Report of the NAMAC 2003 Youth Media Salon
Week 1: Issues around the Teaching-Learning processThese topics were followed loosely, with some threads of the conversation needing more time than the week allotted. The participants clearly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with their peers and to share best practices. The Youth Media Salon participants expressed dedication to their daily work with grassroots, community-based programs. The Salon offered a rare opportunity to step back and appreciate the large and impressive youth media network that spans from Seattle to Tampa, and all points in between.
Week 2: Issues of Distribution
Week 3: Issues of Leadership
The Teaching-Learning Process
The first part of the salon could easily have been relabeled "Process vs. Product." Many of the initial comments focused on how organizations balance the emphasis on product versus process. A central question was "How can we maintain the interest of our youth media makers at the same time that we foster social and community awareness, and use media towards those ends?" Variations on this recurring theme appeared throughout the online exchange.
Kathleen Tyner, the coordinator of the Youth Media Initiative for NAMAC asked, "Is the primary goal of youth media to stimulate social activism, or is it enough for some students to use it only as a means of personal self-expression?" Many of the subsequent responses spoke about the need to move beyond this either/or question and take a more holistic approach. Maureen Mullinax pointed to Appalshop s summer institute as an example of how both aspects can be combined by exposing youth to a wide range of community-based films and filmmakers. Through this process, Mullinax says the youth inevitably get to explore issues of outreach and distribution, "By the end of the program, youth have been exposed to so much community-based approaches that they often voluntarily go down that path when deciding what their own project will be about."
However, some participants expressed concern that they don t have the funding to support an intensive session such as Appalshop s. With limited time and resources, youth media organizations are finding it hard to incorporate both elements the process and product. Wendy Blom, from the Boston Neighborhood Network, says that because of funding restrictions, they can only offer short sessions for their low-income youth, "We want to give these kids a very positive experience in civic engagement and expression, but I feel that these short term workshops are a set-up for frustration and disappointment in the final project."
Other participants echoed Blom s thoughts. In tight budgetary times, as fewer dollars flow to non-profits, especially those that don t offer direct services, difficult choices must be made. Many groups simply don t have the funds to offer long, intensive media production workshops to youth the kind that provide civic engagement opportunities. As a result, many program directors are forced to shorten the workshops and carefully prioritize the emphasis of each scope of work.
Some program directors responded that they try to deal with this challenge by spending a lot of time working with youth on pitching story ideas. Amy Baskin, the Executive Director of NOVAC in New Orleans, says that this approach often "leads to the students selecting issues of social and personal relevance most of the time." Others said that by engaging their youth in the entire process of media making from pitching ideas to production to outreach and distribution a social consciousness often tends to grow organically.
One strategy suggests that the best way to engage youth in the community is to get them out into the field - camera, microphone and notebook in hand. "The youth s discovery and appreciation for media activism and self expression are manifested in their relentless pursuit for more stories," says Richard Carlton from Harlem Live (HL). As an example, he adds that when Amadou Diallo was shot, "HL reporters were at the doorsteps of the crime the next day with story and pictures on the site." Carlton says that by exposing youth to these real life experiences, especially when they involve the community, youth will naturally gravitate to the larger issues.
Related questions that came up in the Salon discussion related to how groups have been able to incorporate more experimental or aesthetic approaches into their youth work. As Kathleen Tyner put it, "Most of the work I see does seem to put more emphasis on the media than on the art. Maybe the students are reflecting the media work that they already know and don t get to see much experimental, non-narrative "arty" work? Maybe I'm not seeing the full range of work that's out there?"
One of the main reasons for the lack of experimental work is budgetary; organizations are forced to tailor their programs to meet the existing funding criteria, and few foundations are willing to support experimental or alternative work. Shannon Worrell Chapman, from Light House, also pointed out that there is very little youth-produced content to model for peers. Shannon says that Sadie Benning is the only teen artist she knows "to make it to the so-called big time" yet a reel of hers costs $300 - the cost of a full scholarship for one of their workshops. (Abina Manning, from Video Data Bank added that they sell Sadie Benning s work for $75-$125.) Shannon also cited the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio as an important model because larger art centers and museums need to exhibit youth work and create programming that attracts teens so that "we can build an audience for this emerging genre of youth produced media art."
Whether the youth work is in the form of a PSA or an experimental piece, participants agreed that youth media activities can be a means to an end. Youth development is at the core of media work for many of the organizations. Amy from NOVAC responded to one of the email threads by speaking about youth needs, such as belonging and membership. She says this is especially important in areas like hers with high poverty and violence because being "smart" can be a liability in class (she referenced the case of a kid in her program who was perceived to be a teacher s pet and got beat up on campus, requiring a year of physical therapy). As a result, programs like NOVAC offer kids a safe respite where their self expression can be nurtured and embraced, "They take tremendous pride in their work and have an outlet, not only for creative expression, but to be accepted for who they are, even if who they are is offbeat, goofy, imaginative, eccentric, funny, sad, lost, inventive, visual, happy or immature." She concluded by saying the funding climate is increasingly tough, even for NOVAC, which has had youth-produced videos accepted into 42 film festivals.
Some of the difficulty in finding funding, however, is directly related to outcomes. The youth media field has only recently started to pay attention to evaluation and assessment, yet the funding community is asking for quantitative evidence that support the claims that youth media programs are working. Kathleen Tyner asked some pointed questions: "If we have evidence that arts programs are successful, then what is different about MEDIA arts? Why not stick with performance, or painting, or weaving, or sculpture? Why not fund caring and knowledgeable adults to work with kids to build birdhouses for that matter?" She went on to say that she believes that there is a difference between traditional and media arts the use of the moving image for representation, relevance of pop culture, immediacy and interactivity of digital, etc. but that we need to articulate what those differences are and why our approaches produce such compelling results.
In response to Kathleen s question about birdhouses, John Gwinn, from PCTV in Minneapolis, says that they see their work primarily as youth development, using media as a tool (or pretext) for that development to take place. "Not only do we do what other successful youth development programs do, and achieve the same outcomes, but media programs go beyond that to offer additional positive outcomes for youth." He added that this takes the form of civic engagement "crafting projects that express a unique and personal vision of the world that are then shared, as an offering or a contribution to the wider community."
As organizations increasingly are asked to provide "lessons learned" to funders, partners and the community, the onus is on youth media providers to provide hard evidence that the media component of youth development work does make a difference that it does offer youth a set of skills and perspectives that can t be obtained simply through the creation of a birdhouse. Morrie Warshowski, an arts consultant from Ann Arbor, cited the work of literacy scholar Shirley Brice Heath as an important resource in terms of evaluating the efficacy of youth media programs. In particular, he pointed to the elements of her work that show that "community youth programs that are centered on the arts were more successful and powerful in making positive changes in youth." He suggested that her work could help substantiate the field of youth media and provide powerful evidence that our programs positively impact youth.
Distribution of Youth Media Work
The conversation around distribution highlighted both some creative approaches as well as some inherent challenges. One of the central questions that youth media organizations are pondering is: Are PSAs the best forum for youth produced work? There seems to be general agreement that the field has to move beyond the short format to include longer and more experimental work. Many participants were able to offer specific creative examples of how distribution for a project went beyond PSAs and teen film festival submissions.
For example, Fiona Otway, from 911 in Seattle, cited an innovative project, Breaking the Silence, about HIV/AIDS prevention with girls on the island of ST. Lucia. Their distribution strategy entails partnering with organizations (such as St. Lucia Red Cross and Planned Parenthood) to ensure that the video gets into the right hands. She says that working with groups outside of the youth media field has opened up new distribution outlets. An added element is the youth-driven nature of the outreach. "As part of their training, the Breaking the Silence girls learn how to go out into their community and speak to other youth about gender equity and AIDS." The video accompanies each presentation, and through this type of peer-to-peer grassroots effort, distribution has a larger and deeper impact.
Another example of this is the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, a new educational institution that will open in fall 2004. Karen Ishizuka says that the center will work with teachers and youth educators to "provide young people new tools to better understand the principles of democracy as shaped by a diverse American population." She says that the center will be producing Dilemmas + Decisions, a series of 3-4 minute youth-produced video pieces on various issues related to freedom of expression. "The dilemmas raised will challenge and stimulate other youth and their youth educators to think critically, understand that important issues are complex and multi-faceted and realize that individuals have the power and responsibility to shape a just world."
Some participants spoke about the need to collaborate with outside groups. Even though youth and media arts is a relatively new movement, they suggested that youth media programs shouldn t shy away from working with our allies in the other arts disciplines who have been tracking and evaluating their work for a longer period of time. And in fact, many groups are collaborating with other arts organizations as they explore "alternative" venues for distribution. Felicia Sullivan, from Lowell Telecommunications Corporation, referred to some events where multimedia work have been integrated, using poetry slams and hip hop, for example. This idea of inter-disciplinary presentation and distribution is one that can be further explored, as we all seek to increase the reach and impact of the youth-produced work.
In addition to collaboration, some youth media groups are also beginning to take a more guerilla approach to outreach and distribution, moving beyond the teen film festival circuit. Fiona from 911 mentioned Miranda July and her Little Miss Movieola project we well as a local artist who has a portable projector that he can use to show his work anywhere. She concluded by saying, "I think the secret is not waiting for the audiences to come to us, but instead tying our shoelaces and taking our art into the streets and direct to the people."
While some groups are taking their art "into the streets," others are concentrating on the digital avenues of distribution. Media Rights, a nonprofit that works with filmmakers around distribution and outreach, recently launched YMDi, an online resource for youth media makers. Anastacia Junqueira-DeGarcia from Media Rights says that in addition to the youth-produced films being viewed on the site, YMDi also includes an online Youth Distribution Toolkit, which will provide a "guide to distribution, building audiences, the legal aspects, outreach and promotion." One of the site s main objectives is to get youth media makers to think seriously about how they can get their work seen beyond teen film festivals and PSAs.
Many organizations share YMDi s underlying philosophy that creating media is only one half of the task. The other half entails getting the media into the right hands being strategic and targeted with distribution and outreach efforts. For example, Steve Fuchs from Noodlehead Network says that their particular distribution strategy focuses on getting the youth-produced videos into the schools. "In the process we have been able to support ourselves, return royalties back to youth media organizations, and we estimate the average audience for each of our titles is 150,000-200,000 students over the life of the work." He added that the challenge with this strategy is that the videos tend to be instructional in nature. But he says that this is the only way that they could "get these eyeballs." "Schools are where the kids are, so we either adjust what we produce in order to get large numbers of youth viewing it, or we change curriculum so that social politics, personal expression, and experimental works are acceptable topics in a school environment." P> Although many groups operate exclusively in the after school arena, more and more are trying to penetrate the school walls. This approach is fraught with challenges, however. Robin Oppenheimer, the former Executive Director at 911, recalls a video art outreach campaign in the schools (with a companion teacher s guide) and offers some lessons learned:
- Train the teachers. Without that, the tapes will sit on a shelf somewhere.
- Keep it current. Media savvy youth are in tune with trends and quickly move on to the next one.
- Mix it up. Showing silent and black & white films got students attention because it was new and different.
Another challenge that comes with integrating media into the classroom is convincing educators that the materials comply with state or district standards. In these times of heightened attention around test scores, teachers are resistant to introduce anything into the classroom that isn t aligned with standards and doesn t clearly increase their students scores on the tests. Many teachers see this as a zero-sum game: if they take time out to show a video or have their students produce original work, then they have less time to devote to the standards and all of the units that students will be tested on at the end of the year.
One effective way to counteract this resistance is to develop curricula around the media that aligns with standards. Some of the organizations, (including Just Think, the organization I direct) use this approach. Huey, from the Maine Student Film and Video Festival, uses the Maine laptop experiment as an example of how technology can be seamlessly woven into the standards-based curriculum in schools. The governor of Maine recently initiated a landmark program that equips every seventh and eighth grader in the state with an Apple Powerbook (with possible plans to extend it to all students in grades 7-12). As Huey says, "One thing that I am sure you all are realizing is that every 7th & 8th grader in Maine now has a mini editing studio in their laps. All iBooks come with iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes and even iDVD. And they are all connected to the web - via wireless." Huey added, "So now I find myself devising lesson plans for teachers based not on using the one computer in the building but how to create videos when every kid in the classroom can be a moviemaker! We are still stressing group interaction by working in teams but it is amazing to not have to worry about an editing facility."
Leadership:
The final part of the salon was devoted to issues of Leadership. Maureen Mullinax framed the issues this way: "How does the cultivation and transfer of leadership play out in youth media? How do youth themselves take leadership roles in your work?"
As is the case with both the Teaching-Learning Process and Distribution, youth media groups approach leadership issues from different angles. Each group operates in a unique environment with its own set of challenges and limitations. However, there is near total agreement that inculcating leadership is one of the main objectives for the youth media field.
Kathleen Tyner asked: "How can seasoned artists offer an apprenticeship model for novice media makers and still provide student-centered education and leadership opportunities?" And, "What are some models that scaffold leadership opportunities for youth and still do an inter-generational transfer of skills and knowledge?"
Regardless of geographical location, many of the youth media groups focus on "at-risk" youth and seek to develop a new generation of leaders. Again, in this case, media are the vehicle for youth development. Nettrice Gaskins, from the Boston Neighborhood Network, talked about how she was once considered "at risk" and can therefore relate to the youth in her program. Further, she says she embraces her role as a mentor/role model, "I think I ll always be a mentor to young people because they see me as a leader and I use what I ve learned from my own mentors." She added, "A leader is someone who guides or directs others but what truly distinguishes youth leaders is their ability to surpass challenges while staying committed to their personal goals."
Leadership is a tough element to quantify, though, especially to funders. Some participants talk about leadership as a by-product of existing programming, and not as a specific focus within the organization. Rich, from Harlem Live, says that since they have no paid staff, the youth in the program are asked to take on responsibilities, such as marketing, fundraising, and clerical duties, which produce leadership qualities in those youth. But, he says the main way his program inculcates leadership skills in youth is through their exposure to challenging situations. "By having them schedule and go out on stories and interviewing and talking with so many people, whether the owner of a Harlem business, Michael Jackson, or Hillary Clinton, the students realize they have the wherewithal to make things happen." He cited some of the program s past youth who have gone on to assume positions of responsibility, such as their first Editor-in-chief who became the editor of her college paper in her freshman year.
Some groups use on-going youth productions, such as a TV or radio program, to build leadership skills. Through this process, youth get to cycle through different jobs and tasks as well assume leadership roles, such as producer or director. For example, Judy Fiestal, from the Youth Collective at KBOO radio in Portland, OR, reports that they have two main programs for their youth (age 12-23). They impart leadership skills by having the youth produce The Underground, a monthly hour-long public affairs program. "Leadership is encouraged by assigning a producer for each show for two consecutive months who pulls all the pieces together to develop the hour-long format with the help of the other members The format includes members shadowing other members to learn the different roles and skills needed to make radio."
She went on, though, to discuss some of the inherent challenges that are part of this arrangement. For example, she says that they have had a hard time retaining and empowering the younger part of their age group (teens, especially diverse teens) because "young people tend to have less control over the amount of free time they have, and have less experience in successfully scheduling activities and commitments without adult support."
Summary
As I prepared to write this "White Paper" I read through a similar synthesis written two years earlier. The process was nearly identical over a couple of weeks in May 2001, representatives from the youth media field came together in an online salon to discuss the state of the field. One difference was that youth media makers participated in the previous Salon. Although invited, few, if any, participated in 2003.
In reading the previous paper, I was struck by how little things have changed since that time. The basic questions of process vs. product, personal expression vs. community engagement, and PSAs vs. experimental work are still prevalent, as is the severe funding climate. Few new funders have entered the field since 2001 and youth media programs continue to couch their work within a broader youth development model in order to attract broader funding.
Despite these challenges, though, the field is still thriving in many ways. The youth-produced work continues to inspire and amaze. New distribution opportunities appear with each new week. The increased focus on evaluation and assessment will provide concrete evidence that our programs are working. And the leaders of these organizations remain as committed as ever to the work and the mission.
Ultimately, the broad mandate for all of us is to compile and disseminate best practices and exemplary youth-produced work to the funding community in a way that not only ensures that the existing funders stay in the field, but that motivates new ones to lend their financial support. Only when this happens can we feel confident that our doors will stay open and that the youth voice will be heard.
Dave Yanofsky is Executive Director of Just Think, a national and international youth media organization based in San Francisco, California.
The 2003 Youth Media Salon is an activity of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture Youth Media Initiative.
© 2004 National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. All Rights Reserved.
