Author: Ingrid Hu Dahl

The Powerful Voices for Kids Summer Institute is an intensive professional development experience developed by Renee Hobbs and taught by a diverse faculty including leading scholars, experienced classroom teachers, media professionals, and educational technology specialists. Participants learn about the theory of media literacy, engage in model lessons to deepen their understanding of the use of critical media analysis and media composition in the K- 8 classroom, strengthen technology skills, and explore the complex role of at-home literacies involving media and technology in the lives of children and young people.
The program combines discussion, small group activities, and composition with media and technology. Participants engage in three model lessons during each day of the program, helping them expand their repertoire of instructional strategies. Participants gain experience with media composition activities using video and online writing collaboration tools. All participants receive a Flip video camera to take home. Each day of the program, teachers engage in a production activity. As part of their learning, teachers interview an elementary student from the PVK summer camp using a video camera and edit a simple video, uploading it to YouTube. Teachers create a basic web page to compose and to share their writing. These practical skills prepare teachers to re-enter their classrooms in the fall with a repertoire of exciting strategies to engage and stimulate student learning.
Learn more about the program here.
Join us this summer for a dynamic program of professional development!
Philadelphia, July 5 -9, 2010 — REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

Journalism That Matters Mid-Year Gathering
“Create or Die: Forging Communities that Initiate, Innovate, Incubate”
June 3 – 6, 2009 | Detroit, MI
Wayne State University – Journalism Institute for Media Diversity | St. Andrews Hall
How are we going to reshape journalism so that it engages and serves all people and communities? Initiative, innovation, incubation. For three days in Detroit, some 150 or more people will work at the intersections of journalism, technology, community and diversity to answer our convening question — with action. We’ll share innovations and ideas already in process in the new media landscape, inviting entrepreneurs to showcase and further develop their work over a one-year cycle. Bring your project idea to a focused, three-day gathering of results-driven journalists, entrepreneurs, programmers, technologists, bloggers, videographers, funders, venture capitalists, artists and educators to discover, assess, shape and create new enterprises and new approaches to journalism in a digital age. We’ll learn about Detroit’s changing economy as a metaphor for the change and opportunity dogging journalism.
To register: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=mfptz

Dear Friends,
I am pleased to announce the on-line publication release of “Youth Channel All-City: Mapping the Media Needs and Interests of Urban Youth.”
In 2008 and 2009, the MNN Youth Channel along with a team of academics and youth researchers worked together to design and implement a citywide Community Needs Assessment (CNA). The primary aim of the CNA was to render visible and to understand the media needs and interests of New York City youth as well as to collect feedback for the “Youth Channel All-City” project, an initiative to create a youth-dedicated cable network for New York City and beyond.
Through focus groups, roundtable discussions, an online survey and individual interviews with youth, parents, youth media practitioners, educators, and other interested constituencies in New York City, the CNA collected information on media and community issues surrounding urban youth. I am excited to share with you their ideas and input. Their voices reveal not only what kind of programming they would like to see but also how passionate they feel about the work they engage with through youth media organizations.
Please visit our website,www.youthchannel.org to access a copy of the report. I am sure you will find it not only engaging and powerful but also relevant as we move into the 21st century media and education landscape.
Sincerely,
Isabel Castellanos
Director of Youth Channel
Manhattan Neighborhood Network

NYCLU is sponsoring the Freedom of Expression Contest. This year’s theme: What is change you can believe in?
Youth are asked to choose an issue – racial justice, freedom of speech, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights or something else – then make some noise! Write an essay, poem or short story. Create artwork. Perform spoken word. Make a video. Sing. Rhyme. Be heard! To enter, for complete info and to see past winners, click here.
Entries must be original (group entries accepted), and will not be returned. Applicants must be 21-years-old or younger and live in New York City. Current and former NYCLU/ACLU staff and board members, and their relatives, are not eligible. Finalists will be invited to Broadway Stands up for Freedom – the annual NYCLU benefit concert.
Deadline to submit is Friday, May 28 – Entries will be reviewed starting April 1. Educators get prizes for submitting the most student entries!
Questions and complete rules & info: visit www.nyclu.org/contest, call 212-607-3361 or email contest@nyclu.org
Thousands of Dollars in Prizes! No topic is off limits. All mediums are accepted.

New York, NY (February 26, 2010)— Building on last year’s successful launch of PLURAL+, a youth video festival on migration, diversity and social inclusion, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) again invite the world’s youth to submit dynamic and forward-thinking videos focusing on these issues.
PLURAL+ 2009 not only provided young people with an effective platform to express themselves on key migration and diversity issues, but also the opportunity to reinforce the belief of the UNAOC and IOM that youth are indeed powerful and creative agents of social change.
“Last year’s PLURAL+ participation demonstrated how young people across the world are willing to creatively engage in complex social issues such as migration and cultural inclusiveness”, said Marc Scheuer, Director of the Alliance of Civilizations. “We were very pleased with the quality and relevance of the entries received, and we are thankful for the commitment of PLURAL+’s partners in supporting the distribution of these videos at festivals, conferences and TV broadcasts around the world.”
This year again, young people between the ages of 9 and 25 are invited to submit short videos of one to five minutes in length. The videos should express participants’ thoughts, experiences, questions and suggestions on migration, diversity, integration and identity, highlighting their realities as well as ideas on developing a peaceful coexistence in diverse cultural and religious contexts.
The aim of PLURAL+ is to ensure youth engagement in these important issues both at local and global levels by mainstreaming their voices through a variety of media platforms and distribution networks (broadcast, video festivals, conferences, events, Internet, DVD) around the world.
“We were pleased to see that the PLURAL+ 2009 entrants shared their thoughts, struggles and fears about their identity as youth as well as migrants. The true voice of PLURAL+ is found by listening to a population which is not only entering a new society as a migrant, but entering adulthood as well.” said Luca Dall’Oglio, IOM Permanent Observer to the United Nations.
A prestigious international jury will select three winners in three age categories (9–12, 13–17, 18–25). Each winner will be flown to New York and honored at an awards ceremony at the Paley Center for Media later in the year.
In addition, PLURAL+ partner organizations will award other exciting prizes and professional opportunities. These include co-productions and a chance for awardees to gain international exposure by presenting their work at film and video festivals, conferences and events around the world.
The winning videos from the 2009 edition of PLURAL + will be presented throughout the year at several events sponsored by partner organizations such as BaKaFORUM, Anna Lindh Foundation Forum, Chinh India Festival, Roots and Routes Festival, COPEAM Conference, the Royal Film Commission of Jordan’s Filmmakers Workshop, Havana Film Festival’s Red UNIAL, and NEXOS Alianza. In addition, broadcasters such as Aljadeed TV (Lebanon), TV Futura (Brazil), RAI (Italy) and United Nations TV affiliated networks will air the winning videos.
Participants in the 2010 competition should submit their videos between 1 March – 30 June, 2010. Further information including guidelines, rules and regulations, and the entry form can be found at the PLURAL+ website at: www.unaoc.org/pluralplus.
Contact:
Jordi Torrent, UNAOC, plural@unaoc.org
or Amy Muedin, IOM New York, amuedin@iom.int
©2010 United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. All rights reserved.
UNAOC Secretariat, The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10174 USA

The 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup is where top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, educators and non-profit organizations gather to share best practices, research and latest strategies on marketing to youth with technology.
The Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup Event takes place May 24th and 25th at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, CA.
For more information, visit http://mashup.ypulse.com/.

The Smithsonian Latino Center is pleased to announce the open application season for the 2010 Young Ambassadors Program. The Young Ambassadors Program is a national, interdisciplinary leadership development program for high school seniors. The mission of the program is to foster the next generation of Latino leaders in the arts, sciences, and humanities via the Smithsonian Institution and its resources. This program is made possible through the generous support of Ford Motor Company Fund.
Students with an interest in and commitment to the arts, sciences, and humanities as it pertains to Latino communities and cultures are selected to travel to Washington, D.C. for a week-long, leadership development seminar at the Smithsonian Institution. The seminar encourages youth to explore and understand Latino identity and embrace their own cultural heritage through visits to the Smithsonian’s Latino collections and one-on-one interaction with anthropologists, artists, curators, historians, scientists and other museum professionals.
Following the training seminar, students participate in a four-week interdisciplinary education internship in museums and other cultural institutions in their local communities, including Smithsonian-affiliated organizations.
Participation in the Young Ambassadors Program is underwritten by Ford Motor Company Fund and includes meals and accommodations for the duration of the one-week training seminar, round-trip travel costs to Washington, D.C., and a program stipend. Students selected are responsible for all expenses during the four-week internship, including transportation, accommodations, and meals.
Upon completion of the 5-week program, participants will receive a $2,000 program stipend towards their higher education. Students that do not complete the seminar and four-week internship will not receive the program stipend.
The deadline to apply is April 7, 2010. For further information and
application guidelines and to apply, please visit http://www.latino.si.edu/programs/youngambassadors.htm or contact Emily Key, Education Programs Manager, at 202.633.1268 or by email at slceducation@si.edu.

Welcome to YMR’s first issue in 2010, documenting the Greater Boston Area “Investigating Youth Media Practice,” with support from Open Society Institute.
Practitioners in the Boston area are a fantastic group. Many are part of RYMAEC, a consortium of youth media educators, which you can read more about in this issue.
About 25 people gathered at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) on January 8, 2010–thanks to Joe Douillette, YMR’s newest Peer Review Board member–to talk about the challenges, experiences and insights to youth media happening in Boston. Because so many attended and aim to participate, the Greater Boston Area will be split in Part I and Part II (out April 15).
In this issue, you will find that Boston youth media have an interesting landscape to navigate. In particular, race issues; bridging the divide between Universities and local community members; mediating between different neighborhoods and stereotypes; partnering with health providers to make local change; using different mediums like graphic design; and, balancing the process of creating media with the demands of a youth-led film festival.
A warm thanks to all nine contributors for their dedication and hard work:
• Wendy Blom (Somerville Community Access Television, Next Generation Producers)
• Angelica Brisk and Maura Tighe Gattuso (Arts Bridge, My Allston Brighton)
• Joe Douillette (RYMAEC/ICA)
• Eryn Johnson and Melina O’Grady (Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Video and Film Festival)
• Alison Kotin (The Urbano Project, Teen Graphic Design Curators)
• Joanna Marinova (Press Pass TV)
• Susan Owusu (Youth Voices Collaborative/Wheelock College)
A special thanks to Christine Newkirk, senior program associate at AED who edited and coached writers in this issue. Many thanks to YMR’s Peer Review board for giving helpful feedback to each writer.
And, applause and thanks to Joe Douillette, the director of the Fast Forward program at ICA and founder of RYMAEC, who was instrumental in organizing and leading the cohort.
We welcome you to join the conversation for each of these articles using YMR’s “comment” feature. You can also send feedback or comments directly to idahl@aed.org. If you are interested in posting a pod or vodcast response, please contact YMR’s media crew or email idahl@aed.org.
To reserve your copy of YMR’s up-and-coming release of the annual print journal (Volume 3), you can subsrcibe and purchase via credit card or by check.
Warmly,
Ingrid Hu Dahl, Editor-in-Chief, YMR

Youth Media Reporter is managed by the Academy for Educational Development

We’re bringing the Appalshop archive and new releases to New York City. Come out and visit us at The Museum of Modern Art.
Appalshop’s work will be showcased at Documentary Fortnight, 2010: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film. We will be celebrating 40 years of independent media making and multidisciplinary arts activity that amplifies the voices and reflects the concerns of people living in rural America. For the most current information, please visit MoMA and Appalshop.org.
Join an intergenerational group of producers and educators for panel discussions examining Appalshop’s experiences and approaches to place-based media, featuring a wide range of work, including archival films, recent coal-focused documentaries, youth media, and collaborative productions from Appalshop’s Appalachian/Indonesian Exchange Project.

Please join the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday, February 20, from 2-4pm, for selections from the Media That Matters Film Festival: Short Films That Inspire Action. The short films will highlight Black History Month and feminist issues. A conversation with the films’ directors follows.
This event will take place in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd floor.
Please contact the Brooklyn Museum for more information, (718) 638-5000.