We don’t have a save- the-youth model. We have an empower-the-youth model. 
— Cara Lisa Berg Powers, PressPass TV

Boston is a hotbed of youth media. Over two dozen youth organizations produce magazines, newspapers, videos, blogs, television, and radio shows. Unfortunately, conversations among them and between funders have been rare.

While the field is expanding rapidly, it is not without growing pains. The networks of organizations and practitioners are still loose and undefined. Far too few youth-serving organizations seem to be taking advantage of media technology or exploring the new frontier of social media in their youth programs.

Yasmin Shah, of GMA Foundations, hosted a discussion that highlighted the emerging role of youth media as a strategy for youth development and political advocacy.

The September 15th briefing featured leaders from several Boston area organizations known nationally for their pioneering work in the field.

The conversation’s dominant theme was that the emerging field of youth media has moved well beyond the media literacy emphasis of its early years. The presenters emphasized that youth media is a gateway to marketable skill development in writing, public speaking, technology, and the arts.

There was also broad agreement that youth media work is a perfect platform for working intergenerationally, connecting young people with global issues, and raising public awareness about social problems from the unique and often undervalued perspectives of young people.

Most importantly, youth media may be one of the most powerful tools for promoting civic engagement among young people.

“We want to wake up the power they have as consumers and creators of media and ask them to take action,” noted Sherazade Daruvalla King, Executive Director of AmplifyMe

Speakers:
Jenny Amory, Executive Director of Teen Voices
Cara Lisa Berg Powers, Co-Director of Curriculum and Outreach for Press Pass TV
Dr. Carmela DeCandia, Vice President of Programs for St. Mary’s Women and Children’s Center; currently overseeing GRLZ Radio
Scherazade Daruvalla King, Executive Director of AmplifyMe