, low-
on Drexel University’s DUTV in Philadelphia.
from all over the country. The series is satellite-cast on Free
income,and minority youth with access to tools of production. Young people—both those formally affiliated with the
LESSONS LEARNED—AND STILL LEARNING
channel,such as Programming Committee members,and
Despite the Youth Channel’s short history, the last two and a
youth who have been trained in field and studio production
half years have offered many valuable lessons, which is why
by one of the peer trainers—contribute to the programming
the organization’s model of youth governance has been as
MNN airs.Using production facilities and equipment,certi-
strong as it has. Youth Channel staff and members have
fied youth groups and individuals use their newly acquired
internalized some of these lessons, but others remain fresh
knowledge of lighting,script writing,set design,and media
and somewhat tentative as the organization develops,struc-
literacy to produce social issue documentaries,video poetry,
tures codify, and people change and grow as they make the
studio shows,and commentary. One of the most recent origi-
organization thrive.
nal productions is "D.A.M.N. YC News," a biweekly current
events show, featuring community news, youth activism,and
arts and entertainment by young people from New York City.
Signaling dissatisfaction with mainstream offerings,a desire
to provide an alternative voice,and perhaps a healthy bit of
bravado, D.A.M.N.stands for Defense Against Media
Nonsense.A description of the latest crop of episodes from
Tricia Wang,age 22,the show’s supervisor, gives a flavor of
issues and events the YC News crew has covered:recent
Supreme Court sodomy laws,the latest scooter craze, hunger
strikes protesting New York City’s health care budget cuts,the
11th Annual Dyke March,poetry shows at The POINT, hip-hop
shows at Crotona Park,female firefighters,anti-Bush reelec-
Lesson
1
Strong communication requires getting
past misconceptions.
The Youth Channel brings together young people and adult
educators,though by design,the youth greatly outnumber
the adults.Program staffing and management has varied
over the years, but for the time being, it has settled into the
following grouping:one adult program director, one adult
training supervisor, one youth associate director, one youth
programming coordinator, one youth training coordinator,
and four youth peer trainers.Each person has had to assume
responsibilities related to programming,production,or organizational structure, but all successful work has relied on
meaningful communication among everyone involved.
30
"It is in teaching
other young
people what they
know that youth
trainers generate
new audiences,
make connections
across communities, and bring a
critical awareness
to the process of
positive social
change."
—MNN Staff Member
Knowing how to communicate beyond one’s limited expecta-
well as responsibility, allowing the adult educators to express
tions of others,however, took effort.As producer Chrystian
their concerns about youth disengagement.On the flip side,
Rodriguez,age 18,observed,"People are bogged down by
when youth reported back what they do not like to hear from
misconceptions." Learning to say out loud their opinions
adults,they were able to list a range of ways that adults can
and questions was something many of the youth had to
discourage youth involvement.This frank discussion influ-
develop,especially when it came to group settings like pro-
enced the daily operations, which often meant setting
gramming meetings."In the beginning, many of the youth
realistic schedules and finding mechanisms for youth and
were quiet.They often would pass when it was their turn to
adults to share in the decision making.
speak in meetings," Hye-Jung Park,the adult program
director explained."Now they are strong spokespeople,able
to express their opinions and formulate questions about
policy, programming,and production."
Lesson
2 and collective ownership
Power sharing
must be real—not theoretical.
It is not enough to talk about youth governance if young
people do not hold the power to make real decisions.For
Recognizing the uniqueness of their undertaking—creating
the Youth Channel to succeed,members had to have many
an organization filled with opportunities for youth to be
opportunities to be true collaborators, working with adult
leaders and peer organizers as well as quality media mak-
educators when necessary and with one another whenever
ers—Park and the staff sought to establish communication
possible.Park had known this from the outset when MNN
that was direct and honest.This was attempted during day-
first began exploring the idea of a youth channel with her,
to-day exchanges between educators and staff, but it was
but it took the actual experience of developing the organiza-
taken on directly during an October 2001 retreat, where
tion with a full staff to help her understand what it truly
everyone was asked to voice their individual concerns and
meant.Still,she continues to ask,"What are genuine inter-
expectations with the intention of finding common ground.
generational relationships so that youth feel like they have
During the intergenerational workshop that kicked off the
the ownership?" And she also continues to wonder when it
retreat,participating youth and adults split into separate
is appropriate to step in and when it is wiser to stay back.
facilitated groups to generate a list of phrases they did not
This is one reason she does not sit on the Programming
want to hear from each other, such as "I don’t care" and
Committee,nor does any other adult over the age of 25.
"when I was your age.…" This workshop exposed tensions
around perceptions (about who’s hip and who "gets it") as
31
M A NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OO D N E T WO R K YO UT H C H A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
Just as a truly youth-centered environment had to establish
additional resources would allow the channel to formalize
that members were responsible for major decisions regarding
training modules, which could help ease the transition of
content,production,training,and programming,so too did
incoming peer trainers.The goal is to develop advanced
the youth themselves have to learn to share responsibility
media literacy techniques,giving trainers a repertoire of
and clearly communicate with each other. As Rodriguez,
activities that address different levels of students’ awareness
the current chief director of the news program describes,
and technical knowledge.A curriculum also would ensure
"Everyone has to get used to each other. No one likes working
that trainers have similar understandings of the processes
in an environment where there is conflict or where no one
involved in production (research,script writing,postproduc-
knows what to do, what is going on.If a conflict does arise,
tion styles for field and studio).Though the current cohort of
such as a delay, it is best to discuss it."
Lesson
3
Training involves young people teaching one
another how to master a range of skills.
Because the Youth Channel chose not to rely on a stable of
adult media experts—people who were professionals or
established teachers in media production—but on youth
who would be responsible for training other young people,
much was riding on the Peer-to-Peer Media Training Program.
peer trainers has developed an approach that is effective,they
are keenly aware of the need for careful preparation,as evidenced by the advice Agudo would offer to her successors:
"Know your stuff.Know everything about the things you’re
going to be teaching.Make sure everything is organized.Be
sensitive and understanding to whomever you are training.
Revolve everything around them,not around you."
Lesson
An outlet for4youth-made programs
Both on-site and in the field,the training program had to be
and perspectives is essential.
built on ongoing educational efforts that would expose young
When MNN originally conceived of a Youth Channel, it envi-
people to the creative potential of making media as well as
sioned just that—a separate channel run by young people.In
to the development of critical media education skills.Once
addition to the four cable channels, it would add a fifth that
trained, youth encourage other youth to take the next step
would be exclusively devoted to youth-produced program-
and get involved in the larger MNN community, to learn the
ming.Those involved in the ambitious undertaking quickly
operations of the organization,and to bring new skills and
learned,and cable company politics echoed,that it would
awareness to their communities.The peer trainers strive to
require greater staff and funding than was available at the
build confidence in their trainees,serving as their role mod-
time.Starting with two hours of programming each week
els,their educators,and their inspiration to use tools to create
and growing to nine hours currently, the Youth Channel
and speak out.As one staff member explained,"It is in teach-
would like to expand to fulfill the original promise and
ing other young people what they know that youth trainers
become a full-time channel.In the meantime,the block of
generate new audiences, make connections across communi-
youth-produced media airs on channels 34 and 107 as well
ties,and bring a critical awareness to the process of positive
as online,reaching more than half a million homes in
social change."
Manhattan. Youth Channel programming, which includes
Although the Youth Channel has managed to establish a suc-
ditional public access talk and variety, also cablecasts during
documentary, short subject, narrative,experimental,and tracessful peer-training model,staff members have identified
MNN’s "interconnect time" (when the channel is carried by
areas of potential growth.In general,they are interested in
Queens,Brooklyn,and Bronx local access stations) to reach an
further developing the program by expanding the free peer-
additional 2 million homes across New York every week.
training program to new constituencies,currently hindered
by limited youth staff,equipment,and resources.Also, in part
Whether it is two or 200 hours,the aim is to air programming
because "there is no typical student," as Wendy Agudo, age
for youth on issues relevant to them and their communities,
20,one of the peer trainers explained,there is no set curricu-
which is why the Programming Committee plays such an
lum.Instead,trainers tailor the training experience to the
important role in the operations of the Youth Channel.Once
skills of the members within each new group of trainees,
the committee receives responses from filmmakers who have
adjusting for age,technical ease,and interest in media
shown their work at festivals, well-established media-produc-
literacy. Without losing the flexibility that trainers have,
ing organizations,and anyone else who has submitted a tape
32
for review, members review the work to determine its fit
they are trained. To aid trainers,the Youth Channel has
with the channel.This may happen internally, as was the
defined several goals for its media literacy workshops:
case with a submission about a tobacco company from
GumboTV;a locally produced show for children called "Miss
Wednesday’s Puppet House";"Flag Wars," which is about gay
mobility and gentrification;and "Larry vs.Lockney," which is
To develop literate youth who are able to read,analyze, evaluate,and produce media for diverse audiences
To develop youth with leadership and team work skills
about public education and individual rights.Reviews also
happen in conjunction with an outside organization working
on issues related to the production being reviewed.For example,Madeleine Gavin’s "What I Want My Words to Do to You,"
a POV documentary that grew out of Eve Ensler’s writing
workshop at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, was a film
To develop media-conscious youth who understand
the impact of media within their own community and
lives
To activate youth to use media for social change
within their communities and lives
Youth Channel members reviewed at a screening they held at
Brooklyn College.Along with a presentation by Voices
Unbroken,the film was shown to a large group of lowincome Summer Youth Employment Program participants.
Whether film reviews occur in-house or at an outside event,
committee members talk about audience,perspective,and
technical attributes,ultimately helping the youth programming coordinator decide what will and will not be aired.
Lesson
5
Even if youth are slow to warm up
to it,media literacy is crucial.
To provide a media space to show youth how to
report from their own perspective the current youth
culture and activities that are relevant to their lives
How the trainers accomplish these goals is twofold:practice
at analysis, which most often takes the form of conversation
during meetings,and giving young people the opportunity to
review and critique media products while producing. When
young people learn how to produce their own programming,
their expectations and understanding shift radically.
Whether known as the much-ballyhooed "21st century literacy skills" or the more tried-and-true "critical thinking skills,"
ways of seeing,interpreting,and making meaning are central
coordinator, they go from being embedded in commercial
to what goes on at the Youth Channel.Because many of the
TV and believing everything should be fast-paced like MTV
young people who shuffle through the doors of 537 West 59th
to having a sophisticated read on production decisions,
Street in Manhattan are immersed in popular culture and
both technical and ideological.As the facilitator of the
also are right down the street from Times Square and the
Programming Committee,McDonnell knows that the
location of many of the world’s largest media companies,
connection between media literacy and media making is
they may seem primed for lessons in media awareness.But
vital."They need to know how hard it is to tell a story, to
getting young people to reflect on commercial media mes-
make something look good."
sages, which so often do not seem like messages at all but
"the way things are," is difficult in the beginning.It is hard for
two reasons:first, youth can be resistant to breaking down
the ideology of what they know and questioning how they
know it;second,understanding of and appreciation for com-
33
According to Vanessa McDonnell,age 22,the programming
munity media is not immediately available to youth before
Lesson
6
However worthwhile,telling
stories is a slow process.
Since its launch,the Youth Channel has produced a number
of individual programs and series with relevance and appeal
to a youth audience.These have ranged from "The Durban
Diaries," a project that had young people traveling to Durban,
M A NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OO D N E T WO R K YO UT H C H A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
South Africa,to use Internet and multimedia technologies to
and another took a position that Park identified and recom-
provide daily interactive dispatches on the World Conference
mended he take.Because participating youth are meant to
Against Racism from a youth perspective,to "That Movie
acquire skills and move on to other worthwhile work,the
Thingy," a live call-in show that took viewers on outings to
interest in developing a curriculum becomes even greater. A
screenings and offered humorous reviews of first-run films,
curriculum would help the channel overcome the challenges
like Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. More recently,
of youth mobility and trainer turnover and would help create
a peer-trained youth team traveled to Washington, D.C., to
a sense of continuity as well as a means to sustain the work
cover antiwar protests. Working collaboratively under the
that departing youth have done.Also, the staff is considering
pressure of a 24-hour deadline,these producers filmed from
roles that Youth Channel alumni can play in the ongoing
6:00 a.m.to 3:00 a.m.the next day, edited their coverage
operations and programming of the organization.
using portable technologies as they traveled back to New
York,and then uploaded their video news story for immediate availability on the Internet.
Lesson
8
Recruitment of youth is ongoing.
Because of the Youth Channel’s ever-fluid population,there is
a constant need to attract new youth to the organization.
Though the content changes from production to production,
Staff members have learned to be vigilant about how to
the goals remain the same:define and produce community
involve youth who are from underserved communities and
media for youth and combat false images and misrepresenta-
who do not have access to community media and at the same
tions of young people in mainstream media.Doing this,how-
time to remain culturally sensitive and creative in their out-
ever, takes time,and the Youth Channel has tried to recognize
reach efforts.In the past,recruitment has consisted of word
the value not only of completed productions but also of the
of mouth, youth outreach,and speaking with groups about
processes young people go though along the way. For exam-
the training,media literacy, and programming the channel
ple,if one of the interns has an idea for a new program,she
offers. Youth Channel representatives,like Tricia Wang,the
has to discuss it with the larger group, which then decides
channel’s associate director, attend local community events
whether it is worth pursuing with a full crew. It is not
to meet representatives from other youth organizations and
uncommon for the group to ask for more research prior to
contact groups via fund-raisers,forums, workshops,and con-
moving into production.Similarly, after each shoot,the crew
ferences.A call to action might be as bold as a one-line invita-
and director meet for a debriefing,talking about what went
tion on a flyer, like "Calling All Youth Interested in Media," or
on technically as well as how members collaborated with one
"Getting Your Videos on TV Is Easy." Or it might be a more
another. Apart from enhancing the production value of each
thoughtful request that explains the meat of what the Youth
shoot,these debriefings remind participating youth that their
Channel is:
experience as well as their work matters.
Lesson
7
Youth are media activists—as well as people in transition.
Though changes are both possible and commonplace at all
times throughout one’s life,the late teens and early twenties
often are marked by significant transition.Not surprisingly
then,there is a great deal going on in the lives of all the youth
who participate in the Youth Channel.On top of the general
complications of school,family, and jobs,and the irregularities of occasional evictions, harassment,and other difficulties,
the age cap of 25 years guarantees the channel will be staffed
by people who are not permanent employees.In response,
the staff has sought to do more than absorb the inevitable
departures.They have actively pursued establishing a peerto-peer training program that is an incubator. For example,
one of the former peer trainers is an independent producer,
If you want to make a video butdon’tknow how, or you are an
educator who wants to make video part of your class, afterschool program,or organization, your youth could getfree
video training. Contact us for details. We provide media literacy
and production training to young people under the age of 25,
as well as broadcast their work on our cable station.In the
process, we hope to empower youth to become leaders, work
creatively with others to solve problems, and take their skills
back to their communities and schools. We have found that
youth have consistently used TV as a tool to create community
dialogue,which is at the core of the public access mission.
The overarching recruitment strategy has been to appeal to
the allure that media have in young people’s lives,getting
them to connect with what is already a dominant influence
and to see how they can become their own producers.
34
Lesson
9
It is possible to have local relevance and
equal opportunity caucus meetings and in the course of three
impact on a national scale.
days persuasively advocated for the revision of ACM by-laws
Acknowledging the value of the Youth Channel and the rarity
to include "youth" as a population that public access centers
of having a youth-run component within a community
must target. Working together—many having just met each
media outlet,the Youth Channel helped organize the National
other for the first time—they also nominated two young
Youth Media Access Project (NYMAP).NYMAP is a national
members to run for ACM’s national board of directors with
partnership intended to share MNN’s youth-governed model
the campaign "When you include youth, you don’t just get
with four other public access centers around the country:
one of us. You get a generation." Provocative,organized,and
Seattle Community Access Network;People TV, Atlanta;
determined,these young people took on the arduous process
Community Media Center, Grand Rapids,Michigan;and
of policy change and made it happen.It is exactly the kind of
Denver Community Television.Self-described as "a model for
experience the channel works to make possible and the kind
others who are trying to push the boundaries of youth media
of systemic impact that shifts the public access environment
away from a service-delivery approach towards creative
towards more deeply supporting the development of youth
youth leadership," NYMAP seeks to create a broader commu-
media makers.
nity of youth media governed by youth.According to one of
the youth participants,the purpose of NYMAP is "to make
sure that youth have a voice in media.Being youth, we see
Lesson
10need not lead to small ideas.
Limited funds
Despite the unavoidable challenges of fund-raising in order to
false images on TV, and most media doesn’t show what being
sustain a not-for-profit organization during a lean economy,
a teen is really about.So across the country we make sure
Youth Channel staff continue to think up ways that it may
that there is a block on every public access station that repre-
serve greater numbers of youth.Not only would the channel
sents youth in their area."
like to do more of what they already are doing—for example,
In summer 2002, youth representing regional hubs of this
order to cover greater numbers of communities across the
increase the production news team from one crew to four in
partnership attended the 2002 Alliance for Community
city using a digital production unit (fully loaded laptop and
Media (ACM) conference to present a model for developing a
Palmcorder) as well as offer satellite trainings in Lower
youth-run media arts program to other public access centers.
Manhattan,Harlem,the Bronx,Brooklyn,and Queens—they
It was the first time in ACM’s organizational history that
would like to find the means to extend their work to others
youth had come to the conference as producers and attendees
interested in doing what they do. If they had the support,the
in their own right, which was not lost on the youth who were
channel,through that larger body of NYMAP, would like to
participating.In response,they decided to make some
create a Web site that offered the following:
changes.Along with running a well-attended workshop on
how to start a Youth Channel, youth representatives joined
35
M A NH AT TA N N E I G H B O RH OO D N E T WO R K YO UT H C H A N N E L :
A Grand Experiment in Youth Governance
A theme-based exhibition space in which to solicit,
showcase,and share work from around the country and
the world (from polished work to unedited home videos)
that is notlimited to the cable programming block
schedule
A facilitated talk-back forum for dialogue, feedback,
and creative commentary
Lesson
12
Partnerships with outside organizations, though
tricky, are worthwhile.
The several hundred youth that Youth Channel peer trainers
train each year come entirely from other organizations and
schools within the broader New York City community. Locally,
the Youth Channel has collaborated with over fifty organizations,such as TRUCE,MediaRights.org, Women’s Prison
Association,DRUM,S.O.S. Foundation for Russian Immigrant
An enhanced distribution point that brings together
distinct forms of media to communicate with audiences
not reachable through traditional venues and who are
unsatisfied with the lack of meaningful,socially oriented
content for youth on the Web
Youth,the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops,Marta
Valle High School,the Covenant House for homeless youth,
Free Arts for Abused Children,the Harlem Congregation, West
Side High School,the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence,
and Citizens Committee for New York.Nationally, it partners
A how-to resource for public access centers interested
in showcasing youth content on their own channels and
seeking strategies for establishing their own youth
media programs
Lesson
11
The host organization can be a strong ally
but not without effort.
Though the Youth Channel has a certain degree of autonomy,
it has been no small matter that it is housed at MNN.From a
facilities standpoint, youth producers have access to two fullservice production studios,six linear and eight nonlinear
editing facilities,a fleet of digital video camera packages,and
four public access channels on which to air community-produced media.In addition,MNN has conference rooms that
serve as informal learning spaces and well-trained staff who
with Free Speech TV and,internationally, with groups in
Canada,Brazil,and Japan.The Youth Channel is able to find
commonality with so many other organizations because they
all seek to educate young people and build civic awareness in
one way or another. Collaborations seem natural because of
their shared outlook and overlapping missions.
Unfortunately, because funding is tight and groups that
collaborate are often seeking the same small pots of money,
there can be awkwardness and forced competition.Nevertheless,the desire remains to support one another and find
ways to continue working together.
LOOKING AHEAD
are on-site and available to provide assistance.In the begin-
As the Youth Channel approaches the completion of its third
ning,however, adult perceptions of Youth Channel members
year in operation, it shows no signs of sl owing or any indica-
were not as straightforward as the availability of an editing
tion that it is moving away from its commitment to youth
booth.There were two tendencies:to criminalize youth for
governance.Where others might have chosen to scale back
fear that they would damage or steal valuable equipment or
the power that participating youth have to make decisions,
to infantilize them and be overly concerned that a young per-
giving in to a desire to maintain adult control while champi-
son might fall or get an electric shock.Both of these views
oning the notion of youth media in name only, the Youth
carried with them concerns about liability, who would pay if
Channel has handed over the actual reins to its peer trainers
something untoward happened and who would get sued.In
and youth coordinators.And in so doing, it has offered the
relatively little time,as the Youth Channel sought to become
media arts community an exquisite example not of hoped-for
a model department,and young people and staff talked
potential but of lived practice.As McDonnell explains,the
about behavior and image,adults at MNN began to see that
Youth Channel "is an organization that works best as a public
their concerns were unfounded and appreciated Youth
space and a community space." Youth are not just welcome;
Channel as a valuable partner.
they are essential if anything more is to get done.
SHELLEY PASNIK is based in New York at the Center for Children and
Technology, where she explores how technology can support teaching
and learning. She is also the creator of Growing with Media, a Web site
on PBS Parents.
36
OT H E R F R I DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
b y D i a n e Pe t er s a n d K a t h l e e n H e i d
T
he auditorium is dim, and the very loud music makes the room pulsate.
Strobe lights flash and spin, and images appear in syncopation on a
large screen that dominates the room. The images range from surfing
and skateboarding to martial arts and SpongeBob Squarepants.Songs
popular with the middle school set weave in and out of one another.
Thirty young people are captured in a reality of their own making,talking,laughing, and
dancing.Squeals of delight alternate with bites of pizza.Control of the environment is passed
from one video jockey to the next. They range in age from 9 to 17. Clearly, it is a party, and
clearly the participants mandate the tone.But it is not just a party. It is a new kind of classroom, where children are seduced rather than coerced into learning.In the words of one teen,
"OtherFriday tricked me into learning."
OtherFriday is a youth new media lab and lounge located in Wailuku,Maui,Hawaii.
Founded in 2003 by media artist and visual poet Hai Dai Nguyen,OtherFriday exists under
the umbrella of Big Brothers Big Sisters and is supported by local youth centers and a community television station.Through bimonthly parties, weekly media lab "playshops," and
more structured three- and six-week programs,OtherFriday provides the physical and
virtual space for youth to engage their peers and their culture in a creative,constructive
way. By offering new media literacy to at-risk youth,OtherFriday provides a language for
children to visualize and give voice to their world.And by forming these artists into teams
that take on paying projects in their community, OtherFriday demonstrates to youth the
utility and the financial viability of new media.
OtherFriday is based on the following ideas:
Youth need a safe and creative way to party on Friday night.
New media is an engaging way of connecting with youth.
New media is collaborative,therefore allowing youths to share.
New media creates a holistic impact on youth.
New media allows youth to engage with the different media types and their intelligences.
As is the case in so many parts of the country, teenagers on Maui find themselves with
very few safe and creative ways to spend their time.Research data from teen focus groups
provided by the Juvenile Justice Department have found that teens on Maui have "nowhere
to go and no way to get there." Teens are forced to lounge in malls or migrate toward
unlawful situations and illegal drugs.Of course,there are several youth centers on the
island, but teens often consider youth centers "uncool," largely because they do not allow
them the autonomy and the social freedom they desire.
OtherFriday’s Friday night events were built on the recognition that teens need a vibrant
and self-directed social scene.In this respect,OtherFriday’s goal is to empower teens to
become the architects of their own dynamic party culture.The idea of controlling the
music and visual environment for 100-plus teens on a Friday night is incredibly alluring to
young people,and it provides teens with their own reasons to become fluent with the
tools and language of new media.As OtherFriday’s founder explains,"These teens are not
37
OT H E RF RI DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
containers which we attempt to fill.They are flames which
needs the learning process to unfold,unfettered by strict,
we hope to ignite." Thus far, the allure of being a VJ (video
choppy blocks of time.
jockey) tends to inflame passion.
The Russian educational theorist Vygotsky (1978) developed a
PRINCIPLES
theory of the zone of proximal development that aligns itself
In more formal terms,OtherFriday operates on three princi-
with the instructional design of OtherFriday’s curriculum.
ples:active learning, learner-centric learning,and evolution-
"The Zone of Proximal Development is the distance between
ary learning communities.
the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential as determined
Active Learning
Active learning is the kind of learning that takes place when
you accomplish a task that you set for yourself before you
know how to accomplish it.It is like childhood learning
between a child,parents,and family—for example, learning
how to bake a cake or change the oil in a car. John Dewey, the
through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers." Learners are allowed to
develop their skills in their own zone of proximal development assisted by a capable adult or peer mentor.
Evolutionary Learning Communities
father of modern American education,wrote,"There is an
The last aspect of OtherFriday’s model concerns evolutionary
intimate and necessary relation between the processes of
learning communities of people who band together to create
actual experiences and education." In his action research
situations in which the learner’s needs are paramount.
in his lab schools,he found that children learned more effec-
Kathia and Alexander Laszlo, in their 2000 article "Learning
tively and enthusiastically through experiential projects
to Become," describe their ideal image of an educational
such as cooking, gardening,and furniture building.In the
system as follows:
OtherFriday program,the experiential learning is elevated
through new media technology to a 21st century level.
In an active learning situation,the student learns by doing,
through a process of trial and error. The kinesthetic learner
experiences building a muscular memory of the process.This
idea relates to Piaget’s studies of deeper learning and retention through experiential engagement,as opposed to lectures
and question-and-answer reading assignments.Integral to
active learning is peer teaching, which involves learning to
form relationships and becoming empowered by those relationships.This strategy is appropriate for adolescents and
teens, who are social beings first and foremost.
Learner-centric Learning
It is a community based educational system. Rather
than functioning on the assumption that we need to go
to school to learn, to work to be productive,and "away"
to enjoy and have fun,ELC suggests the integration of
work,learning, and enjoyment throughoutlife (i.e.,
intergenerational learning) in all our communities
(e.g., family, neighborhood,organizations).
Itis a learning oriented education, rather than a
teaching based one. Its focus is life-long learning and
the development of human potential.
Itpromotes self-directed,flexible,ongoing collaborative learning through learning community. This is not
simply collective individual learning, but synergistic collaborative learning:learning content issues together
while at the same time learning process issues about
how to be community.
Another strand of OtherFriday’s educational philosophy is
learner-centric learning,in which the key element is an envi-
Though these communities might vary in educational
ronment equipped with the tools students need to explore
philosophies and methods,they all offer an alternative to tra-
and understand the world and the freedom to ask their own
ditional schools.The predominant notion is that the impetus
questions.In this way of thinking, when children are allowed
and learning format should emerge from members of the
to take more responsibility for their educational paths,they
local community. Parents,teachers,and other community
are able to create meaning in their lives.Education and life
members volunteer time and plan many field trips and activi-
are not thought to be separate entities;they are one and the
ties.The boundaries between school time, work time,and
same.The human tendency for curiosity and exploration
playtime become blurred.The ideal physical components of
38
such communities are learning centers with a variety of
resources where students are free to explore at will.
media technicians who are willing to share and spark imaginations, lots of food,and a clientele that can benefit from
these self-sustainable efforts,all combined with the openness
The movement rejects educational settings in which the pri-
and ability to change,to trust,and to be accountable.
mary goal is to create workers and consumers r ather than to
OtherFriday has integrated these elements into three pro-
enhance the cognitive and creative development of the learn-
grams:bimonthly new media events,new media learning
ers.Many of the first schools were created by factory owners
centers,and three- to six-week new media curricula.
for the purpose of training workers.Evolutionary learning
communities aim for a more holistic citizen who needs less
New Media Events
and lives and learns more.
OtherFriday’s Friday night events were conceived in 2002
Self-sustainability
across the street from a homeless shelter and a correctional
in the Mentoring Center at Big Brothers Big Sisters, located
In addition to these three main princ iples,OtherFriday strives
facility. This mentoring center was looking for ways to enrich
to be self-sustainable.Traditional programs require grants
and educate its "at hope" clientele,and OtherFriday’s proposal
and charitable gifts, which might be their only source of
to stage Friday evening events seemed to fit the bill.
funding.Other ways of raising funds like selling candy bars
often have nothing to do with the mission of the organiza-
The program began with computer lab sessions on Saturdays
tion.OtherFriday is working towards sustaining itself by
when the children saw the adults involved in media projects
making use of community members as creative collaborators
and wanted to join in.During both the Saturday playshops
to work with the kids to create new information media, Web
and the OtherFriday events,the youth are supported by adult
sites,and other new media services.
artists,including photographers,actors,fashion designers,
musicians,and professional video jockeys,as well as media
PROGRAMS
artists and specialists.However, these more experienced
In OtherFriday’s view, successful implementation of these
artists do not so much teach as transfer to the youth a sense
principles depends on five elements:an adequate physical
of contagious enthusiasm.The motivation is to prepare the
facility, appropriate software,a team of artists and new
participants for a great party, namely the OtherFriday event
at the center.
39
OT H E RF RI DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
At a recent,typical OtherFriday event,an adult fashion
important though,OtherFriday provides a space for them to
designer had several girls trying on her designs while other
share their work and visions.
teens videotaped the impromptu fashion show. At the same
time,an adult DJ began to spin records and quickly handed
Learning Centers
over the turntables to interested teens.Meanwhile,a painter
The young participants in this program have come to see
painted onto a canvas and projected that image through a
another advantage to their new media education,possibly
video camera onto a large wall.Three young girls approached
even more enticing than the party. Although training work-
and quickly took over control of the media brushes.In all this,
ers is not a dr iving purpose of OtherFriday, the organization
the emphasis was on a collaborative,synergetic learning
has found that students’knowledge translates into vocational
exchange.The more experienced teens tutored the novices,
skills that result in "real world" learning opportunities.The
and youth used their new fluency to show the adults what
participants have formed a company, called DA Studio, which
kinds of tools and processes they need.Then the photograph-
creates new media for paying clients.Recently they did work
er approached kids and exclaimed,"Hey, you look great! Let
for the Maui United Way and NASCAR.In the NASCAR project,
me take your picture." He then showed them their picture on
the teens created Christmas bulbs with three-dimensional
the digital screen,and the partygoers became intrigued and
images.Since DA Studio was part of the design and concept
wanted to use the camera and understand how it worked.
team,they received a percentage of equity from this project.
The actress was painting faces and shared mythological
The proceeds of their projects go toward the acquisition of a
descriptions of masks and painted images.Some of the chil-
laptop for each mentee in the company. In its first month, DA
dren wanted to try their hand at video disc jockeying and
Studio billed at approximately $5000.Twenty percent of the
became curious about the process.
profits went to Big Brothers Big Sisters for administrative
costs and use of the computer lab.
All of the adult participants clearly understand that the event
is for the kids.However, the adult artists have reasons for
The DA Studio media collective has five levels. Level I is
attending beyond performing community service. Many of
internship.The requirements are a willingness to learn and
them want to digitize their own work,and the program gives
the acquisition of a sponsoring mentor. To complete this level,
them a chance to either learn the processes and equipment
participants must complete one full project.The wages are
involved or meet people to do it for them.Perhaps more
40
$10 an hour, with fifty percent going toward the laptop pur-
Level V is the advisory level.It requires completing the man-
chase.Half is paid at the beginning of the project and half
agement level or having equal professional experience.
at the end.
Advisors must be selected by the management team.They
Level II is project development.Participants must have com-
possible.Currently, one youth is eligible to fill this position.
earn industry rates,and equity ownership of the company is
pleted their internship and must execute one technical devel-
Hai Dai Nguyen is confident that more will rise to the chal-
opment task for a project.The child is still working to earn a
lenge in time.
computer, and the pay remains the same as in Le vel I.
Curricula
When the participant moves into Level III, he or she becomes
The third OtherFriday program consists of three- to six-week
a mentor. Mentors must have completed the previous two
new media curricula.The shorter of these is currently being
levels and must understand all new media matrix positions.
implemented in the summer school computer classroom at
They must mentor an intern in a specific development task in
Seabury Hall,a private college preparatory school.Each day,
which they are proficient,and they must have earned their
the students, ranging from fifth to eighth grade, create their
personal computer. A member of the team who becomes pro-
own original VJ presentations.The culmination is an
ficient in a particular area must immediately teach another
OtherFriday event,to which all the summer students are
team member. Often this level requires little more than
invited.The goal is to create a great party, and each student is
repeating the procedure several times.
required to prepare a five- to ten-minute presentation.An
Level IV, management,requires completion of all the previous
it’s not like a normal program. You’re actually doing some-
levels.Management personnel must act as a project lead and
thing cool.I know people are going to see my presentation,
a project manager and must complete two projects.The pro-
and I want to make it really good." The students adopt VJ
eighth grader named Eli commented,"It’s interesting because
41
ject manager introduces the assignment and explains the
names and periodically discuss their project with the class.
parameters.He or she decides the style, look,and feel of the
The students obviously enjoy coming to class,and everyone is
project and then assigns tasks to the animators and artists on
actively engaged.Though some direct teaching does occur
the team.Project managers earn industry rates within the
within the first couple of weeks,the instructor most often
areas of their expertise.
facilitates.The students are encouraged to find their own
OT H E RF RI DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
way through the creative process,and the instructor’s prima-
variety of tools and tech support expertise.Expanding the
ry goal is to support their individual paths.In the words of
program to schools and other youth organizations will fur-
one student,"Hai Dai is cool to me.I can follow him around
ther expand the OtherFriday concept.
and be his assistant.It’s important ‘cause it makes people
happy.... Most teachers would spazz out with the music, but
he lets kids be who they are."
Holistic Process
Lesson
3
As learners advanced,they at first resisted the idea of collaboration.However, when they realized that their media are
CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED
changeable and moldable and make it easier to share and
There have been many lessons and challenges in the evolu-
readapt their creations,they began to move away from the
tion of the OtherFriday concept,notably in security, sustain-
self and focus on a common goal.
ability, and the process as a who le.
Several times the question of music with inappropriate lan-
Security
Lesson
1 like Big Brothers Big Sisters must comply
Large organizations
guage came up.Instead of being judgmental,the facilitator
merely suggested that the object of the presentation was to
with a multitude of state and national regulations.The
make sure everyone had a great time and that they did not
OtherFriday events faced a liability issue because the activity
want to risk insulting anyone or making them feel uncom-
was after hours,and staff of BBBS needed to be present.If a
fortable.A few students kept the songs they had chosen but
volunteer was used,a background check was needed.Another
switched tracks or edited out the questionable language.It
issue arose during summer months and holidays.The chil-
was important that the decision came from them.This aspect
dren wanted access to the computer lab, but no qualified
of moral development seems to emerge naturally, unlike in
adult supervision was available.It became clear that, at this
more traditional modes, where morals are dictated by an
facility, a significant amount of time is required of mentors
authority figure.
and advisors.
Recently, Nguyen received a call from the summer school
The smaller, locally based Paia Youth and Cultural Center
director at Seabury, who wanted to know if Nguyen had told
faced less stringent regulations.Comings and goings of
the students that they could record whatever they wanted.
mentors and clientele were not so carefully watched,and
He told her that they were not allowed to use pornography in
background checks were not an issue.Of course this lack of
their presentations and that they were supposed to capture
scrutiny has its obvious risks.
images that were aesthetically pleasing.The director said
that several students who had already completed their VJ
Sustainability
Lesson
2 is an ongoing concern because the techContinued funding
nology needs to be upgraded periodically. In time,organizers
presentations were filming one another jumping off the roof
of a one-story library building. This incident illustrates the
dangers of children extending themselves beyond the boundaries of the curriculum.
hope that the program will become self-supporting,that the
kids will raise money through the media projects,and private
The challenges and lessons learned vary from program to
citizens will hire the team to throw new media parties for
program and would differ in other geographical locations
birthdays, weddings,and graduations.At the highest level,
and communities.Because each program would evolve in its
the program will need grants to create content for a new
own way according to the customs and needs of the host
media curriculum, which will be accessible online and will
community, it is difficult to give a predetermined prescription
contribute to alternative forms of education.
for the administration of a program like OtherFriday. The core
concept and principles are what is important—the idea of
OtherFriday must continue to recruit community resources to
student-centered,self-motivated learning and collaborative
sustain and energize the program.New artists and media
learning through learning community.
technicians bring new life and new ideas.An example is the
local community television station,Akaku, which provided a
42
FUTURE PLANS
international community festival of new media, where peo-
OtherFriday plans to expand this curriculum through involve-
ple can share their programs and show examples of their
ment in a new, online Department of Education charter
media arts.The idea would be to create a stage for sharing
school.Applying OtherFriday’s programs to Thompson
and collaboration to further the practice of youth mentoring
Academy will bring a collaborative and social component
through media arts and to bring the idea of learning commu-
and therefore create a nice balance with Thompson’s current
nities from a local to a global level.
online education.
The program is also planning to launch OtherFriday events at
CONCLUSIONS
From an educational perspective,this program is solid and
the main shopping mall on the island.The management of
progressive.It is project-based and encompasses a variety of
the Queen Kaahumanu Center proposed a free,limited-time
disciplines,strengthened by unique teaching strategies.
opportunity in hope of creating a safe and creative environ-
Ongoing projects ensure a greater student buy-in,and from a
ment for the many teens who use the mall as their hangout
planning standpoint,there is no need to produce a multitude
on Fridays and weekend evenings.For OtherFriday, this is an
of isolated lessons.Language,both oral and written,is a nat-
opportunity to expose the new media to the community at
ural component.Collaboration and periodic project reports
large,to attract more mentors,to encourage more youths to
require oral skills, while proposals and product development
participate,and to awaken the interest of other agencies in
encourage written efforts.Math becomes necessary in the
the community that could benefit from the idea.With
creative works and in the management of a salary. Math also
OtherFriday’s viability and self-sustainable principles,
has a strong correlation with the music used in products.
shopping malls might prove to be the perfect home for
Science is an inherent component of the media.
OtherFriday’s new media learning community in the 21st
century.
A strong collaborative sense develops, which is essential in a
world fueled by a workforce that is driven by group efforts
These are the initial stepping stones to the formation of a
and empowered with technical skills.This teaching tactic is
global mobile culture that extends and furthers new media
ideal for children at this developmental stage,in which social
concepts.Ultimately, OtherFriday hopes to culminate in an
interaction is a strong force.Peer teaching raises the learning
to an even higher level and benefits both parties.
43
OT H E RF RI DAY:
Media Arts Mentoring (Island Style)
New media is the paintbrush of this generation.Unlike their
REFERENCES
parents,these children have naturally developed a sophisti-
Laszlo, K.C.,and Laszlo, A.2000."Learning to Become:Creating
Evolutionary Learning Community through Evolutionary Systems
Design." In Miller, R.(Ed.) Creating Learning Communities. New York:
Solomon Press.
cated understanding of technology. From early on, it has been
an integral part of their domestic and educational experiences.The medium is the message.The activities correlate to
their own lives and decisions.Students see how a few key-
Vygotsky, L.S.1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher
Psychological Processes. Cambridge:Harvard University Press.
strokes can change or undo tasks,thereby affecting their own
personal transformation.They have the power to take things
in and create an output that is completely different.
Currently there is a strong push in education for an arts-integrated curriculum.Many studies have shown a high correlation between an arts-rich curriculum and high math and language scores on standardized tests.Current trends advocate
using various art forms to enhance the teaching in core sub-
DIANE PETERS teaches fifth grade at Kula Elementary School on the
Island of Maui.She received her B.A.from Chaminade University and
an M.A.from the University of Hawaii.She also studied arts education
integration with Howard Gardner at Harvard and at the John F. Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C.
KATHLEEN HEID is currently the VP of Programs for Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Maui County. Kathleen has been an educator on Maui for
thepast17 years.She has been with BBBS since 1997;serving as an
education specialistand program director.
ject areas.The OtherFriday concept addresses this need.The
arts component,in both music and visual art,develops and
refines the participant’s aesthetic sense.It is a nonthreatening art form that does not hinder those who m ay not feel
adept at drawing,painting,or sculpting.
A primary strength of the program is that kids consider new
media hot.It is multifaceted and therefore attracts a variety
of interests.The model works because it leads to self-motivated learning.Once their imaginations are sparked,they teach
themselves,and the possibility of making money through the
project further strengthens their motivation.
The OtherFriday inspiration is an idea that is viable and can
be replicated, whether as a mentoring program or in curriculum development.Of course by OtherFriday’s own principles,
its efforts are in a process of constant evolution and experimentation.The primary advantage is its impact on the children.As media specialist Ken Kimura noted,"The OtherFriday
kids don’t go home with a cultivated bonsai plant imitated
from a text book.They go home with a bag of seeds and a
genetic splicing kit." Through this process,and the caring and
guidance of adults with unique talents,the young participants gain viable skills they can use to relate to the world
around them.It is well worth the effort.
To learn more aboutOtherFriday, take a look at the web site at
www.otherfriday.org
44
T E C H N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
by Candace Thompson
S
it down with any group of sixth-grade girls and you cannot help but be
drawn to their fearlessness of new possibilities,the seamless way they
interact and collaborate,and their enthusiastic sense of altruism.Still a
year or two from the self-conscious teenage years,these girls are excited
by discovery and revel in an unabashed sense of their budding powers.
Enter into any of the three Tech Team club meetings and you witness this same sense of
adventure and power. Tech Team is an innovative program for girls in South Carolina that
combines the tools of youth media with explorations in diverse areas of science and technology. The project-based design introduces and engages middle school girls in learning
technology by employing collaborative learning and self-inquiry techniques.
Because the basic tools of media technology are easy to use, Tech Team staff used video
production as a turnkey for introducing increasingly more difficult technology. Media
production is a key element of the program,providing a platform upon which to expand
the girls’ range and depth of individual expression while facilitating community and
personal connections to women working in science and technology careers.The value of
media education is in its intrinsic appeal to kids. Tech Team capitalizes on the idea of
media technology as a great equalizer in that nearly every child enters into this arena
already quite media savvy. As anyone involved in youth media can attest,this approach
to technology instantly resonates with young people eager to give creative voice to their
ideas and
opinions. Teachers also note that meaningful communication,interaction,
and learning opportunities increase both inside and outside the classroom.
As part of the curriculum in the first year of the three-year program, Tech Team girls
learned camera usage,lighting and sound recording principles,and film language (composition,types of shots,and so on).The girls also learned interviewing skills,including how
to conduct background research,formulate questions,conduct interviews,and cultivate
active listening techniques. Tech Team staff knew from experience that a hands-on
approach to learning would increase the girls’understanding of fundamental technology
systems,especially in the context of an interesting project.
MEETING AT THE TABLE:PLAYERS, PARTNERS, AND RESOURCES
In the winter of 2001,the Educational Television Endowment of South Carolina in collaboration with the South Carolina Educational Television Network (SCETV) successfully proposed a three-year, $750,000+ project to the National Science Foundation’s Gender Equity
Program,an initiative designed to increase middle school girls’enthusiasm for and understanding of technology. Using recommendations by the American Association of University
Women,the Tech Team project aims to change and positively influence girls’perception
about technology in a learning environment that is collaborative,interesting,and fun.
Another component of the project is training teachers in media technology and equitable
teaching.Co–principal investigators Betsy Newman and Urica Pope were surprised by the
substantial learning curve they faced as they began technology training with facilitators.
Addressing training needs proved to be a significant long-term challenge that created
exciting opportunities for growth.
45
T E CH N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
The Tech Team program is composed of several after-school
tape and serves as the primary content of a CD-ROM on
technology clubs,a summer technology day camp,and a
gender equitable education practices for teachers nationwide.
series of computer-based workshops offered throughout the
school year. Newman,the grant’s author, relied on a breadth
Project Evaluation
of experience and connections in youth media organizations
Lead evaluator Dr. Kenneth Stevenson uses staff,students,
in Chicago, New York,Los Angeles,and San Francisco to give
and the technology in the Office of Program Evaluation
form to this project.Newman is also a curriculum coordinator
housed in the University of South Carolina’s College of
with the SCETV Creative Services Department,a branch
Education.The team evaluates various kinds of data to
dedicated to providing multimedia services to teachers and
measure outcomes and to support program improvement.
students across South Carolina. The experienced staff includes
The evaluators use qualitative and quantitative methods to
programmers, Web designers, video and multimedia producers,
measure the girls’technical skill levels,their attitudes
writers,artists,curriculum specialists,and staff developers.
towards technology, math,and science,and their perceptions
Although Tech Team seemed an intuitive fit for the organiza-
of available career options.The evaluators also observe club
tion to undertake,a more diverse partnership was needed
meetings and collect facilitator observations to measure
for success.
changes in the attitude,knowledge,and skills of participants
and facilitators over the three years of the project.
Key to the program’s success was its partnership with two
Girl Scout councils that served schools targeted by Tech Team.
Explains Newman,"[We wanted] an organization with extensive knowledge and history of working with young girls,and
the Girl Scouts offered that expertise and a number of invaluable resources." Both councils also offered to contribute
experienced,college-educated leaders to assist in participant
recruitment and cofacilitation.
Additional partners include the staff at the SCETV Division of
Distance Learning,project evaluators from the University of
South Carolina,and Dr. Ronald Miles,a retired coordinator for
guidance and counseling in the Richland One school district
in Columbia,South Carolina, who assisted in the design of
recruitment protocols for the Tech Team clubs.
Building on the SCETV technology resources developed over
its thirty-year history and the broad resources of its staff,the
team worked to implement a program to introduce facilitators and participants to information technologies,beginning
with video production and moving into Web design and database programming.Each Tech Team club was equipped with
a video production package consisting of two computerbased editing systems,two small digital video cameras,
microphones,headphones,tripods,and simple lighting kits.
The girls used these tools to create projects for broadcast to
other Tech Team clubs via the SCETV Instructional Television
Network,to share Web sites they designed and produced,and
to access these resources through a searchable database of
ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY
District Selection
While collaborators were setting up the scaffolding for program activities, Tech Team staff identified South Carolina
school districts that would most benefit from a Tech Team
club.Criteria for selection ranged from an examin ation of the
need for meaningful after-school programming to identifica tion of districts with talented students performing below
potential in math and science.Additional criteria included
communities with high unemployment and low income and
parental education levels.Having the two Girl Scout partners
in the area of selected schools provided strong local contacts
and broad associations with professional women in these
communities.
The dismal state of South Carolina’s schools presented a
daunting challenge in school selection for Newman and Pope.
It seemed that nearly any school district could benefit from
their innovative after-school program.In 2003,the schools
were hit with $107 million in cuts,with further reductions on
the horizon.Many schools,particularly those in rural areas,
have been disproportionately affected by continuing budget
cuts,teacher layoffs,poor test scores,and low school ratings.
Since so many districts were deserving,part of the selection
criteria became the enthusiasm displayed by the district for
the project, its history of cooperation with SCETV, and its
proximity to Columbia.
their own making.Each club’s work is documented on video-
46
The team finally selected the districts of Fairfield,Richland,
Newman was intimately familiar with the quality and
and Marion,all of which are considered critical needs areas
availability of teachers in the selected districts and had little
with either below-average or unsatisfactory ratings on annu-
choice but to rely on district and school administrators to
al state school report cards.These schools faced continued
identify potential candidates.They assumed that Tech Team
funding shortfalls for textbooks and other instructional mate-
would have the final word in candidate selection.This offered
rials, which could result in students unable to master the
schools an opportunity to exercise ownership over the pro-
state’s academic standards.All selected districts are located in
gram while Tech Team investigators maintained a level of
rural counties and have a seventy-five to eighty-six percent
quality control during the selection process.
minority population."The school and district ratings will get
a lot of attention," State Superintendent of Education Inez
School administrators,however, had a different view of the
Tenenbaum said in a recent interview regarding the 2002
process,believing they were in the best position to select
South Carolina school report cards,"but the real value of the
and appoint teachers without needing to seek final approval.
report cards lies in the wealth of additional information they
Selection of facilitators therefore had to balance district
contain.Educators,parents, business partners,and anyone
politics with program leadership.Since ownership and
interested in improving student achievement will be able to
continuing collegial relationships were at stake, Tech Team
use these data to make better decisions about teaching and
staff were reluctant to oppose administrators so early in the
learning in every school." Superintendents in these districts
process.This meant that beyond providing an initial "ideal"
committed themselves to the success of the project and
candidate sketch, Tech Team had little input into facilitator
enthusiastically endorsed the Tech Team proposal.It was
selections.Fortunately, the facilitators who emerged were
clear the project had found communities in which to flourish.
dedicated and experienced teachers who took great pleasure
in their Tech Team participation. Facilitators are expected to
47
Facilitator Selection
commit for the three-year duration of the project,giving
Investigators were buoyed by the positive response from
Newman and Pope a reprieve from having to select new
school superintendents and confident that selecting highly
facilitators annually. Still, Tech Team proactively constructed
qualified facilitators would be relatively easy. Pope had the
a well-defined framework for soliciting referrals from district
task of coordinating activities and training selected facilita-
administrators while maintaining a more visible Tech Team
tors in the appropriate technologies.Neither Pope nor
presence in future selections.
T E CH N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
Each district or school administrator selected two or three
selection a difficult task for facilitators glimpsing the poten-
teachers from their schools for a total of nine facilitators
tial of these girls.Some notable responses included:
(eight women and one man).At the beginning of the school
year, this assemblage of teachers,media arts specialists,and
"I think I work well with others because I give them time
to talk and don’t try to overpower them."
Girl Scout leaders visited the SCETV Telecommunications
Center in Columbia for a series of specialized training workshops spanning four full Saturdays.In addition to learning
"The qualities and strengths that make me a good
candidate are:I’m smart, I try and I’ll try to learn anything
you throw at me and I won’tgive up."
relevant technologies,facilitators received instruction on
developing curriculum,equitable teaching practices,and
collaborative learning in project-based settings. Facilitators
also learned to use program technologies in the context of
creating their own projects.Pope believes that by "engaging
in the creation of their own video and Web-based projects,
facilitators gain the direct experience of a collaborative,
hands-on approach they can then incorporate into their
individual club’s curriculum."
Participant Selection
Using a selection rubric constructed in collaboration with
consultant Miles,a platform was established upon which
facilitators could add their ideas and unique knowledge of
students at their sites.In mid-August 2002,Newman and
Pope met with facilitators,Girl Scout representatives,media
specialists,and school guidance counselors from each school
site to develop a final recruitment protocol.Each club’s facilitators based their criteria on their particular school’s profile
while adhering to a standard set of considerations,including
single-parent homes,lack of adequate after-school supervision,positive attitudes towards school and learning,and
expressed or demonstrated interests in math,science,or technology. As one facilitator explained, it was vitally important
to "reach out to girls who might otherwise have very limited
exposure to opportunities after graduation."
Since prospective girls would just be starting middle school,
facilitators relied on referrals from elementary school teach ers and guidance counselors.The candidates were required to
complete an application to explore interests and attitudes
and why they wanted to be a part of Tech Team.A total of
forty-five girls—approximately fifteen girls per school—were
selected out of a total applicant pool of sixty-five. Responses
to questions reflected the typically synergistic and intellectually curious nature of middle school girls,and no doubt made
"I know how to getinvolved with activities and I am not
scared to share my thoughts and ideas."
"I cooperate with others, I care aboutothers and I listen
to their ideas."
In addition to providing baseline knowledge of written communication skills,responses like these also gave facilitators
valuable insight into the girls’lives.Selected participants at
each school held their first of twenty-five weekly meetings
during the week of September 30,2002.The majority of the
girls knew each other from elementary school,so facilitators
anticipated a high degree of familiarity and companionable
interaction.
DUCKS TO WATER:GIRLS, TECHNOLOGY, AND
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
The body of research on girls and technology offers a profile
of middle-school-age girls as resilient beings whose self-perception is often one of being smart,capable,sociable,and
altruistic.Many girls at this age report a strong interest in
math and science, which appears linked to both self-esteem
levels and career aspirations.When placed in a media technology learning environment,girls tend to situate tasks in a
relational or collaborative context as a means of manifesting
their altruistic perspectives and nurturing their desire to connect to group members,family, and community. As one Tech
Team girl offered,"Because I love working with peers my age
and getting to learn about new technology and the rest of the
members,I loved Tech Team.No doubt about it."
A vital element of Tech Team is the commitment to helping
girls recognize the benefits of media technology as a way to
foster relationships and have a positive impact on humanity.
The project offers the support and solidarity of a single-gender
environment,giving girls greater opportunities to increase
48
their confidence and learning by employing educational
acter and creativity, so Technofoxes, Tech Knows,and
strategies uniquely appealing to them,their concerns,and
Techasus were born.The girls also designed online team logos
their ways of approaching and solving problems.When asked
and individual logos to identify them online. The fun and
on a participant survey what role they felt they played in
ownership from this activity fed the girls’curiosity and will-
their individual teams,participants frequently described
ingness to try new things and set the stage for their first big
their roles as "the helpful one helping and understanding
step into media production.
others";"no role,I’m just a friend";and "the role of a good,
well-working girl." Participant journals also offered a venue
The girls began their Tech Team projects with a charge to
for remote sharing,reflection, creativity, and communication.
identify and tape interviews with women in science,engi-
Administrators had the pleasure of getting to learn more
neering,and technology in their communities.This activity
about the participants through these reflections,and the
exposed them to women in science and technology, allowing
girls got to know each other. In this environment,each girl's
them to see women at their jobs and to work directly with
experience is nurtured and trusted,allowing her to make
technology in the learning process.After editing the footage,
manifest the fruits of shared knowledge to which she adds
the girls created short documentary videotapes about each
her own unique questions and solutions.
woman interviewed to share with other Tech Team clubs and
students throughout South Carolina.
The girls found using the Web to be an exciting way of communicating ideas and learning to the larger group, but they
As the girls conducted Internet searches and collected infor-
felt it fell short of satisfying their wish to interact more
mation,they began to cultivate a discriminating attitude
intimately across the three clubs.Distance was a challenge,
toward information.Conducting interviews,however, proved
but the girls’strong desire to get to know one another was a
to be quite a challenge for many of them.Often students had
call for Tech Team to uncover ways for girls to bond with one
spent so much time in preparing a standard set of questions
another outside of their home teams.Newman believes one
that they appeared inattentive to their guest’s responses dur-
possible solution for Years 2 and 3 is to gather girls and facili -
ing the interview. Another challenge lay in the girls’ability to
tators for a weekend kickoff event at the start of the school
speak clearly and enunciate words well enough to be under-
year. This would afford girls an early opportunity to share
stood through the microphone.Pope believes that some of
stories,collaborate on ideas for upcoming projects,and basi-
these issues could be attributed to initial shyness.Both
cally enjoy each other’s company. Another benefit is that
Newman and Pope proudly noted that during a year-end
facilitators could also come together with Tech Team staff to
presentation many of the girls showed a marked improve-
discuss and share ideas, concerns,and reflections as well as
ment in listening and speaking before a group,displaying
provide a venue for more training.
great gains in confidence and professionalism.
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY = INTEGRATED LEARNING
At every step, Tech Team girls participate in innovative,real-
49
YEAR ONE: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED
Lesson
1
The Perils of Professional Development
world project applications that address issues of technology,
In keeping with SCETV’s history of open inquiry and teacher
community, and women’s lives.At the same time,these activ-
professional development, Tech Team staff envisioned the
ities encourage inventive thinking that goes beyond simple
program as a viable extension of its project-based learning
skills acquisition to analysis and synthesis of learning that
format.A primary project goal was to assist teachers in
facilitates a level of true technological fluency. The girls excit-
attaining access to new technologies to improve and expand
edly explored the SCETV partners’Knowitall.org Web site and
current skills.The popular wisdom posited that both schools
its links to participate in reflective online journals and chats
and Tech Team would benefit from a growing cadre of reflec-
as a way to learn about each other. To make it their own,each
tive practitioners adept at working in project-based,informal
club chose a name they felt represented their collective char-
learning situations. To this end, Tech Team staff suggested
T E CH N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
that facilitators contribute to an online journal as a tool for
as they confronted challenges and solved problems.
reflection,believing this to be an effective medium for full
During site visits,Pope frequently acted as coinstructor or
engagement and learning.Unfortunately, facilitators rarely, if
lead instructor. Although facilitators generally found this
ever, used this tool.Newman and Pope now believe they over-
periodic intervention helpful, at one site it raised issues of
estimated teachers’familiarity and comfort levels with reflec-
"turf," teacher seniority, and district politics.Newman and
tive practice and informal learning settings.
Pope arranged individual and team meetings to discuss spe-
One of the ways this barrier to reflection manifested itself
ally able to offer some relief by relocating club meetings to a
during Year 1 was a marked discomfort among facilitators
more neutral location.
cific issues and promote healthy dialogue.They were eventu-
about making mistakes and taking risks with equipment and
subject matter in making their own projects.This discomfort,
As facilitators became more comfortable in their roles and
coupled with a general unfamiliarity with project-based
the project-based approach,the clubs became more dynamic
learning,resulted in facilitators either delaying or limiting
and inclusive.One school adopted a practice of modeling
girls’experimentation with equipment. Facilitators also tend-
their expectations,so girls could better understand what was
ed to expend more energy in preparation rather than engage
being asked of them while maintaining an informal environ-
in the experiential aspect of the program.Says Pope,"They
ment of free inquiry. Another club worked in tandem with
[facilitators] initially had difficulty releasing the more tradi-
girls in experimenting with equipment to overcome intimi-
tional curriculum-based methods of instruction and tended
dation and fear of failure. Tech Team staff will continue a
to rely more on a traditional plan-and-do approach."
"challenge without rules" approach for facilitators to further
encourage them to embrace the practice of experiential learn -
The girls also faced the challenge of trying to ascertain facili-
ing.Reflecting on the issues encountered during the first
tator expectations and were initially unsure of and frustrated
year, Newman feels she has a better appreciation for the
by the teacher’s shifting role in this informal learning envi-
necessity of clearly defining program goals and facilitator
ronment.This learning style was new to many of the stu-
roles from the start.
dents,with the exception of Girl Scout members,and they
may have harbored expectations of the traditional studentteacher relationship.Pope explains,"Students expressed frus-
Facing the Reality of Facilitator Attrition
Lesson
2 and Pope considered and planned for the
Although Newman
tration in terms of gaining access to the equipment as well as
possibility of student attrition during the three-year run of
having the restrictions of a more traditional classroom envi-
the program,teacher attrition was not fully considered until
ronment imposed upon them." She also notes that,early on,
a particularly talented facilitator accepted a position outside
teachers frequently planned to the point of controlling the
of the selected school district."We just really overlooked that
flow of activities,so girls were not given permission to
aspect of planning," says Newman.Because Tech Team is a
engage in free discovery. This may have inadvertently perpet-
sequenced program that builds progressively from Year 1
uated the girls’fear of making mistakes or breaking the
through Year 3,the learning curve for new facilitators could
equipment when access was finally granted.
become daunting. To some degree,the nature of district politics and the issue of ownership in selecting facilitators could
The coinvestigators committed themselves to providing regu-
still prove a significant barrier to easy replacement.One pos-
lar on-site support and training to each club.Initially, Pope
sible solution for the future might be to identify other facili-
scheduled two site visits a month at each location to provide
tators in the districts and maintain a resource database from
technology training and project consultation.The need for
which to pull.In any case, Tech Team recognizes that address-
more training time soon became apparent,not only in tech-
ing facilitator attrition requires more extensive planning for
nology but also regarding clear expectations and benchmarks
Years 2 and 3.
for facilitators.Pope and Newman wanted to engender the
sense that it was okay for facilitators to stretch their creativity
in exploring new ideas and practices—to work through the
uncomfortable and unfamiliar even in the company of the
girls.The idea was for facilitators and girls to learn together
Addressing Conflict Resolution
Lesson
As anticipated3during the school selection process, Tech Team
inevitably faced fallout from internal district conflict.A coin-
50
The girls are
continually asked
to explore the
possibility of "whatif" in their learning
and to make meaningful connections.
Newman notes that,
"in some cases,
[Tech Team] girls
have already acted
as agents of change
within their schools,
especially when
school leadership is
involved to encourage
and tap into the experiences and skills of
these girls."
vestigator’s intervention was required most frequently in
each other but were saving their individual concerns to dis-
clubs dealing with a history of district issues.The fractured
cuss during their scheduled visits.It was clear that interven-
atmosphere of some school districts could and sometimes did
tion was needed to facilitate internal conflicts and assist the
impede the successful dynamics of a team. Tech Team continues
teams in realizing success.
to work at creating a balance of involvement by assessing
what Newman sees as "knowing when to step in and when
Newman eventually enlisted the advice of an SCETV teacher
to step back." Although it would not be a singular solution,
trainer and curriculum specialist in developing a workshop to
both women accept that they must also strengthen their
assist facilitators in establishing a forum for discussion of
roles as models for informal learning and conflict negotiation
individual and group concerns,challenges,and triumphs.
to bring about positive shifts in each team’s dynamic.
These discussions would lead to the creation of workable
Perhaps as challenging as negotiating district woes is the
needs of each team member. The workshop also led facilita-
process of successfully navigating issues across strata such as
tors through a series of steps designed to develop a more
age, years of service,and degree of skill within facilitation
reflective practice connected to shared communication and
solutions that acknowledged and honored the ideas and
teams.Diversity indicators and teaching experience were
effective conflict resolution.Though some minor issues still
important selection criteria for facilitators, but staff may have
linger, the groundwork has been laid.The program now rec-
underestimated the incidence of discord these characteristics
ognizes that it must continue to make resources available for
presented.Pope found it difficult "trying to negotiate the
facilitators to proactively address interpersonal issues and
needs and dynamics of each of the teams and then adjust the
approaches to successful team building.
level of control and intervention in getting teams started and
flicts proved time-consuming for Newman and Pope.They
MAKING IT HAPPEN: TECH TEAM AS COMMUNITY
RESOURCE AND NATIONAL MODEL
realizing success." Though mostly fruitful,resolution of con-
51
were reluctant to step in,believing at first that it was a good
Many technology-based programs have historically directed
experience for facilitators to work out interpersonal issues as
their efforts and resources towards students in large,urban
a team of professionals.Newman and Pope later discovered
areas.Although urban students face enormous barriers to
that team members were not always communicating with
quality educational access,there is also a great need for
T E CH N O - F OX E S :
Linking Girl Power to Technology
community-based learning opportunities in rural settings.
and encourage greater school leadership by providing press
Families in rural communities deal with a shrinking econom-
packets to school administrators detailing Tech Team accom-
ic base and limited employment opportunities.Rural schools
plishments and opportunities throughout the school year.
continually struggle to attract and retain quality teachers and
maintain adequate funding to support infrastructure and
Pope believes that the Tech Team program "offers a fun and
materials.Although school computer labs are generally
innovative model of how children and adults can utilize the
available for student use, problem-centered learning strategies
tools of technology for collaborative engagement to explore a
are not being used to their full potential within and across
medium and the complexity of their own lives." Tech Team
the school curriculum.Dr. David Keiser of Montclair State
staff and facilitators agree that the project is an excellent way
University and a guest evaluator well known for his work in
to direct girls’developmental affinity for altruistic behavior
cultural diversity and raising academic achievement levels
by finding ways to creatively connect them to their commu-
of high needs and minority students,participated in a Tech
nities.In order to realize full success, Tech Team must become
Team site visit and was impressed with the program’s
both a model and a resource for community schools to begin
potential for expanding the horizons of children in priority
their own programs.When asked how schools can begin their
school settings.
own programs without the benefit of a large grant,Newman
explained that many schools already had existing technology
Tech Team has learned that a project-centered approach to
(computers,video cameras,and lighting and sound equip-
teaching and learning is an opportunity for meaningful
ment) upon which to build.She estimates the cost of a video
reciprocity between facilitators and participants.When these
package comparable to those purchased by Tech Team at less
practices are employed,all are challenged to communicate
than $2000.Newman believes that with training and low-
and collaborate across differences in experience,communica-
cost upgrades,schools could successfully execute and run
tion styles,interest,ability, culture,and perspective to con-
their own clubs.The Tech Team Web site link on
struct meaning and find solutions to problems.The girls are
Knowitall.org also provides valuable,step-by-step informa-
continually asked to explore the possibility of "what-if" in
tion to schools interested in starting a Tech Team club.
their learning and to make meaningful connections.
Newman notes that,"in some cases,[Tech Team] girls have
As the program reaches Year 3, Tech Team staff see their roles
already acted as agents of change within their schools,espe-
evolving into that of a community resource.A function of
cially when school leadership is involved to encourage and
that resource role is to assist emerging Tech Team programs
tap into the experiences and skills of these girls."
in identifying community resources and grant opportunities
and to provide proposal writing assistance.Additionally, they
The rewards of these educational strategies are readily avail-
would assist potential facilitators in developing a support
able and applicable in both single- and mixed-gender envi-
system of professional development,including technology
ronments and urban or rural schools.When students engage
training and equitable curriculum design.
in a cycle that creates alternate solutions to proble m s ,d evelops
interpersonal skills,and uses critical thinking and reasoning
Because of the tremendous need, Tech Team staff will contin-
they acquire an awareness that transcends the confines of
ue to advocate for single-gender, project-based technology
physical circumstance and gender. Active learning in such a
programs.Already they are presenting at conferences and
cycle ignites both introspective and shared conversations that
facilitating video production workshops for organizations like
are complex and multidimensional paths to new knowledge
the Association of Gender Equity Leadership in Education and
and the formation of a learning community. Tech Team
the Center for Science Education as well as local and
reports an increasing awareness of media technology as a
statewide venues to spread the good word.
tool for learning and engagement at its school sites. The girls
feel important and special because of the attention teachers
and fellow students pay to their Tech Team involvement and
skills.Newman plans to capitalize on this growing interest
CANDACE THOMPSONis currently pursuing a doctorate in Social
Foundations of Education.Her interests include community education,
international education,and developing social justice learning commu nities in higher education.
52
MEDIA BRI DGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cincinnati
b y To m Z a n i e l l o
In 1856 Cincinnati was a
Northern border city divided
in two, armed to the teeth,
at times even battling
in the streets over slavery.
Its citizens had already
passed beyond just acknowledging the possibility of
disunion and civil strife.
They could fill out the
muster rolls for regiments
on either side.
—Steven Weisenburger,
Modern Medea (1998)
M
edia Bridges, located at the corner of Race Street and Central Parkway in
Cincinnati,Ohio, is a one-stop multipurpose media center, combining
the resources of a media arts center, a community technology base,and
a cable public access studio. Providing all three functions enables the
center to be cost-effective but especially user-friendly. The community
has access to an unusually broad range of services,supplemented even further by gallery
space,a music scene,and a meeting space.
Media Bridges has a special spin that community "telecenters" in countries like the United
Kingdom and South Africa and even other communities in America do not necessarily
have:a project-based learning curriculum that complements all the services now attractively situated and freely available. Besides being helpful for adults who take introductory
courses in media, it is especially important for youngsters who are learning about the representations of themselves in the media and their community in addition to learning a
new technology. Furthermore,Media Bridges provides a voice to an often unheard constituency who have First Amendment rights but not the power or expertise in new media
to express their views.
A HISTORY OF DIVISION
Central Parkway, on one side of the Media Bridges building,covers what was once a canal
in old Cincinnati.The canal gave rise with some irony and condescension to the name Over
the Rhine for the district to its north,the stopping point for German immigrants who had
to live in the less pleasant part of town.Across Central Parkway lies the downtown business district.Just a block north up Race Street,deeper into Over the Rhine,is Washington
Park,surrounded by too many vacant storefronts and visited by homeless people,amidst
the urban sprawl of the poor and the working poor.
Cincinnati,currently the sixth most segregated city in America according to U.S.Census
data, has a long history of being at the crossroads of racial conflict and resolution.Before
the Civil War, it was a free state that looked across the Ohio River to the northernmost
corner of Kentucky, a slave state.Because the Ohio River often froze during the winter,
many slaves crossed in their attempt at freedom,and the Underground Railroad had a
major transfer station in Cincinnati on its route to Canada.Following the same route as
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s fictional Eliza from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Margaret Garner, a Northern
Kentucky slave,along with her husband and her children, were trapped by her master and
slave catchers in a house in Mill Valley, just west of Over the Rhine.She killed one of her
children and would have killed them all rather than return to slavery. Her life became a
cause,and then eventually her story was transformed into one of the most influential best
sellers of our own day—Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. Residents’views were divided
between abolitionists and Southern sympathizers,and these forces literally clashed in the
streets when the Garner case came to trial in 1857.
Cincinnati remained relatively free of the violence of racial injustice for almost a century,
though its African-American citizens remained second-class in the ways familiar to many
urban areas.After the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968,Cincinnati’s black community was torn by riots.
Part of the story of Media Bridges’move to Over the Rhine is also one of racial conflict.On
April 7, 2001,Timothy Thomas,a 19-year-old African-American, was shot and killed by a
white Cincinnati policeman in Over the Rhine.He was unarmed and wanted only for traffic
53
MEDIA BRIDGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cinncinati
violations.Rioting erupted and lasted for three days.Police
drew a line at Central Parkway and kept crowds from Over
the Rhine out of the central business district.
A number of businesses left the riot zone, but Media Bridges
chose to move in.By virtue of being in Over the Rhine, it also
became part of the city’s economic empowerment zone,
which provides tax incentives to foster business development
and hire local employees.The organization entered a partnership with Terry Boling,an architect who had won awards for
the renovation of historic buildings in Over the Rhine.His
work turned the Barlow Motors building,virtually vacant for
almost forty years,into the new home of Media Bridges.No
longer one of almost 500 vacant storefronts,the project dramatically announced to the entire Cincinnati community—
and especially the local residents—that at least one door
would be open for communications across the racial divide.
A SHOWROOM OF MEDIA AT THE CORNER
OF RACE AND CENTRAL
Belinda Rawlins,executive director of Media Bridges,says
that the organization wanted a very different look for the
space going into that old automobile showroom. Too often,
she argues,"media facilities hide their technology." Editing
and playback rooms—"black boxes"—are hidden away or not
obvious,substantial wire bundles are concealed,and the
reception desk or office could be fronting a dental practice.
Instead,the award-winning building is designed to be a part
of its community and make its function obvious.The enormous windows that line two sides of the main studio are
reminiscent of the old auto dealer’s showroom,and that is
exactly the point:Media Bridges is a public showroom of
media.Since it is the only provider of public access cable television in Cincinnati,Media Bridges projects an image of the
Over the Rhine community to all area residents, whether
inner city or suburban.The same streets in the images of rioting are now peaceful,Rawlins notes,"with neighborhood
residents stopping to see what’s happening on the other side
of the windows." Teenagers walk by, peering in, while the
rest of the community looks out through the lenses of the
cable TV cameras.
The layout of the ground floor supports this vision of access.
The visitor is greeted by a reception desk that is simultaneously a control unit,backed by a rack of monitors for cable
playback.Four monitors across from this desk feature Media
Bridges’four access channels.Next to this desk is the Internet
radio production booth.The main space of the floor is given
over to editing carrels and computer access stations.One gets
the feel of a professional studio without the intimidation.All
the cabling is visible overhead in open ladder trays.
The walls on the two main floors are devoted to art gallery
space,featuring local artists.In the summer of 2003,for
example,the show "One on One" offered work that showcased two artists (both local college grads and high school
teachers) who explored violence,especially the media’s representation of violence.Eventually even the huge parking lot to
the west,a space equivalent to half a city block,will be transformed for Media Bridges’Autumedia,an outdoor multimedia installation event,in which independent media makers
join other artists in transforming the space into an enormous
outdoor gallery, including the use of neighboring building
facades as "screens" for projected pieces.
Because Media Bridges has created an unusually designed
space at the crossroads of urban neglect and hope, it competed in 2003 (and will again in 2005) for the Rudy Bruner
Award for Urban Excellence,given to those projects "that
embody excellence" as they contribute "to the richness and
diversity of the urban experience." Such organizations develop spaces,according to the Rudy Bruner Foundation,that
"often transcend the boundaries between architecture,urban
design,and planning."
Rawlins concludes that Media Bridges "brings techno logy
into the daylight to demystify the media. We want people
to understand that media can be accessible,no matter who
you are."
A COMMUNITY-CENTERED MISSION
If Media Bridges’new space is symbolically located (as
Rawlins maintains) between the poorest neighborhood in the
city and City Hall and central police headquarters just to the
south,how would their community-centered mission be
defined? Their slogan would be "To use the media,not to be
used by it."
Four related goals define their mission:
1. To make media resources and technologies available
to individuals, educational or religious institutions, and
nonprofitorganizations
2. To foster media literacy and cultivate technological
skills through participatory training
3. To support the FirstAmendment of the United States
Constitution by nurturing responsible speech through
community-based education
54
4. To lobby telecommunications service providers both
locally and nationally to expand and improve opportunities for public and educational access
In practical terms,this mission meant the creation of a multiuse space that values community over technology and
emphasizes hands-on learning.It would be open four days a
week from 8:00 a.m.to 10:30 p.m.and until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m.
on weekends in a neighborhood dominated by businesses
with bars on their windows and security guards at their
doors.Although private parking lots are nearby, Media
Bridges sees many of its participants walk in or take public
transportation.
Media Bridges maintains its considerable presence with an
operating budget of almost a million dollars.The money—
and in-kind donations—comes from diverse sources:
Arts foundations, organizations, and museums
The City of Cincinnati
National and local cultural organizations
Computer and media organizations
National corporations
Local businesses
Individual donors
55
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
In its first year at its new location,Media Bridges provided
$14 million worth of services and equipment to the communi ty, with more than seventy percent of the people served coming from the empowerment zone.More than 3000 people
have used the center’s services and attended classes.
Nineteen percent of that number were youngsters 18 and
under.
Their nonprofit services department provided 500 nonprofit
organizations with a range of services from video production
to graphic design,especially for those groups who "seek an
alternative to the traditional media outlets." This department
also provides "an alternative voice for local businesses that
wish to partner with Media Bridges for an exchange of
services." Children’s Hospital Medical Center, for example,
received two videos,one discussing abstinence,the other
on youth injury prevention.
Four cable access channels operate from Media Bridges.They
specialize in metro, community, education,and religious
programming.
Media Bridges also offers a wide range of courses in media
production and editing.A required introductory class,
Orientation,provides the entry point for all other classes
and the opportunity to borrow equipment.Another introductory course,Media Literacy, is part of the center’s outreach
program.Participants "identify the key techniques and
devices the media uses to persuade,convince,and manipulate" its viewers.
MEDIA BRIDGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cinncinati
Classes in media literacy for children and teenagers at schools
and community centers,including a number of at-risk youth,
use commercials and creative exercises to understand "how
the media shapes their perceptions of self," according to
Tracey Warm,education coordinator. A popular exercise for
the younger children was making collages about their selfimages using pictures from advertisements.In some cases,
the media literacy classes led to classes in video production.
This was especially true for the Work Resource Center and
Crossroads Center, which are organizations that specialize in
employment and health issues,respectively.
Five video production and editing classes are offered, ranging
from the introductory to the advanced.On-site courses are
Analog Editing,iMovie,Final Cut Pro, and AVID. In the fifth
course,Portable Production,education facilitators bring the
course to the participants’site for analog or digital video production.This is part of Media Bridges’extensive outreach services, many of which go to the schools and community-based
youth groups.In all of these classes,participants can complete competency tests to certify them to use and borrow
equipment for future projects.
Media Bridges also offers a series of specialty courses.A studio class allows participants to learn how to use either a large
three-camera studio or a smaller self-service studio. A master
class uses local media professionals to explore a specialized
topic,such as "The V-Chip for Parents" or "The Ins and Outs of
Remote Location Shoots." The Media Salon enables course
participants and local creators of media to come together to
showcase and discuss new work.The Internet Radio course
prepares participants to create and produce radio programs,
some of which are cybercast through the center’s own site.
Project Bridges
One of the keystones of the project-centered curriculum is
Project Bridges, which enables participants to work on a project from beginning to end and to broadcast or showcase the
finished piece.The course is designed to "harness the power
of media to bridge understanding among people and make a
commitment to create media that makes a difference."
The concept of the course is based on ideas developed by
jesikah maria ross and popularized in her work "Beyond
Technical Training:Video as a Tool for Community
Development." Rawlins and her staff found confirm ation in
ross’s work for their belief (in ross’s words) that the training
and community education programs of media arts centers
"tend to focus exclusively on the technical aspects of media
production.… Often left out," ross concludes,"are elements
which are crucial in helping learners to identify their needs,
discover their passions,address their issues,and connect with
their geographic or cultural communities."
The hallmarks of what ross learned from this approach—
"teambuilding, collective learning,and participatory decisionmaking"—were ideal for Media Bridges and especially helpful
in developing an approach that youngsters of all ages could
handle and be productive with.One of the problems ross
observed in her work was the necessity of a shift "from the
current content-neutral training orientation of many media
arts and access centers."
The teaching approach for Project Bridges overall is a controlled project-based protocol, which allows the instructors
flexibility within a strong progressive program.The objectives have wider implications than simple (or even complex)
use of media equipment.They seek to:
Create an understanding of the power and potential
of self-representation through community media
Promote recognition of media as a tool for initiating
public dialogue and forging public opinion, resulting in
an increased interestin becoming involved in media arts
and community television
Educate in the use of media equipment and techniques to provide the public with the tools necessary
to create dialogue
Enable people to understand and engage in the
overall process of production
Clearly, the youngest participants are not likely to get too far
with explicit understanding of the first two objectives, but
nonetheless the facilitators have an obligation to talk about
some of the points these objectives raise.When Mike
Barnhardt,education facilitator, leads a discussion of the
media and computers during an initial brainstorming session
with a group of 13- to 17-year-olds,he stresses that all of us
have to learn how the computer can serve us and that "selfrepresentation" in media is especially important in the face of
the power of the programming of the marketing drives of corporate America.
The course outline in all the Project Bridges courses consists
of ten lessons:
1.Introduction to Project Bridges and Project Discussion
2.Mechanics of Preproduction:Screenwriting
3.Equipment, Techniques, and Filming
56
A tour of [Over the Rhine] reveals stout dwellings in the old fashioned style of the last
century; many stores and enterprises bearing signs with German names; numerous
German churches with odd symbols on their steeples; a few breweries; and big Findlay
Market, with its crowds and its rich profusion of meats, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
Massive Music Hall is here, and noisy Washington Park—one end given over to children
playing, the other to oldsters lolling by the monuments under the graceful old trees.
—WPA Guide to Cincinnati (1943)
4. Storyboards and Project Outcomes
5. Finalize Preproduction Details
6.Project Rehearsal
7. The Production
8.Introduction to Digital Editing
9. Editing Rough Footage
10. Evaluating the Productio n
This protocol keeps everyone on task and provides a strong
likelihood that youngsters will see—if their attendance is
maintained—a final film.It does not,of course,guarantee a
community-centered topic in that film.A tension will remain
between the guidance of a staff member who might encourage a certain topic and his or her belief that the youngsters
must be free to choose and go in the direction they want.The
practice of Media Bridges does not necessitate a continuous
stream of socially relevant projects that deal with conflict.
Building teamwork among students from different neighborhoods and backgrounds, even for a spoof film,is intrinsically
important as well.
Two new Project Bridges classes specifically take up an issuecentered curriculum as part of the production process, but
they are not necessarily for youngsters.The Media course of
Concept Project Bridges,as the new series is referred to, asks
participants to create the first video installment of a possible
show to be used on a Media Bridges cable channel.Possible
topics include media ownership,alternative media,and
media imagery.
A second course focuses on activism.The participants select
a topic as well as a medium (video, print,Internet) and first
do research on the topic, avoiding "blind activism." The goal
of the class is to "inform others,spreading awareness and
education on the issue," based on the principle that "a good
citizen is an informed citizen."
Youth Project Bridges
Youth Project Bridges was designed for young participants as
a logical development of the Project Bridges classes,in which
participants,taking a project-based process, work as a team
to create a media project from beginning to end.Participants
go through a distinctive series of steps:
1.Preproduction:brainstorming, scriptwriting, storyboarding
2.Practice:using the camera, composition,and so on
3.Shooting the group’s project idea
4. Postproduction:digital editing using iMovie
5. Playback and broadcast at an open-house "media salon"
event or on a Media Bridges cable channel
57
Begun in the summer of 2002, Youth Project Bridges became a
major scene of activity for youth from 8 –17, with one group
8–12 and the other 13 –17. The summer programs were held at
Race and Central, but during the school year, the education
facilitators would visit schools and teach workshops on-site.
Besides the obvious goal of developing young people’s expertise in media, Youth Project Bridges is also intended to build
relationships among youngsters from different areas of the
city. As Warm explained it,"They come from different schools
and neighborhoods and create connections with one another
that they normally would not have the opportunity to form."
There are other advantages.The youngsters have to learn
teamwork,how to divide up tasks,how to coordinate different aspects of the project,and how to build a group project
out of individual ideas.Furthermore—and here is an area of
concentration in all the Media Bridges youth work—they
often learn how to think critically about their social and political environment, whether or not they choose a topic that
deals openly with a problem or social issue.
The facilitators walk a thin line between leadership and coor dination.That is,as media experts,they know in advance
which project ideas during the brainstorming sessions are
likely to work and which are not, but they must also encourage youngsters not always used to this kind of group dynam ic to express themselves and to offer their ideas without really knowing the total picture.
In one group of 9- to 12-year-olds from the Arts Consortium, a
community organization in the West End district, for example,
the initial brainstorming session resulted in three big topic
areas:karate,basketball,and money. The first two were initially of great interest—the rise and fall of a karate master
and the robbery of a big-deal player—but they were probably
too difficult to achieve and might have involved only a limited cast of participants.With both of these seemingly fun or
light topics,the youngsters nonetheless had to do some
critical thinking about their social and political environment.
The karate idea meant confronting ideas of success and
failure,the basketball idea meant challenging stereotypes
and pursuing dreams,and all three ideas involved the realworld problems of setting and reaching goals.
The group chose the third category—money—and created a
scenario involving a youngster, obsessed with dinosaurs, who
wants to buy a dinosaur egg. To earn the money, the youngster will have to get a job. Warm,as facilitator for this group,
wrote down the various ideas in this stage of brainstorming
and photocopied it on the spot for all the participants.It now
included such proposed sequences as the youngster becom-
ME DIA B R I DGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cinncinati
ing a pet shop worker who takes a fish out of a tank because
he doesn’t want it to drown and working as a parking valet
who brings back a car with all his friends in it.In the final
film,the pet shop job is included, but the students also
devised other ways in which their hero loses his jobs.As a
bank teller, for example,he hands out money that he has
folded into origami animals or sprinkled with water or written on.His customers rebel.
In other instances,some of the Youth Project Bridges students
turned to what are mainly fun ideas,like a horror film parody,
"Nightmare on Race Street." When spoofs of existing shows
like "ABC Sports" were filmed,the youngsters did one segment,"Rich Man versus Poor Man," in which the poor participant had to use a broom instead of a tennis racket or an
umbrella instead of a bat.It is clear they realized that even
while "playing," significant differences in opportunities
persist.
Other groups attempted topics more overtly socially challenging.Students from the East End Community Heritage School
tackled drug abuse and included a section in which a youngster expressed regret about not stepping in to help a friend
before he was killed in a drug-related incident.In another
group,students from Nativity School decided to find out what
Americans really know about Germany, given Cincinnati’s
German heritage and their school’s experience with an on
going exchange student program from Germany. They filmed
"person on the street" interviews,asking people questions
about Germany or the German heritage in the Cincinnati
area and studied local architecture derived from German
models.
Youth Speaks!
"Youth Speaks!" is a good example of how Media Bridges can
move from the initial training in Youth Project Bridges to
community interaction.Derrick Blassingame,an AfricanAmerican youth from the Avondale section of Cincinnati,
passed through Media Bridges’orientation course and other
production classes.He first created an Internet radio show
hosted by Media Bridges titled "Real Talk Live," emphasizing
community issues. It helped him become a summer programmer at WAIF, a local community-centered radio station.
Blassingame’s current project is "Youth Speaks!," a live panel
discussion and call-in cable broadcast on one of the Media
Bridges channels,with Blassingame as moderator. He confronts important and controversial topics without apology:
youth leadership,teen violence,teen pregnancy, the impact
of welfare on young people,and the War on Terrorism.He
sees the program as "a mechanism … to start dialogue and
discussion between the civic,political, business,and religious
communities about issues important to youth." The program
is designed to change the community either by providing a
forum for those youth who are currently trying to effect
change or by bringing important issues before those individ uals who directly or indirectly affect youth.
In a recent broadcast, young activists (including a youth representative from the Cincinnati Human Rights Commission)
and other students analyzed the power relationships in
mainstream media under the title "Stereotypes,Lies,and
Misconceptions in the Media." Two aspects of the media
focused the debate almost immediately—the FCC decision
to allow media conglomerates to own more than one channel
in a given city and the preponderance of images of black
people being arrested on shows like "Cops." In the second
part of the show, Cincinnati councilwoman Minette Cooper
joined the panel with another youth leader from UNITY
Ambassadors,a teen leadership group that is part of the
mayor of Cincinnati’s council of advisors,and Community
Action Now (CAN),both African-American leaders from two
different generations.The discussion in this section stressed
access to the city leadership by formal and informal means
in order for youth’s voice to be heard.
Blassingame’s programming made Media Bridges one of the
winners of the CTCNet Success Story Contest of 2003.CTCNet
is an organization of more than a thousand community technology centers.Joining Blassingame in the Media Bridges
success story were Lamont Young,college student and host
of an Internet radio show, "Fortified Mindz," that features
hip-hop and reggae music as well as appearances by poets
and independent music performers;and John Zeh,a local
writer and activist.
FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION
Media Bridges is in the early stages of data collection from its
wide base of participants.Chet Davis,the AmeriCorpsVISTA
worker in charge of developing and coordinating feedback,is
gathering information from Web surveys,economic impact
data,and nonprofit services use.
A telephone survey of Media Bridges participants in 2003
was designed to help "assess satisfaction with its services
and to better understand constituents’needs." Almost half
the respondents had moved from the orientation class to
additional classes,a good indicator of retention of interest.
Requests for classes targeting specific groups were also
revealing.Respondents suggested courses targeting
teenagers (especially using the Internet),school or youth
58
YOUTH
TANEEKA,13,taking a Youth Project Bridges class in
video with other 13- to 17-year-olds;heard about the class
from her mom (as did many of the youngsters), who in
turn learned about it from the Internet; attends Shroder
Paideia Academy, a public school (eighty-four percent
minority mix) in Kennedy Heights, which features discovery learning and seminars;no experience with video,
but loves the idea of seeing herself in a "finished movie."
MEDIA BRIDGES INSTRUCTOR
MIKE,education facilitator, doctoral student in computer
music,instructor in iMovie,claymation,and Internet
radio classes for youngsters and adults;uses workshop
approach to build cooperation among youth,balancing
flexibility with a strong script-storyboard-filming-editing protocol;willing to teach troubled youths in a church
program in a mixed racial and ethnic economically
depressed neighborhood on the west side of the city,
"because these kids don’t have much."
MEDIA PRODUCER
DERRICK,17, resident of Avondale in central Cincinnati, a
"graduate" of Media Bridges’courses,currently producing
"Youth Speaks!," a live cable show "showcasing the positive energies of young people,instead of all the unfortunate negative images aired on national television during
the 2001 riots." Also hosted an Internet radio show, "Real
Talk Live." Sums up his "indescribable" experience at
Media Bridges this way:"The organization is a place
where all voices, races,and experiences are incorporated
into one place for producing media.The diversity … is
the greatest asset to the organization."
TEACHER AND GIRL SCOUT PACK LEADER
CINDY, teacher at Covedale Elementary School, whose
demographics include twenty percent African-American
children,and Girl Scout troop leader at the Academy of
World Languages,a Cincinnati magnet public school
with students with backgrounds from twenty-six countries. Worked with Media Bridges outreach program in
her school and then asked if her troop could come to 1100
Race Street to make a film and earn video badges for the
girls.Appreciates that "nobody’s telling [the girls] what
they should do" but lets them choose.
59
groups,suburban young people,people with disabilities,and
older people not interested in career preparation.
Davis also developed an evaluation form specifically for
Youth Project Bridges and outreach courses in the schools
and community groups.It charts how well the courses move
beyond the acquisition of technical knowledge by asking
them about not only creative thinking and problem solving
but also whether their interest in community issues has been
affected and whether their media literacy, as consumers, has
changed.In some cases,feedback and evaluation is an integral part of a specific project.
THE FUTURE: COLLABORATIONS AND PROJECTS
Two major directions for Media Bridges focus on their youth
base:involvement with Search for Common Ground,a collaboration that has already begun,and the Racial Justice Media
Education Project,a proposal whose components are part of
long-term planning at Media Bridges, whether full funding is
received or not.
Search for Common Ground (SCG),an international conflict
resolution group,committed itself to a five-year presence in
Cincinnati beginning in 2002.Its 375 staff members and programs in fifteen countries seek to work "towards cooperative
solutions" away from "adversarial confrontations." They have
adapted a slogan from a leader of South Africa’s African
National Congress. To resolve conflicts,parties "must understand the differences" and "act on the commonalities."
Cincinnati was selected by SCG because it "has always been
on the edge—between the ‘east’and ‘west’in the 18th
century, between slaves and free states in the 19th century,
between industrial production and the ‘new economy’of
technology and knowledge today." Recognizing that
Cincinnati’s racially divided population has witnessed a
full-scale civil disturbance,SCG wants to support attempts
to make Cincinnati "known as a racially inclusive city, one
that excels in applying cooperative problem-solving techniques to conflicts connected to race."
Two of the areas SCG wants to concentrate on are art and
media,both of which speak to Media Bridges’substantial
experience and expertise.The media component includes
cooperating with nonprofit and community groups to pro duce video documentaries for public access cable broadcast.
In addition,Media Bridges is running a Youth Project Bridges
project in radio field production.
MEDIA BRIDGES:
Spanning Divisions in Cinncinati
The greatest peril facing Cincinnati is not violence, whether blackon-black, black-on-white, or cop-on-citizen. The most serious threat
facing this city is complacency. At great danger do we pretend the
battle is over.
—Gregory Flannery and John Fox,Cincinnati’s City Beat Newspaper (13–19 December 2001)
It is likely that Media Bridges will be also one of the working
partners with Shared Vision,to be involved in an art-based
public engagement project, which provides,SCG argues," a
powerful opportunity for large numbers of people with very
different experiences to work together across lines of race
and social class." SCG is looking for organizations like Media
Bridges with a "strong ethos of outreach and viable offering
for the community."
SCG and Shared Vision will invite the community to "carry
out an interconnected series of community based public ar t
projects" such as "detailed trompe l’oeil mural paintings or
high quality ceramic tile or architectural art stained glass
installations." Local youngsters will be an important part of
the process.They will form teams to work with the artists
from various disciplines,including Web design,video, and
multimedia event productions—all currently strengths of
Media Bridges—"to collect the stories and thoughts of residents in the neighborhoods."
Media Bridges has proposed a two-year collaboration with
the Racial Justice Media Education Project through the majorfoundation-based Racial Justice Collaborative Fund.Both K–12
students and members of nonprofit organizations and com munity members at large will involve themselves in a twostage process common to the philosophy and practice of
Media Bridges.
The first step is a series of media literacy sessions of "the
portrayal of the structural exclusion" by the media (including
television, radio, print,and the Internet) "of the lives and
concerns of the poor and disenfranchised." The second step
is the creation of media projects "exploring topics such as
economic justice,access to quality education,and criminal
justice." Projects like these are already being screened or
hosted through the various media available at Media Bridges.
In addition to Media Bridges staff,practicing lawyers,professors,and law students will also participate.
The young people in this project will "develop a critical
understanding of the subjective nature of media production,
content,and meaning through an examination of images
delivered by mass media." At Media Bridges,they will create
through traditional means (cable television and print) or new
(Internet Web sites and streaming audio) the "common
ground for problem solving where people work and live."
The work of the project would be measured using the "social
change indicators" found in the Rockefeller Foundation report
written by Maria Elena Figueros and others, Communication
for Social Change: An Integrated Model for Measuring the
Process and Its Outcomes. These indicators measure how well
a project develops "communication for social change [that is]
empowering,horizontal (versus top-down),[and that gives] a
voice to the previously unheard members of the community,
and be biased towards local content and ownership."
Whether in this project or in its continuing work,Media
Bridges holds itself to the standards of this Rockefeller
Foundation report as it strives to be the leader in assuring
that "communities should be the agents of their own
change." By providing convenient and free media instruction
and services and a project-centered curriculum,Media
Bridges helps "individuals and communities most affected
own the process and content of communication" and "shift
from persuasion and the transmission of information from
outside technical experts to dialogue,debate,and negotiation
on issues that resonate with members of the community."
Media Bridges has already facilitated projects like those
proposed for the Racial Justice Media Education Project.It
provided the venue and training for the Contemporary Arts
Center’s Teen Arts Council film, Young Urban Perspectives,
which combines r iot footage from April 2001,the funeral of
Timothy Thomas,and the filmed reactions of Cincinnati
youth (and others) to all the discord.The final credit line of
the documentary reads:"Special thanks to every person who
took the time to talk to us!" Media Bridges made that talk
possible and,given their perspective,almost inevitable.
REFERENCES
ross,j.m.1999."Beyond Technical Training:Video as a Tool for
Community Development." San Francisco: NAMAC Knowledge
Network. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.namac.org/
article.cfm?id=78&catid=23 (September 22,2003).
Figueroa,M.E.,Kincaid, D. L.,Rani,M.and Lewis,G.2002.
Communication for Social Change: An Integrated Model for
Measuring the Process and Its Outcomes. New York: The
Rockefeller Foundation and John Hopkins University Center for
Communications Programs. Available from World Wide Web:
http://www.comminit.com/stcfscindicators/sld-5997.html
(September 22,2003).
TOM ZANIELLO is the Director of the Honors Program at Northern
Kentucky University and also teaches a film course at the National
Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.He is the author of Working
Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Rifraff: An Expanded Guide to Films about
Labor, published by Cornell University Press.He once programmed films
for The Real Movies, the lastdowntown Cincinnati movie theater.
60
MAPPING THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
b y K a t h l e e n Ty n e r a n d R h e a M o k u n d
T
he study reported hereis one of several projects of the Youth Media
Initiative,a three-year program of the National Alliance for Media Arts
and Culture (NAMAC) to investigate and support the field of youth
media.Fifty-nine organizations participated in this survey to provide an
organizational overview of youth media programs and practices.The organizational structures,demographics,and programs that emerge offer a snapshot of a dynamic and divergent field.
Youth media is a
relatively new
concept, in part
a reaction to the
shift from print
to electronic
literacy in the
late twentieth
century.
Youth media is a relatively new concept,in part a reaction to the shift from print to electronic literacy in the late twentieth century. Definitions of youth media overlap with those
of other media and literacy specialties that seek to promote both analysis and production
of content using new and emerging media tools and forms. Youth media inherits overtones
of social activism from its roots in the community-based media movement.The field also
reflects values common to informal educators, social justice advocates, youth development
specialists,media artists,and technology access providers.At the most basic level, youth
media practitioners and advocates hope to equip youth with the tools and support to speak
out about issues of importance to them.
Authentic representation and “voice”are key concepts in the belief that the ideas and per spectives of young people contribute to a healthy society. Youth media provides young peo-
Authentic
representation
and “voice”
are key concepts
in the belief that
the ideas and
perspectives of
young people
contribute to a
healthy society.
Youth media
provides young
people with a
means to present
themselves
to their peers,
their community,
and the world.
ple with a means to present themselves to their peers,their community, and the world.It
offers sophisticated skills to creatively craft messages and strategically reach audiences.
Youth media advocates believe that young people can play a critical role in confronting
social concerns that impact their lives and communities.The skills and knowledge provided by youth media programs stress fundamental skills that inspire youth toward more
active,capable,and confident civic engagement.
By all indications, youth media programs are proliferating.Most of the organizations that
participated in the NAMAC survey have been in existence for less than five years.The field
of youth media therefore works with a relatively thin research base composed primarily of
anecdotal evidence from individual practitioners.Because so little is currently known,there
is still scant evidence related to needs,best practices,and lessons learned.
This study is intended as a contribution to the research base,in keeping with the work of
the NAMAC Knowledge Network to compile and disseminate information about media arts
organizations in the United States.Combined with qualitative evidence from youth media
practitioners,the results provide a rich database for researchers and help to map the character and parameters of a nascent field.NAMAC also intends to conduct follow-up studies
to track the progress of these youth media organizations.
Systematic data collection and sharing of this type all ows for better understanding of the
themes,patterns,and challenges that emerge for youth media practitioners so that these
can be strategically and effectively addressed.With more information of this type, youth
media and its supporters can begin to take the next steps as the field grows out of its own
61
adolescence and into an engaged and relevant maturity.
MAPPI NG THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
METHODOLOGY
cating additional information and areas of concern for some
In May 2003,Hi-Beam Consulting,an information-based con-
items will be used to refine the instrument in the future.
sulting firm in San Francisco, developed an online question-
The complete questionnaire can be accessed at
naire to gather organizational data related to the field of
www.namac.org/youth.
youth media.The questionnaire employed forced responses,
multiple responses,Likert scales,and open-ended responses.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESPONDING ORGANIZATIONS
It gathered data related to types of institutions and programs;
The survey asked the fifty-nine responding organizations to
budgets;staff;time on task;funding sources;geographic
characterize themselves in regard to their type of organiza-
reach; number of clients served;client demographics;organi-
tion, length of service,annual budget,expenditure categories,
zational activities;mission,aims,and purposes;programmat-
number of personnel,director status and salary, and funding
ic activities;media technologies used;and barriers to success.
sources.
Youth media practitioners and experienced evaluators tested
the questionnaire before the actual survey began.It took
respondents 20 to 30 minutes to answer all questions.
An email announcement was sent to all NAMAC members
soliciting one response from each organization with a youth
media program.Email announcements were also sent to
youth media organizations on lists provided by other media
arts groups.In addition,more than 500 announcement fliers
were passed out in June 2003 at the Visual Literacy Workshop
of the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, California,and at the
National Media Literacy Conference in Baltimore,Maryland.
Seventy-one organizations accessed the questionnaire online,
and fifty-nine organizations completed it,for a response rate
of 83%.Results were tabulated in July 2003 using a PERL
script and Excel software.The script counted only one
response from organizations that submitted multiple
responses.It aggregated the data in the belief that respondent anonymity would contribute to the reliability and
validity of responses.There was no evidence of acquiescent
response bias.Several open-ended responses remarked on
the clarity of the questionnaire,and there were no negative
responses related to its design.Open-ended responses indi-
T1 TABLE 1 SHOWS THE RESULTS RELATED TO SPONSORSHIP
Fifty-six percent of respondents conducted youth media
activities within nonprofit organizations that had broader
missions in the arts,education,or social service beyond the
scope of their youth media programs.Twenty-five percent
were arts or media arts organizations,reflecting NAMAC
membership.Several of the umbrella organizations for youth
media programs reported a broader mission of education
(8%), youth development (7%),and community development
(2%).Many of the larger nonprofits that identified their mission as “other” were related to broadcast enterprises such as
community radio stations or PBS affiliates.Health promotion
and social service agencies were not identified in this survey.
Twenty percent were stand-alone nonprofits devoted to
youth media.Public educational institutions (8%) reflected
programs that operated within formal schooling and university settings.Only 2% of respondents described themselves as
commercial businesses.Responses from other organizations
(12%) included those working in public access facilities,arts
apprenticeship programs,and computer literacy programs
and as general technical assistance providers.
TABLE 1 TYPE OF ORGANIZATIONAL SPONSORSHIP FOR YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAM
Some youth media organizations work under the fiscal umbrella of another organization. For example, a
youth media organization may work under the umbrella of a local art museum or public school whose
mission is slightly different from the youth media program.If your organization is strictly devoted to
youth media,then it is the primary organization. With this in mind,please tell us if your youth media
organization is a:
Responses by Frequency *
Program within a larger, nonprofit
Youth media only
Commercial business
Public educational institution
Other (please specify)
56%
20%
2%
8%
12%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
62
TABLE 2 SHOWS HOW LONG THE YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAMS
T2 HAD
BEEN IN SERVICE.
In general,the budgets are meager. Fifty-eight percent
reported an annual budget of $100,000 or less,and 22% under
Most respondents (48%) reported that their youth media pro-
$10,000.Thirty-two percent had budgets from $100,000 to
gram was one to five years old.Of these,19% were operational
$500,000 per year.
for only one to two years.Twenty-four percent had operated
T4 TABLE 4 SHOWS HOW THE BUDGET BREAKDOWNS
youth programs for six to ten years.Only 9% of organizations
FOR TYPICAL EXPENDITURES
that participated in the study reported service to the youth
Eighty-three percent reported staff expenditures and
media field for more than twenty years.A few (5%) had
allocated more of their funding to staff than any other
worked for sixteen to twenty years in youth media.Fourteen
category. Two organizations spent large amounts on consul-
percent of respondents reported eleven to fifteen years of
tants (3%), but more than half did not use consultants at all
experience.
(51%) or spent small amounts for them (35%).Eighty-three
BLE 3 SHOWS RESULTS FOR THE ORGANIZATIONS’ANNUAL
T3 TA
BUDGETS FOR YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAMS
percent of respondents reported a line item for the
purchase and repair of equipment,and 2% reported spending
Operating budgets specifically for youth media programs
almost their entire annual budget on equipment-related
ranged from no budget (2%) to budgets of $1–5 million (2%).
expenses.The majority spent less than 25% of their budgets
on equipment purchase and repair.
TABLE 2 LENGTH OF SERVICE FOR YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAMS
We have been serving youth through our youth media program for how many years?
Responses by Frequency *
1-5 years
6-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
Over 20 years
48%
24%
14%
5%
9%
TABLE 3 YOUTH MEDIA ANNUAL BUDGET
The budget this year for youth media programs is approximately:
Responses by Frequency *
Under $10,000
$10–25,000
$25–50,000
$50–100,000
$100,000–150,000
$150,000–250,000
$250,000–500,000
$500,000 to $1 million
$1–5 million
Over $5 million
No budget
22%
5%
14%
17%
7%
15%
10%
7%
2%
0%
2%
TABLE 4 BUDGET B REAKDOWN
Please indicate the approximate percentage of your youth media budget that goes to the following:
Responses by Frequency *
Smaller Amount of the Budget
Staff
Purchase/repair of equipment
Overhead (rent,supplies, etc.)
Exhibitions/distribution of youth work
Staff development
Stipends/honoraria
Travel
Purchase/rental of film/
educational materials
Consultants
63
1–10%
11–25%
8%
37%
36%
53%
47%
41%
51%
51%
25%
Larger Amount of the Budget
26–50%
51–75%
7%
34%
31%
14%
10%
8%
7%
34%
10%
8%
8%
3%
5%
3%
24%
2%
0%
0%
2%
5%
0%
10%
0%
2%
2%
0%
2%
0%
17%
17%
24%
24%
36%
37%
37%
7%
10%
5%
8%
0%
3%
0%
0%
37%
51%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
76–100%
None
M A P P I N G TH E F I E L D :
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
The majority (76%) reported overhead expenses,some of
The questionnaire asked respondents to describe more about
them significant (10%).The great majority (76%) also spent
the nature of their staff. Table 5 shows how staff dollars are
funds on the exhibition and distribution of youth-produced
allocated for various types of personnel.
work,although 53% reported that they spent a very small
T5 TABLE5 NUMBER OF YOUTH MEDIA PERSONNEL
percentage of their budget on exhibition and distribution.
Only 2% of the organizations devoted the greater part of
The typical youth media organization in the sample employs
their resources for distribution.Twenty-four percent did no
a small number of full-time staff supplemented by volun-
exhibition or distribution of student work.Stipends and
teers,part-time staff and consultants.Over half the organiza-
honoraria was a line item for most organizations and repre-
tions employ part-time staff and consultants,although in
sented a wider spread in the percentage of funds expended
smaller numbers.None of the organizations employed a staff
in this category.
of over fifty people;however, 3% of the organizations did
appear to be driven by volunteers.Twenty-seven percent
reported that they employed no full-time staff.
Staff development was a lower priority. Nearly half (47%)
reported this as an expenditure for up to 10% of their budgets,and only 2% reported large expenditures.Organizations
were least likely to spend funds on the purchase or rental of
T6 TABLE 6 DIRECTOR/COORDINATOR EMPLOYMENT STATUS
educational materials or on travel,although over half spent
Most (59%) of the youth media providers employed a full-
up to 10% of their budgets on these items.
time program director/coordinator. Another 20% reported
The percentage spent by individual organizations on other
tors worked on a volunteer basis.The question did not apply
budget items were noted in open-ended responses and
to 14%,either because they retained no director, because the
included expenditures for artists’fees,field trips and closing
organization did not have a hierarchical structure,or for
events, marketing,teaching staff,and production awards.
other, unknown reasons.
that the director worked part-time.Five percent of the direc -
TABLE 5 NUMBER OF YOUTH MEDIA PERSONNEL
Right now, how many people work as staff members in your youth media program?
1–5
Full-time staff
Volunteers
Consultants
Part-time staff
68%
39%
49%
41%
Responses by Frequency *
6–10
Over 10
Over 50
3%
5%
5%
10%
1%
24%
3%
5%
0%
3%
0%
0%
None
27%
29%
42%
44%
TABLE 6 DIRECTOR / COORDINATOR EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Is your Youth Media Director/Coordinator:
Full-time
Part-time
Volunteer
Notapplicable
Responses by Frequency *
59%
20%
5%
14%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
64
T7 TABLE 7 DIRECTOR SALARY RANGE
Although foundation funding dominates, Table 8 indicates
Nearly half (44%) of youth media directors/coordinators make
some diversity in the funding portfolios of the responding
under $35,000.Another 29% are paid between $35,000 and
organizations.Only 12% rely almost entirely (76% to 100%) on
$55,000.Seven percent make $60,000 to $75,000,and only 2%
foundation funding,and only 8% rely heavily on state gov-
of the directors make more than $75,000.Nineteen percent
ernment funding.
report that the question is not applicable to their situation,
either because they do not employ a director, their director
Individual donors are a major source of funding for more
draws no salary, or for other, unknown reasons.Those who
than half the organizations surveyed,although most of them
reported that the salary item was not applicable also includ-
(37%) receive 10% or less of their funding from individuals.
ed those who reported that the director’s employment status
More than half (51%) also receive funding from state govern-
was not applicable or that the director was a volunteer.
ment. Ten percent of the organizations report that they
receive half to all of their budgets from state funds.Corporations or corporate foundations also provide funding to more
T8 TABLE 8
than half (51%) the organizations surveyed,although dollar
YOUTH MEDIA FUNDING SOURCES
amounts for corporate funding tend to represent lower
Private foundations are the largest source of funding for
percentages of the organizations’ budgets.
youth media organizations in the survey. Thirty-four percent
receive up to 25% of their funding from foundations,and 32%
Fees for services generate revenue for many of the organiza-
receive from half to all of their revenue in foundation fund-
tions,with 7% reporting significant revenue from this source,
ing. However, nearly one-fourth of respondents (24%) receive
but more than half of the reporting organizations (54%)
no foundation funding.
report no income from fees for service.Most (58%) do not
TABLE 7 DI RECTOR SALARY RANGE
The salary range for your Youth Media Director/ Coordinator is:
Responses by Frequency *
Under $10,000
$10,000–25,000
$25,000–35,000
$35,000–45,000
$45,000–55,000
$60,000–75,000
Over $75,000
Not applicable
17%
7%
20%
14%
15%
7%
2%
19%
TABLE 8 YOUTH MEDIA FUNDING SOURCES
Please indicate the approximate percentage of funding for your youth media programs
that comes from the following sources (Please fill in the blanks to the best of your ability):
Responses by Frequency *
Smaller Amount of the Budget
Private foundation funding
Individual donors
State government funding
Corporate or corporate
foundation funding
Fees for services
Federal government funding
Local government funding
Sales/gate from distribution
or exhibition of work
11–25%
26–50%
20%
37%
29%
14%
7%
10%
10%
7%
2%
27%
19%
17%
22%
10%
8%
14%
14%
24%
3%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
65
Larger Amount of the Budget
1–10%
51–75%
76–100%
None
20%
2%
2%
12%
0%
8%
24%
46%
49%
10%
10%
8%
5%
2%
5%
2%
0%
0%
2%
2%
3%
49%
54%
58%
56%
0%
2%
2%
68%
MAPPI NG THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
receive federal funding, although federal funding provides
some revenue for the remaining organizations and is a
T9 TABLE 9
GEOGRAPHIC REACH OF YOUTH MEDIA
ORGANIZATIONS
significant source of funding for 4% of the respondents.
Most of the youth media organizations represented in the
Local government funding provides some revenue for 44%
survey work locally (59%).One-fourth of them (25%) work
of the organizations,although this source represents signifi-
regionally, and 8% work nationally. In open-ended responses,
cant funding for only 3% of grantees.
19% of the respondents said that they worked in multiple
states that were not necessarily grouped regionally. For those
Cost recovery strategies for the sales or gate from the distrib-
multistate youth media organizations,5% worked in two
ution of youth-produced work are not a significant source of
states,5% worked in three states,3% worked in five states,1%
funding for these youth media organizations.A whopping
(one respondent) worked in six states,and 1% worked in six-
68% generated no funding through the sales or exhibition of
teen states.Examples of multiple-state responses include
the youth-produced media.However, 4% received half to all
groups who work in Florida,New York,and Texas,or Georgia,
of their funding from sales/gate or distribution.
Illinois,and Wisconsin.The percentages of respondents who
do youth media work in each state are as follows:
In open-ended responses,some said that they generated
Alaska (14%);Arizona (3%); California (44%); Colorado (7%);
District of Columbia (7%);Florida (10%);Georgia (7%);Idaho
(3%);Illinois (17%);Indiana (3%); Kentucky (10%); Louisiana (3%);
Maine (3%);Maryland (3%);Massachusetts (6%);Michigan
(14%);Minnesota (17%);Missouri (3%);Montana (7%);New
Jersey (3%);New Mexico (3%);New York (24%);Ohio (14%);
Oregon (7%); Pennsylvania (7%);South Carolina (3%); Texas
(14%); Utah (14%); Virginia (3%); Washington (17%); Wisconsin (7%)
funding from a variety of sources that may or may not fit
into the funding categories listed.These include revenue
from cable franchise fees,in-kind support from sponsoring
organizations (50% to 75%),contracts from public schools
(11% to 25%) and other organizations that receive all levels
of government grants for issues such as migrant education,
work readiness programs,foster care,public and schools.
Production contracts (26% to 50%) from nonprofit organizations were also highlighted as a means of funding for some
Nineteen percent said that they did programmatic work in
organizations.
other countries.A few (5%) specified that they were involved
internationally through distribution only. One of the organi-
GEOGRAPHIC REACH OF THE ORGANIZATIONS
Anecdotal information suggests that youth media is spreading across the United States.The questionnaire asked respon-
zations specified partnerships with government programs
such as USAID. When asked in an open-ended item to specify
their work internationally, responses were:
dents to identify the geographic area served by their organizations.Organizations in the sample served youth locally,
regionally, nationally, in multistate areas,and internationally.
Working with EDC USAID missions;Israel/Palestine,
Afghanistan, Pakistan,Mexico; We often have visitors from
other countries including Canada,England,Argentina, Australia,
and Finland and had an extant program with Finland; We put
TABLE 9 GEOGRAPHIC REACH OF YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Our youth media organization mainly serves clients:
Responses by Frequency *
Locally
Regionally
Nationally
Internationally
Multiple,nonregional states
59%
25%
8%
19%
17%
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
66
on an international children’s film festival;This is our first year;
We expect it to grow from a regional festival to an international
festival; We partner with international organizations for video
and internet exchanges with areas including Venezuela,
Singapore,Iraq,England,and Russia;Baja California,Mexico;
via our website,internationally; Brazil, Korea;Germany.
clients.In open-ended responses,one radio organization
noted that they reached an audience of over 26 million with
twelve radio shows.However, because of the small number
of community access respondents,cablecasts were not applicable to about half (46%) of the respondents.It may be that
those who reach smaller numbers of clients through distribution and exhibition are doing so in face-to-face venues.
CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH SERVED
Respondents were asked to estimate the number of clients
that they serve for a variety of common youth media
Community screenings reached small audiences (27%),
although another 27% reported that they reached from 100
to 500 clients through community screenings.Festivals also
activities. Table 10 shows the results.
reached small audiences of fewer than 100 people (32%),
although a few reached much larger audiences.
T10 TABLE 10 CLIENT SERVED BY ACTIVITY
The survey highlights the relatively limited capacity of youth
media organizations to serve large numbers of youth.The
respondents were most likely to provide training for up to
100 youth (63%).Those who use radio, cablecasting,or
Internet channels to produce and distribute student work or
Respondents were asked several questions related to the age
and demographic makeup of their client base. Table 11 displays the estimated ages of participants in the youth media
programs.
training are the exception.These organizations are able to
reach thousands and tens of thousands of their targeted
TABLE 10 CLIENT SERVED BY A CTIVITY
Please estimate the approximate number of clients served in the past year in the following ways:
0–100
0-50
Training
Festivals
Cablecasts
Community
screenings
Distribution/
exhibition
1–500
500–1,000
51100
101250
251500
32% 31%
29% 3%
17% 3%
12%
7%
3%
8%
7%
0%
3%
2%
2%
27%
3%
12%
15%
17%
3%
12%
5%
Responses by Frequency *
1,000–5,000
5,000–25,000
501- 751750 1,000
1,0012,500
2,5015,000
5,00110,000
3%
5%
0%
2%
7%
2%
3%
3%
7%
2%
2%
2%
0%
0%
3%
2%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
5%
2%
3%
2%
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
67
10,00125,000
25,000–50,000 +
25 ,00150,000
Over
50,000
None
or N/A
0%
0%
3%
0%
0%
10%
3%
34%
46%
2%
0%
0%
25%
5%
0%
15%
27%
M A P P I N G TH E F I E L D :
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
T11 TABLE 11 CLIENT AGE LEVEL S
Table 12 shows the demographic makeup of the client base
served in each category.
Most organizations work with youth in grades 9 through 12,
followed by grades 7 and 8.Only 7% of programs surveyed
T12 TABLE 12: CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC
do not work with middle- or secondary-school-aged youth.
Results demonstrate a diverse client base. Youth media orga-
Over half (53%) work with grades 4 through 6,although
these ages represent a smaller percentage of their work than
nizations in this survey are most likely to serve urban youth
do the upper grades.Seven percent devote at least half of
and least likely to serve suburban youth.Twenty percent of
their services to university-aged students.Over half work
the programs serve high percentages of rural youth.Females
with teachers or other adults.Four percent devote a signifi-
are represented slightly more often in the programs than
cant percentage of their work to teachers’ professional devel-
males,with 3% of programs devoted exclusively to females.
opment.They are less likely to identify artists as a target
Overall, youth who are non-U.S. citizens, who live with dis-
audience.Organizations in this sample are least likely to
abilities,or who are identified as gay/lesbian/transgendered
work with very young children or elders.
youth have some of the lowest levels of service in the survey.
TABLE 11 CLIENT AGE LEVELS
Please estimate the targetaudience for all services through your youth media programs in the following age groups:
Responses by Frequency *
Lower Number of Clients
Grades 9–12
Grades 7–8
University
Adults:teachers
Adults:miscellaneous
community members
Grades 4–6
Adults:artists
Grades preschool through 3
Elders
Higher Number of Clients
1–10%
11–25%
26–50%
51–75%
76–100%
None
5%
20%
32%
20%
2%
19%
12%
19%
22%
25%
7%
10%
22%
2%
7%
2%
42%
3%
0%
2%
7%
29%
42%
46%
29%
22%
22%
19%
12%
12%
20%
10%
0%
5%
8%
5%
2%
2%
2%
2%
3%
2%
2%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
46%
47%
64%
78%
80%
TABLE 12 CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Please estimate the percentage of clients served each year in your youth media programs in the following demographic groups:
Responses by Frequency *
Lower Number of Clients
1–10%
• Geographic Location
Urban
Rural
Suburban
• Gender/Sexual Orientation
Female
Male
Gay/lesbian/transgendered
• Special Needs
Non–U.S. citizens
Disabled
• Racial/Cultural Orientation
Caucasian/white
African-American
Latino/Hispanic
Asian-American
Native American Indian or
Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or
other Pacific Islander
11–25%
Higher Number of Clients
26–50%
51–75%
76–100%
None
2%
17%
15%
12%
8%
24%
12%
7%
10%
8%
5%
7%
53%
15%
0%
14%
47%
44%
0%
0%
49%
2%
3%
14%
44%
66%
0%
51%
29%
3%
3%
0%
0%
0%
2%
34%
36%
54%
15%
8%
7%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
41%
36%
19%
22%
27%
46%
24%
15%
27%
17%
19%
25%
10%
3%
19%
14%
15%
3%
12%
12%
3%
0%
7%
12%
17%
31%
44%
8%
0%
0%
2%
46%
31%
2%
0%
0%
0%
68%
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
68
Nonetheless,more than 50% of the organizations say that
Asian-American youth.Ethnic groups least likely to be repre-
youth in these demographic categories form as much as one-
sented by these respondents include Native Hawaiian or
quarter of their total youth client base.No programs are
other Pacific Islanders and Native American Indian or
devoted exclusively to disabled youth,non–U.S. citizens,or
Alaskan Native.Nonetheless,33 percent report that Native
gay/lesbian/transgendered youth, but two organizations
Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders comprise up to one-fourth of the
(3%) devote significant levels of service to gay/lesbian/
organizations’client base,and 52 percent report that Native
transgendered youth.
Americans and Alaskan Native youth do.
T13 TABLE 13 ECONOMIC LEVELS
The youth media programs that responded to the survey are
most likely to identify the ethnicity of the youth they serve
The youth media organizations represented in the survey
as Caucasian/white and African-American.Service to these
work most extensively with youth from underserved commu-
demographic groups is roughly equal,and 12% of the pro-
nities and classify their economic levels as primarily poor/
grams are exclusively devoted to one or the other . Those
disadvantaged or low income/working class.Only 8% do not
who serve a majority of Caucasian/white students are more
work with either of these economic groups.
likely to be found in rural areas.Those who serve a majority
of African-American youth are more likely to be found in
Lower middle class youth make up smaller percentages of
urban areas.
the clients served, but are still reflected as up to half of the
client base of 78% of respondents.Only 14% did not work with
As can be seen in Table 12,other racial/cultural demographics
lower-middle class youth.Only 20% do not work with upper
reflect lower percentages of the reporting organizations’
middle class youth.Nearly half do not work with advantaged
client base.However, it can be argued that these percentages
or wealthy youth at all,and the other half serves only small
might match or exceed the relative demographic profile of
percentages.
these groups in the organizations’geographic regions.
Although more research must be done to compare the census
demographics of each region with the organizations’responses,
it is likely that the responses underscore the field’s commit-
THE AIMS AND PURPOSES OF
YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
The youth media organizations that responded to the NAMAC
ment to diversity.
questionnaire serve a diverse population of youth,using all
Latino/Hispanic youth receive high levels of service from 18%
of the respondents.Seventeen percent report no service to
communications media for a wide range of reasons.When
asked to give the number one reason that they work in youth
media,42% of the organizations reported that they wanted
this demographic group.Thirty-one percent of the organiza-
“to give youth a voice.” In open-ended responses,this concept
tions do not serve Asian-American youth, but 63% of the
of “voice”took on a number of forms related to advocacy,
organizations devote up to one-quarter of their service to
TABLE 13 ECONOMIC LEVELS
Please estimate the percentage of clients served each year in your
youth media program who fall within the following economic levels:
Responses by Frequency *
Lower Number of Clients
Disadvantaged/poverty
Low income/working class
Lower middle class
Upper middle class
Advantaged/wealthy
1–10%
11–25%
27%
7%
12%
41%
41%
19%
27%
29%
25%
8%
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
69
Higher Number of Clients
26–50%
15%
31%
37%
10%
2%
51–75%
17%
15%
5%
2%
0%
76–100%
14%
12%
2%
0%
0%
None
8%
8%
14%
20%
49%
MAPPI NG THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
opportunity, leadership skills,social justice,and participatory
There is a sense th at commercial, mainstream media not only
citizenship.Respondents commented that their mission was
is limited in its range of form and content but also that it
“to let young people advocate for their own issues, have those
misrepresents youth.Eight percent of the organizations
issues added to the public discourse;to encourage leadership
report that they worked in youth media to counter the
skills;and to have the airing of [youth-generated] issues
preponderance of mainstream media or, as one respondent
influence the voting public and public policy makers.” The
wrote, “to promote diversity through the media.” Eight
primary mission reported by the remaining youth media
percent hope “to encourage creative,self-expression”through
organizations is spread among several other categories.
the media arts, “to develop artistic talent in media arts.”
14 PRIMARY MISSION OF YOUTH MEDIA
T14 TABLE
ORGANIZATIONS
Only a few (5%) reported more practical missions:to prepare
youth for careers,to facilitate learning in academic subjects
The “other”category provided space for respondents to write
(3%),or to prepare youth for negotiating a digital world (2%).
additional comments.Fourteen percent of the “other”
One respondent wrote that the aim of their organization was
responses provide more nuances about the missions of these
“to empower youth to keep middle school girls interested in
organizations.Equal access to new literacy skills is an under-
science and technology.” The more general mission “to offer
lying issue, “to give youth access to media making tools and
youth healthy recreational activities”through the use of
skills who would not otherwise have access due to lack of
media was not the main reason for these organizations (2%).
resources.” Others wrote that their number one reason for
However, one organization remarked that their main focus is
youth media was “to develop youth’s critical literacy and citi-
to “use filmmaking and storytelling as a way for youth to
zenship skills;to create positive social change;and to develop
personalize the issue of sexual health.” Although some youth
critical thinking skills through media literacy.”
advocates believe that media content is harmful to children,
none of the organizations responded that “to protect children
As previously mentioned,56% of the organizations in the
from the harm caused by media” was the number one reason
survey work within larger nonprofit organizations that are
for their work.
devoted to a wider range of social programs for youth.For
14% of respondents,the more general mission “to build and
When asked to name all of their aims and purposes,the
strengthen our community” was the aim of their youth
organizations chose a wide range of motivations for working
media work.For some,this aim was directed to “media liter-
in the field of youth media. Table 15 shows their many aims
ate youth and educators.” Some of the open-ended responses
and purposes and makes a case for some consensus in the
were related to specific communities,for example, “to explore
sample about the various missions that drive the youth
Jewish culture and push its boundaries as well as build and
media field.
strengthen our community.”
TABLE 14 PRIMARY MISSION OF YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Itis difficult to choose only one reason,but you will be able to state many reasons in other areas of the survey.
For this question,please tell us the NUMBER ONE reason that your organization is devoted to youth media:
Responses by Frequency *
To give youth a voice
Other
To build and strengthen our community
To encourage creative self-expression
To provide alternatives to commercial,mainstream media
To prepare youth for careers in media
To facilitate learning in academic subjects
To prepare youth for negotiating a digital world
To offer youth healthy recreational activities
To protect children from the harm caused by the media
42%
14%
14%
8%
8%
5%
3%
2%
2%
0%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
70
T15 TABLE 15 MULTIPLE AIMS AND PU RPOSES OF
environments,the process of teaching is expressed in written
YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
comments by some respondents,for example, “to promote
Almost all of the organizations in the sample agree that
project-based,inquiry-driven learning where the process is
creative self-expression (97%),giving youth a voice (95%),
as important as the product.” In particular, peer education
and preparing youth for negotiating a digital world (93%)
appears in several of the written comments,for example, “to
are all important reasons that their organizations are devoted
promote peer education and healthy lifestyles;to give youth
to youth media.In open-ended responses, they comment
the opportunity to teach their peers;and to get youth think-
that they hope to “provide an environment for freedom of
ing about their choices and decisions.”
expression and thought [that] promotes self motivation and
inner passion for achievement.” The need to apprentice
Twelve percent chose “to build and strengthen our community”
youth leaders generates a number of comments: “to encour-
as one of their organization’s missions,a slight decline from
age active citizenship,and youth leadership;to empower
the 14% who chose this as their main reason.A few others
youth by giving them an opportunity to develop leadership
chose “to protect children from the harm caused by media
& project development skills;to enrich and challenge our
(12%) as one of many aims and purposes for their
organization with the vitality, insight and demands that
organization.
young people bring to any endeavor.” Eighty-eight percent
of respondents hope to provide alternatives to commercial,
mainstream media.
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF YOUTH
MEDIA PROGRAMS
Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of time
The roots of youth media in informal educational environ-
they spend on activities related to their organization’s mission.
ments are reflected in the results. Very few respondents from
Table 16 shows these estimates.
formal educational settings are represented in the survey
sample.Thirty-six percent want to facilitate learning in academic subjects,and 25% want to offer youth healthy recreational activities.Twenty percent want to prepare youth for
careers in media.Whether in formal or informal learning
TABLE 15 MULTIPLE AIMS OF YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Please tell us about ALL THE REASONS that your organization is devoted to youth media:
Responses by Frequency *
To encourage creative self-expression
To give youth a voice
To prepare youth for negotiating a digital world
To provide alternatives to commercial,mainstream media
To facilitate learning in academic subjects
To offer youth healthy recreational activities
To prepare youth for careers in media
To build and strengthen our community
To protect children from the harm caused by the media
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
71
97%
95%
93%
88%
36%
25%
20%
12%
12%
MAPPI NG THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
TABLE 16 ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES RELATED
T16TO
THE MISSION
Exhibition and visibility activities are conducted by a large
majority (88%) of the organizations,although most devote
The responding organizations are most likely to devote large
10% or less of their time for screening and presenting youth-
amounts of time to direct youth service through workshops
produced work.The 12% who do no youth-produced presenta-
and training.The majority of organizations also develop cur-
tions also conduct no training activities with youth.
riculum for their workshops and training.The 12% that spend
no time on curriculum development includes those who do
Large majorities of the organizations devote various percent-
not conduct workshops.Forty-six percent respond that they
ages of their time to outreach and visibility activities.
spend about half of their time on youth workshops or train-
Although most maintain a Web site,56% spend little time
ings,and only 8% spend no time at all with these activities.In
on the activity.
open-ended responses,they say that this includes “facilitating production of youth media content; youth directed meet-
The organizations in this sample are less likely to be involved
ings that involve planning for the show, pre-recording materi-
with the wider distribution of youth-produced work,with
al for the show;filming,on location filming and the research
32% reporting that they do not distribute youth media prod-
of topics;and daily announcements and student produced
ucts.However, the 7% of organizations who report that they
work.”
are involved in distribution activities spend large amounts of
time distributing youth media.Another 12% spend up to half
The majority of organizations in this sample conduct educator workshops,although 47% spend only up to 10% of their
time on these activities.One comments that the time is spent
“educating funders and school administrators.” Thirty-seven
percent respond that they conduct no educator workshops.
The youth media organizations are least likely to conduct
professional development activities with media artists/
trainers.Fifty-four percent spend no time in workshops with
of their time distributing youth’s work.Similarly, 36% are not
involved in festivals, but 3% spend up to 75% of their time on
these activities,and the majority spend small amounts of
time either attending or hosting festivals.The organizations
in this sample estimate the least amount of time for conference activities.
When asked to estimate the percentage of time devoted to
media artists/ trainers.Presumably, this includes staff development activities for the artists who are employed as staff
members.Forty-two percent spend small amounts of time in
media artist and trainer activities;however, over half of the
organizations surveyed (54%) report that they do no profes-
administrative activities,the majority of organizations (88%)
report that they spend their time fund-raising, with 9%
spending more than half of their time and 39% spending
small amounts of time on fund-raising.Program administration activities take various percentages of time,with only 14%
sional development for media artists/trainers.
TABLE 16 ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE MISSION
Please estimate the percentage of time your youth media program devotes to the following activities:
Responses by Frequency *
Smaller % of Time
• Workshops and Training Activities
Student/youth workshops/training
Materials/curriculum development
Educator workshops
Workshops for media artists/trainers
• Exhibition and Visibility Activities
Screenings/presentations of
youth-produced work
Outreach
Web site maintenance and development
Distribution of youth-produced work
Festivals
Conferences
• Administrative Activities
Fund-raising
Program administration
Staff support for youth media programs
Program evaluation
Larger % of Time
1–10%
11–25%
10%
46%
47%
34%
22%
29%
3%
8%
14%
10%
3%
0%
17%
2%
5%
2%
29%
0%
0%
0%
8%
12%
37%
54%
56%
36%
56%
34%
42%
58%
24%
32%
17%
15%
10%
5%
5%
14%
5%
12%
7%
2%
3%
0%
0%
5%
3%
0%
0%
2%
0%
2%
0%
0%
12%
17%
20%
32%
36%
34%
39%
31%
34%
59%
27%
36%
29%
19%
14%
17%
7%
3%
7%
3%
3%
2%
2%
0%
3%
0%
12%
14%
24%
17%
* Due to rounding, responses will notadd up to 100%;n = 59.
26–50%
51–75%
76–100%
None
72
reporting that their organizations do not engage in program
administration.Twenty-four percent report no time spent on
staff support for youth media programs and the remainder
spend relatively smaller percentages of time on staff support
activities.All but 17% of the organizations report that they do
some evaluation activities.However, the estimated percentage of time spent on e valuation is small.Fifty-nine percent
report that they spend a very small percentage of their time
on evaluation.
In a related follow-up question,the organizations were asked
specifically about visibility. Table 17 shows the results to the
question “How do clients hear about your youth media
program?”
T17 TABLE 17 VISIBILITY
Almost all (95%) of the organizations relied on word of mouth
PARTNERSHIPS, including schools, social service agencies,
government organizations, and community-based partnerships.
One respondent commented,“We collaborate with specific
organizations locally for certain programs, and those organizations are either completely or partially responsible for or ganizing the clients to attend a program.” This is particularly true o f
the school-based programs:“The program is offered as a class
in high schools.Itis marketed and registered for in the same
manner each school uses for other classes.” Another respondent
elaborates,“Our programs are electives and published in a
catalog.”
OUTREACH to teachers, students, school guidance counselors,
and community groups through recruitment presentations in
high schools, teachers’meetings, and community-based
organizations.
NETWORKING,including the Youth Media Advocacy Coalition,
the After-School Institute,and the Open Society Institute
Fellow Network.
to spread awareness of their programs.Some found general
press placements (44%) or more targeted press placements
(42%) to be helpful.Less than one-third (31%) relied on community events to raise the visibility of their youth media
work.Only one-fourth (25%) reported that they relied on the
Web to promote their organizations.In open-ended responses,the organizations listed a number of other strategies for
visibility. These included:
TARGETED MAILINGS, including fliers to schools, catalogs, direct
mail to teachers in schools, print/mail piece issued six times
per year, and listservs that target nonprofits and teachers.
CABLE CHANNELS, mentioned as a visibility strategy by only
one organization. Few organizations list electronic or digital
media as a dissemination or visibility tool.
YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
In addition to the more general organizational activities,the
questionnaire focused specifically on activities common to
youth media production work.The organizations were asked
to estimate the percentage of time spent on a number of
youth media activities.
TABLE 17 VISIBILITY
How do clients hear about your youth media program (Please select as many as apply):
Responses by Frequency *
Word of mouth
General press placements (local news, cable television,etc.)
Targeted press placements (school newspapers, etc.)
Community events
The Web
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to multiple responses and rounding;n = 59.
73
95%
44%
42%
31%
25%
M A P P I N G TH E F I E L D :
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
T18 TABLE 18
T19 TABLE 19
YOUTH MEDIA ACTIVITIES
TECHNOLOGIES USED I N YOUTH MEDIA ACTIVITIES
The organizations devote significant program time to both
The penetration of digital media can be seen in the types of
field production and studio production,with slightly more
information and communications used by the organizations.
time to field production.In addition,media analysis and criti-
Forty-one percent report that they exclusively work with digi-
cal viewing activities represent an investment in time for all
tal multimedia forms.Another 37% work with a combination
but 14% of respondents.Responses about distribution and
of analog and digital media.Only 3% work exclusively with
evaluation are roughly reflected by the responses seen for
analog media such as film or tape.Radio work is represented
general organizational activities in Table 16.Distribution
by 12% of the respondents.Three percent work exclusively
activities lag noticeably behind production and analysis activ-
with photography. None of the respondents reported work in
ities,with 25% reporting that they do not engage in distribu-
print-based media.However, print was represented in the
tion of youth-produced work.Eighty-five percent of the orga-
“other”category (3%), which included these responses:“print
nizations participate in evaluation activities, but 56% spend
journalism;TV production;all of the above;split between
very little time on them.
analog and computer-based;computer technology;digital
video/editing;16mm and Super-8 film;computer animation
In open-ended responses in the “other”category, individual
and digital video animation;and screenwriting.”
respondents elaborate that their activities include “airing the
show (1% to 10%); youth leadership/community activism (1%
In addition to technologies,the survey took a look at the
to 10%); multimedia production (1% to 10%),editing (26% to
genres of youth-produced products.Respondents were asked
50%),postproduction (25%),general youth development activ-
to estimate the percentage of time spent on several types of
ities (26% to 50%),and special events (25%).
media content common to youth media programs.
TABLE 18 YOUTH MEDIA ACTIVITIES
What percentage of time does your program spend on the following activities?
Responses by Frequency *
Smaller % of Time
Field production
Studio production
Media analysis/critical viewing
Evaluation
Distribution
1–10%
11–25%
14%
25%
34%
56%
37%
25%
20%
25%
22%
19%
Larger % of Time
26–50%
32%
22%
19%
3%
12%
51–75%
12%
10%
5%
3%
3%
76–100%
8%
7%
3%
0%
3%
None
8%
15%
14%
15%
25%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
TABLE 19 TECHNOLOGIES USED IN YOUTH MEDIA ACTIVITIES
Please tell us about ALL THE REASONS that your organization is devoted to youth media:
Responses by Frequency *
Computer-based multimedia (e.g., web design,digital video/audio, etc.)
A combination of analog and digital multimedia (audio converted to
digital,analog footage edited on the computer, etc.)
Radio
Photography
Analog (e.g.,film or tape-based audio/videotape)
Other technologies
Print
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
41%
37%
12%
3%
3%
3%
0%
74
T20 TABLE 20 KINDS OF WORK PRODUCED
instructional media,feature reports and talk shows, stage
The majority of organizations do some mixture of media
productions,talent shows,35mm photography, and architec-
genres,with a greater focus on documentary work across
tural and landscape CAD-based programs.
the board.Approximately two-thirds reported work on
narrative/fictional work,although they were likely to spend a
relatively smaller percentage of time on this genre.Another
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE SERVICE AND OUTREACH
FOR YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
The organizations were asked to identify several barriers to
two-thirds (66%) worked with experimental and non-narra-
outreach and service for their youth media clients,as shown
tive media forms,a few of them (7%) extensively. Cutting-
in Table 21.
edge production with digital tools is not represented here.
For example, very few of the youth media organizations
T21
have experience producing interactive games.
Open-ended comments from 29% of respondents show that
the choices on the questionnaire for this item were too limited.
Several noted public service announcements (PSAs) as a
choice for this item.Respondents also noted significant time
spent on music programs, Web sites,digital photography,
live call-in shows,animation and video poems,public
TABLE 21 MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO SERVICE AND OUTREACH
FOR YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Three of the barriers are c ited across programs,indicating
some barriers common to the sample.Almost all of the
groups surveyed (98%) report that “awareness of their program”is a barrier to outreach and service for their youth
media clients.
The digital divide is also alive and well with these groups.
affairs productions,hip-hop,comedy, print publications,
Almost all (92%) agree that technology access issues are a
TABLE 20 KINDS OF WORK PRODUCED
Please estimate the percentage of work that students produce in the following genre:
Responses by Frequency *
Smaller % of Time
Documentary
Narrative/fiction
Experimental,non-narrative
News
Interactive games
1–10%
11–25%
12%
25%
24%
19%
8%
22%
19%
20%
14%
0%
Larger % of Time
26–50%
31%
17%
14%
7%
0%
51–75%
7%
5%
5%
3%
0%
76–100%
12%
3%
2%
7%
0%
None
17%
31%
34%
49%
92%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
TABLE 21 MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO SERVICE AND OUTREACH FOR YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Please indicate some barriers to outreach and service for the youth media clients you serve:
Responses by Frequency *
Awareness of our program
Technology access issues
Students have too many other activities to choose from
Student mobility/retention
Staff need for more support/training to work effectively with youth
Poor transportation options
Language barriers
Need for a curriculum
Intergenerational communication (adultsupport/helping youth
stay connected to the enterprise)
Staff turnover
The physical locations for our youth media activities are problematic
75
* Responses may notadd up to 100% due to multiple responses and rounding;n = 59.
98%
92%
92%
75%
71%
56%
51%
41%
37%
31%
27%
MAPPI NG THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
barrier to success.The same percentage (92%) agrees that
contemporary young people are busy with other work,
22: BIGGEST BARRIER TO SERVICE AND OUTREACH FOR
T22 TABLE
YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
school,recreation,and enrichment activities.
Twenty-nine percent of the organizations identify a range of
topics as their biggest barrier to successful program improve-
Student mobility and retention is a barrier to success for 75%
ment.Unsurprisingly, most have to do with funding and
of the organizations.Seventy-one percent indicate the need
capacity issues.Organizations cite a need for resources such
for more staff training and support.
as staff,equipment,and physical facilities.Others cite problems with technology access,a need for stronger partner-
Poor transportation options are a problem for youth,and over
ships,and poor school leadership for the arts.
half (56%) reflect this concern,although the physical locations
for the youth media activities are not a large barrier, with
For 14% of the organizations,“awareness of our program”is
only 27% citing location as a problem.Respondents report
the main barrier to success.Poor transportation options are
that transportation is particularly problematic in rural areas.
cited by 14% of the organizations. One commented that
Language barriers are cited as a barrier to success for over
“transportation issues are the number one problem for pro-
half of the organizations (51%).Forty-one percent need more
jects off site in rural communities.” In contrast,one of the
curriculum resources.
urban organizations stated,“Our facility is well served by
public transit for activities taking place here.”
Intergenerational communication,that is,adult support to
help youth stay connected to the enterprise,is problematic
Twelve percent cite technology access issues as the primary
for 37%.Staff turnover is a problem for 31% of the youth
barrier. Another 10% report that their main concern is for
media organizations.Remarkably, one respondent reported
more staff support/training to work effectively with youth.
no barriers to the success of its youth media organization.
Ten percent report that retention of youth or student mobility
is their main problem.
Open-ended responses both elaborate on existing categories
and suggest new ones.The responses can be grouped into the
The remaining barriers were identified less frequently as the
following overlapping areas:capacity, especially funding;
primary obstacles to success:students have too many activi-
problems related to integration of youth media into the
ties to choose from (3%);the physical locations for our youth
school culture and curriculum;and problems related to inte-
media activities are problematic (3%);language barriers (2%);
gration into communities,including the poverty of communi-
staff turnover (2%); and intergenerational communication (2%).
ties served and the perception that youth media groups are
“outsiders”to the client service areas’cultures. Table 22
shows little agreement on the biggest barrier to service
and outreach.
TABLE 22 BIGGEST BARRIER TO SERVICE AND OUTREACH FOR YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS
Please indicate the biggestbarrier to outreach and service for the youth media clients you serve:
Responses by Frequency *
Other
Awareness of our program
Poor transportation options
Technology access issues
Student mobility/retention
Staff need for more support/training to work effectively with youth
Students have too many other activities to choose from
The physical locations for our youth media activities are problematic
Language barriers
Staff turnover
Intergenerational communication
(adultsupport/helping youth stay connected to the enterprise)
Need for a curriculum
29%
14%
14%
12%
10%
10%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
0%
* Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding;n = 59.
76
MAPPING THE FIELD:
Discussion of Results
MAPPING THE FIELD:A SURVEY OF YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
presents a snapshot of an emerging field,seeded with efforts across the United States.
Slightly over half of the fifty-nine youth media programs surveyed operate under the fiscal
umbrella of a larger nonprofit organization with broader missions in the arts,education,or
youth development.Twenty percent of the respondents operate as stand-alone,nonprofit
organizations devoted exclusively to youth media work.Nearly half of the youth media
programs in the study are relatively new, with one to five years of service.A fifth of them
have been in operation for only one or two years.
Major purposes for almost all of these youth media organizations are to encourage creative
self-expression, to give youth a voice, to prepare youth for negotiating a digital world, and to
provide an alternative to commercial, mainstream media. Most of the responding organizations accomplish their objectives through programs that focus on direct media access and
instruction to yo ut h ,w ith workshops and curriculum development. Some programs also
have a teacher training component.
Very few of the organizations in the study identify themselves as educational institutions,
although many of the community-based nonprofits say that they integrate their youth
media offerings into formal educational settings through school partnerships.Many of
the informal education programs stress the value of peer-to-peer instructional methods.
Most serve relatively small numbers of up to 100 youth in workshops,festivals,and community screenings.Smaller percentages of the sample serve large numbers of youth
through these and other activities.The organizations that utilize broadcast,cablecast,or
Internet channels serve many more youth than those that employ face-to-face methods.
The organizations produce a range of youth-created work that is diverse in medium and
genre.Perhaps reflecting their relatively recent establishment,most of them work in computer-based multimedia or a mix of analog and digital media.Radio is represented by 12%
of the respondents.Print media organizations are underrepresented in the sample.The
majority of the organizations work with the moving image and spend a great deal of time
in field and studio production on documentaries, narrative/fiction,and experimental/nonnarrative genres.In open-ended comments,respondents also reported significant production of public service announcements and animated shorts.Although they are likely to
work in digital environments,they do not yet report hands-on activities with newer, interactive genres such as interactive gaming.The great majority supplement their media
production activities with a relatively smaller media analysis component.
The organizations in the survey are most likely to represent the coasts,specifically
California (44%) and the New York area (24%),although the remainder are scattered across
the United States.Most work locally (59%), but some operate regionally (25%),internationally (19%),and nationally (8%).They are most likely to be found in urban or rural settings
with a demographically diverse client base of poor or lower-income youth.The youth
served are typically adolescents in grades 7 through 12.However, most organizations direct
a small percentage of their program to students in grades 4 through 6 and to adults,especially teachers.
77
M A P P I N G TH E F I E L D :
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
These organizations operate with relatively small budgets
respondents’open-ended responses related to need for fund-
and staff.The majority have operating budgets of less than
ing are telling:
$150,000 (65%),with 22% of these reporting budgets under
$10,000 and an additional 2% reporting no budgets at all.
Thirty-two percent report budgets of over $100,000.The organizations typically have a staff of 1 to 5 people (68%),supplemented by volunteers,consultants,and part-time personnel.
Fifty-nine percent employ a full-time director or coordinator.
Almost three-fourths of the program directors or coordinators
make under $55,000 a year.
The bulk of youth media budgets go toward direct client
service such as staff,equipment,and overhead,with little
left over for organizational development activities such as
staff development,distribution/exhibition,or evaluation.
The organizations have diversified funding portfolios,with
most of the income from foundations,followed by individual
donors.
CHALLENGES AND SUPPORTS
FOR THE YOUTH MEDIA FIELD
We consistently have two and three times the number of youth
who want to participate than we can afford to support.…lack of
funds for equipment and staffing; We need financial support
for quality technical staff. Financial support for software/hardware upgrades;Saturday seems to be the bestday for our YC to
meetand produce their talk show. That’s great,butwhen you’re
already working full time,devoting two Saturdays a month in
addition is tough;Need more resources to secure and maintain
equipment and staff to provide better services at our central
location and to branch out into neighborhoods; Funding is
needed to sustain and grow the program; Funding to hire more
staff and offer more equipment and space to house more
workshops; Consistent funding to maintain a paid staff person
dedicated to youth media services;Our program is led by one
full-time teacher; All part time staff and consultants are paid
through grants, which are becoming difficult to obtain;The
biggestbarriers are economic. Our videos are priced high for
institutional use and arts/A.V. is first to go when budgets are
cut;Lack of sufficient scholarship resources for fee-based
activities ([We] have some but notenough);Our program is
volunteer run and I feel that there is not enough support for
the youth to stay involved because of that.
Although enthusiastic about the benefits of youth media,
almost all organizations say that their work is hampered by a
These organizations find themselves in a common nonprofit
lack of awareness of their programs,technology access issues,
bind,with a need for more organizational development that
and the fact that youth already have a large menu of activi-
can lead to increased funding, yet with budgets so tight that
ties from which to choose.In open-ended remarks,the lack of
they cannot afford to divert funding to organizational devel-
funding for their programs was a common lament.
opment without cutting into direct client service. For example,
one respondent reports,“Few programs make both a time
It is fair to say that the numbers of clients served correlate
and financial commitment to professional development.”
with the budgets and staff members of the organizations.
Another says,“[There is] no funding for marketing or
Only 10% have a full-time staff of six or more,and most
consistent staffing.”
depend on volunteers,part-time staff,and consultants to
manage the organization and implement the programs.
Although the commitment of resources to client service is
Although they hope to spread their programs and reach out
admirable, it is difficult for the field to professionalize and
to more youth, it is clear that the majority of these organiza-
grow without parallel support for staff development,organi-
tions are hamstrung by a sheer lack of capacity.
zational development, evaluation for program improvement,
It is not for lack of trying.The vast majority spend time with
organizational “fundamentals”that block capacity-building.
visibility, and outreach.The study reveals gaps in these
administrative activities,although compared to client service
When the foundations are strong, youth media organizations
time,administrative time is small.Their funding portfolios
are more likely increase their capacity for service,reversing
are slightly skewed toward foundations and individual
the dynamic from “barely hanging on”to more robust
donors, but overall it is clear that the organizations have
organizational health.
creatively “beat the bushes”for funding.For example, it is
admirable that so many of the youth media programs receive
Moreover, although additional funding would undoubtedly
local,state,and federal funding,since public funding streams
help individual programs to accomplish their missions,
for the media arts and media education are meager. The
funding alone will not guarantee the sustainability and
78
spread of youth media as a field.Other factors include (1)
organizational practices,plans,and strategies by networks of
more organizational development,(2) a clear concept of the
youth media providers.
mission or missions of youth media and related indicators of
success,(3) increased program visibility and outreach,(4)
diverse and creative partnerships,(5) strategies for program
ARTICULATING THE CONCEPT
AND RESULTS OF YOUTH MEDIA
improvement over time,and (6) dissemination and sharing
Youth media advocates are passionate about the need for
of best practices and lessons learned across programs.The
their programs.However, in order to engage and enlist a
following sections discuss these related issues, which lay the
wider public of community members,partners,and funders,
foundation for the sustainability and the spread of the field
it may be necessary to refine the concept and outcomes of
of youth media.
youth media.As previously noted,the study presents several
related choices:to encourage creative self-expression,to give
DEVELOPING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
youth a voice,to prepare youth for negotiating a digital
Direct service of youth through programs and practices is a
world,and to provide an alternative to commercial, main-
top priority for the organizations in this survey. The organiza-
stream media.
tions serve as many youth as they possibly can with small
budgets and staffs.They point to staff turnover and a need
Each of these operates under various assumptions about their
for more staff support and training as barriers to service and
social benefit and can be articulated in idiosyncratic and
outreach for their youth media programs.
ambiguous ways.In particular, the number one mission cited
It is obvious that many of these organizations are stretched to
in open-ended remarks in the study in so many ways as to
the limit .A lthough most engage in fund-raising, they devote
create confusion about the “how and why”of the concept.
very little time or money to other activities related to sustain-
There is a sense th at youth media programs are a way to pro-
by the organizations, “to give youth a voice,” was articulated
ability, such as staff development,program management,orga-
vide the access,knowledge,and skills with communication
nization building, and marketing.Until the organizations can
tools that help youth to become engaged in civic life.There is
find a way to support activities that build their organizations,
also a sense that youth are misrepresented or underrepre-
many of them will likely work feverishly to stand in place.
sented and deserve to create their own representations.In
Although capacity-building activities may limit client service
addition,there is awareness that the nature of media moti-
in the short run,they are essential for organizational health
vates students not only to use these tools str ategically but
in the long run.The staff and boards of directors of youth
also to amplify their voices to a wider audience.
media programs must work to ensure that staff has the
opportunity to participate in staff development, leadership,
Comments from respondents indicate a range of intertwined
and organizational management activities.They must find a
reasons for youth media work,some related to the process as
way to create strategic plans for visibility, funding, market-
well as to the outcomes of the work.Other reasons apply to
ing, evaluation,and growth.
broader youth media development efforts and are only tangentially connected to the use of the media arts as an inter-
Some of the marginal capacity building in these organiza-
vention strategy. These open-ended remarks convey the
tions may be driven by funders.One respondent remarks that
breadth of response to the questionnaire item “Please tell us
“we often find that grants and funding for programs are
all the reasons that your organization is devoted to youth
easier to come by than organizational development or general
media”:
operating funding.” In addition to prioritizing capacity-building activities and dedicating some portion of the budget for
organizational supports, youth media advocates must communicate to funders and donors the need to strengthen their
organizations as a key way to serve their client base and grow
the field.In the meantime,they could receive some technical
assistance at low or no cost through increased sharing of
79
Comments Related to Civic Engagement and Community
Leadership. “To let young people advocate for their own issues,
have those issues added to the public discourse, and to have the
airing of those issues influence the voting public and public
policy makers; To foster intergenerational dialogue about possible solutions/actions around community issues; To encourage
active citizenship, and youth leadership; To explore Jewish
MAPPING T
TH
HE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
culture and push its boundaries as well as build and strengthen
our community to enrich and challenge our organization with
the vitality, insight and demands that young people bring to any
endeavor; To empower youth to create positive social change
and develop critical thinking skills through media literacy.”
Comments Related to Learning and Critical Literacy.
“To promote project-based,inquiry-driven learning where the
process is as important as the product;[To provide] an environment for freedom of expression and thought,[that] promotes
self motivation and inner passion for achie vement; To keep middle school girls interested in science and technolog y; to develop
youth’s critical literacy and citizenship skills; To give youth the
opportunity to teach their peers; to advocate for media literate
youth and educators; To develop artistic talent in media arts.”
RAISING THE VISIBILITY OF THE FIELD
A clearly articulated rationale for the field may help to create
the kind of branding necessary to engage in the “social marketing”of youth media to a broader group of stakeholders.
The survey shows that both time and money are in short supply for activities related to visibility and outreach,including
exhibitions,festivals,conferences,organizational Web sites,
and screenings or presentations of youth-created work.In
addition, very few of the organizations engage in sustained
distribution of the work to a wider audience.
Almost all of the organizations rely on word of mouth as the
number one way to spread awareness of their program and
Comments Related to Access and Diversity in Media. “To give
youth access to media making tools and skills who would not
otherwise have access due to lack of resources; To promote
diversity through the media.”
are least likely to rely on the Web (25%). Fewer than half rely
Comments Related to General Youth Development. “To get
youth thinking abouttheir choices and decisions. To use filmmaking and storytelling as a way for youth to personalize the
issue of sexual health; To empower youth to create positive
social change and develop critical thinking skills through media
literacy; To promote peer education and healthy lifestyles.”
thousands of stakeholders.However, these organizations make
on press placements. Less than one-third rely on community
events for increased visibility. In contrast, those who do use
radio, television, and cable channels report that they can reach
up small percentages of the organizations surveyed.
A few of the organizations that participate in festivals,conferences,community events,exhibitions,and screenings report
that they are able to serve large numbers of clients.Although
Priorities for the field and consensus about its core aims and
“awareness of our program”is cited as a barrier by nearly all
purposes would go a long way toward unifying it.Also need-
of the respondents,most keep the circle of outreach small
ed is an explicit statement of how youth media programs
and limited to their immediate communities.Increased par-
result in increased civic engagement, youth learning and
ticipation in events of this type could enhance awareness of
development,and improved media access and representation.
the benefits of youth media in the organizations’immediate
Several national organizations have already begun to articu-
communities and beyond.
late the connection between the overall missions of youth
media programs and their practices. To refine these messages
Increased distribution of youth media productions is another
for use beyond the inner circle of youth media,practitioners
way to raise awareness about the field.Nonetheless, it is diffi-
and advocates must discuss both the general and the particular
cult for individual programs to find venues and outlets for
purposes of their programs and how these specifically lead
youth-produced work on any scale. The problem is similar to
to outcomes that address the needs of their communities.
those of other kinds of media arts organizations that produce
Every staff member of a youth media organization should
genres outside the mainstream,such as avant-garde or exper-
be able to easily and clearly articulate the mission and out-
imental film and video showcases.Distribution is especially
comes of their organization’s work.
problematic as practitioners attempt to balance a nurturing
Such discussions can take place in community-based
product.
learning process with a high-quality, deadline-driven end
forums such as conferences,online listservs,and meetings.
Participants can hone the key concepts for their field in
A select few have managed to produce high-quality, youth-
online “commons areas,” which are provided by some
created productions shown on mainstream media channels,
national youth media organizations.From such a dialogue
but the vast majority have not.Besides,for many youth
can come common threads to use in presenting the case for
media organizations,staying outside mainstream channels is
youth media programs to build the field,engage the
decidedly the point.Fortunately, some key organizations that
community, and recruit youth.
80
specialize almost exclusively in distribution of youth-pro-
of their programs and products with schools’idea of accept-
duced media are beginning to emerge.By working with
able content.Comments include:
youth media organizations,these distributors have an opportunity to create the kind of buzz and impact that can sustain
and spread the concept of youth media.
Given their current capacity limitations, it is no surprise that
visibility and outreach efforts are constrained for most of the
organizations.The organizations would benefit from technical assistance to produce simple visibility plans.Once implemented,the plans could be revised or expanded as the organizations develop.
An eroding schools attendance due to the state’s “teaching
to the test” and lack of administrative support for field trips;
New standardized exams and other graduation requirements
hinder number of students advisors will send for internships
and nonacademic experiential learning opportunities;It’s tough
to get LGBT issues into the classroom and curriculum requirements make itimpossible;Our material is generally more
challenging and therefore when addressing complex issues
such as youth sexuality/identity, simpler and safer programs
are selected,especially if distributors of this material have
funds to sell/rent at costs lower than ours.
CULTIVATING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS
Even integration into other informal spaces can be problem-
Current trends in nonprofit management point to the use of
atic.Although more than half of the organizations work as
partners and consortia to successfully develop,implement,
one program within a larger nonprofit organization,some of
and sustain programs.Visibility and outreach efforts can also
them feel as though they are the “stepchild”of their “mother”
help enlist partners and locate affinity groups and networks
organizations.One respondent says,“We work with kids who
of committed individuals who will help support youth media
are connected with other not-for-profit groups and when the
programs.In open-ended remarks,respondents provided
other not-for-profit groups lose interest, we lose kids and the
some examples of successful partnerships:
quality of the projects suffer.” Another comments:
We operate on a small budget and rely on donations and
tuition.An important factor is having access to “high tech”
industry personnel as a starting point for raising funds such as
expansion grants to getthings running, provide administration
funding, building rental costs, phone,internet, overhead costs.
Raising awareness of the importance of media arts in our community to the people who can make a difference in a child’s life
is a full time job that could be made easier with a network of
concerned tech people in the community.
Our programs are school-based. Each high school we serve is
located within a given community within the region (school
district).When we provide after-school and weekend programming, we use the high schools for the given population in
order to make it more convenient.
This program is perceived as a contribution to the community
(outreach) and notprogrammatically crucial to the mission.
Therefore itis marginalized and notgiven financial support
needed either inside or outside the institution.It is a struggle
to keep it going even though the demand from the community
continues to grow. Also, differences in management styles and
values make allocating resources and meeting deadlines a
challenge.
In addition, many of the organizations surveyed serve communities below the poverty line in both urban and rural
areas.In some ways this is also a capac ity issue—the capacity
of the communities served by the organizations to take
advantage of existing opportunities for youth.The “relative
income”issue also relates to 92% of the organizations who
Finding and managing authentic,sustained relationships
say that “students have too many other activities to choose
with partners is not always easy. In particular, it is important
from” when citing barriers to outreach and service to youth
to work toward a common mission with compatible values
media clients:
that may demand the reconciliation of partners’organizational cultures.For example, many of the organizations operate in an informal educational setting,and some report that
they have difficulty transitioning into the more formal school
environment.In addition to curriculum integration issues,the
organizations cite difficulties integrating the subject matter
81
Students often need to work to help support their families,
scheduling activities around these varied work schedules can
be hard;Other adults/parents/guardians/role models in youth
client’s life that may notbe interested in our program enough
to continue to support the youth’s desire to continue a sustained involvement and interest themselves.
MAPPIN G THE FIELD:
A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in the United States
Finally, tensions can arise when organizations attempt to
programs to respond to the needs of the communities they
disseminate and spread their programs as outsiders to the
serve.Practitioners would benefit from some guidelines
communities they hope to serve.Comments include:
about what works and what doesn’t work in the field.
Staff is notfrom the community and therefore cannot connect
to the youth we serve;problems with racism,sexism,ageism,
classism are prevalent and do notallow for our center to be a
safe space for other staff and youth.
Small staffs and limited budgets curb the use of evaluation
plans and feedback loops that are necessary for program
improvement and responsiveness to clients.On the other
Our primary clients represent the diversity of the Jewish community, including a range of ethnicities and socio-economic levels.
Tensions sometimes occur along economic and ethnic lines.
This has also been a fertile area of exploration in our work.
Local politics made itdifficult to film one of our film projects.
Local leaders were very unreceptive to GLBTQ issues (the subject of this film) in their school. We also have experienced some
resistance distributing our adolescent health videos because we
work in many abstinence-only communities.
Our program is volunteer run and I feel that there is not
enough support for the youth to stay involved because of that.
The volunteers have not had the time to do sufficient outreach
in the community to establish the partnerships with adults
working with youth in the community. I feel that these partnerships are essential in order to getdiversity of young people
involved,as well as give the right type of suppor t needed to
maintain their involvement.
hand, it can be argued that it is futile to collect evidence
when organizations do not have the capacity to use it for
growth and change.Even if this is the case,more data about
youth media would be useful to make a case for stakeholders
outside the field,such as funders,educators,media artists,
and social service agencies.
Funders increasingly require evaluation as a program element,and youth media providers express interest about the
benefits of evaluation for program improvement.As a result,
the need is apparent for more technical assistance about the
methods and tools for evaluating youth media programs.
Fortunately, some instruments are available online to get
youth media practitioners started in evaluation of their programs.Many more examples of model evaluation tools and
strategies that are designed for the goals and objectives of
youth media are needed to get practitioners started with sim-
Youth media brings innovation and vitality to more staid and
ple evaluation activities.
established partners.At the same time,recruiting,cultivating,
and working with partners can boost fledgling youth media
organizations to the next level of service.In other words,partnerships have been shown to enhance programs and to build
capacity for all the partners.They provide “just-in-time”relief
for implementation problems from technology expertise to
second language translation.They are essential for growth
and help to better integrate the programs into schools and
communities.In short,partnerships are a promising strategy
for small,struggling nonprofits.
SHARING BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED
When the evidence from individual projects is aggregated
across programs,a better picture of the benefits and successes of youth media emerges.Evaluation results published
alongside articles and more formal and rigorous research
studies build a research base for youth media.The research
base makes a case for youth media interventions that can be
used by practitioners to start new programs and improve
existing programs.In this way, research about youth media
contributes to the growth and credibility of the field.The
COLLECTING STRATEGIC FEEDBACK
FOR PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT
research base also makes a case for the successful use of
Most of the evidence about successful program implementa-
development.
media as an intervention strategy for youth and community
tion in the youth media field is anecdotal. Very little rigorous
research has been done to identify promising practices,chal-
In order for evidence of best practices and lessons learned to
lenges,and lessons learned that can be used by youth media
be useful, it must be disseminated to a wider audience.
practitioners.The thin research base for youth media stunts
Several organizations report that they disseminate informa-
the growth of the field and inhibits the ability of youth media
tion about youth media,student productions,and technical
82
assistance tools.More information for youth media “wonks”
about best practices and lessons learned in the field would be
a welcome addition to information sharing at conferences,on
Web sites,and through youth media networks.
NEXT STEPS
Mapping the Field:A Survey of Youth Media Organizations in
the United States is a pioneering effort to gather more information about the field of youth media.The study indicates
some areas of need,consensus,and direction,and it provides
some shape to this amorphous field.The survey also raises
important questions that will require further research about
the direction and priorities for the field over time.Many organizations and youth media advocates are already working
nationally to implement proven strategies from the research
on organizational management to ensure the success,sustainability, and spread of youth media programs.
In the coming years,NAMAC will conduct comparative studies to track and expand the data about youth media organizations for broad dissemination to the field.NAMAC hopes that
the study will stimulate additional research about youth
media programs from a wide range of researchers.More
research of this type contributes to best practices,professionalism,and improvement in youth media programs across the
United States.
KATHLEEN TYNERis President/CEO of Hi-Beam Consulting, an information-based consulting firm in San Francisco. She is author of numerous
publications and research studies about the uses of media and technol ogy. Her latestbook is Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and
Learning in the Age of Information.
RHEA MOKUND is the Director of Listen Up! a national network of over
60 youth media organizations, whose mission is to help youth be heard
in the mass media, contributing to a culture of free speech and social
responsibility. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Manhattan
Neighborhood Network, Public Access Television for Manhattan.
83
LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Thanks to the following organizations that responded to the questionnaire for Mapping the Field: A Survey Youth
Media Organizations in the United States. Aki Kurose Middle School, Appalshop, Aspen Filmfest, Bay Area Video
Coalition, Cable Communications Public Benefit Corporation, California Film Institute, Center for Media Literacy,
Children’s PressLine,Col.White High School for the Arts, Communication Arts and Sciences Small School at Berkeley
High School, Community Concepts, Inc., Community Radio WERU-FM, Downtown Community Television Center,
Inc., Educational Video Center, Floresville Middle School, Four Corners Behavioral Health,Inc., Fourth World Vision,
Frameline, Inc., Grand Rapids Community Media Center, HarlemLive, In Progress, Just Think, KBOO Community
Radio, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, Listen Up!, Lowell Telecommunications Corporation, Manhattan
Neighborhood Network Youth Channel, Media Arts Center San Diego, Media Bridges Cincinnati, Minneapolis
Telecommunications Network,Motion Media Arts Center, MPower, The New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC),
The NoodleHead Network, Out North, Pacific Film Archive, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Pickleberry Pie, Inc.,
PICTURE THIS Projects, Pomerene Center for the Arts, Portland Art Museum, Northwest Film Center, REACH LA,
Radio Bilingue, SCETV, STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Saint Paul Neighborhood Center, San Francisco Jewish Film
Festival/New Jewish Film Project, Scenarios USA, Seattle Community Access Network, Spy Hop Productions,
Squeaky Wheel/Buffalo Media Resources, Street Level Youth Media, Strive Media Institute,Thurston High School,
The Visual Arts Foundation,WDIY Community Public Radio for the LeHigh Valley,WORT-FM,Wide Angle Community
Media,The YouthLearn Initiative.
84