SPNN Youth August E-newsletter

[Erika Backberg]

SPNN Youth E-Newsletter August 2008

In this issue:   ¨    Join the Set It Up Crew! ¨    SPNN Youth Summer Peer Mentors Rock the House! ¨    Neighborhood Video Camp Update ¨    Youth Intern Program Update ¨    SPNN Youth Goes to Washington ¨    Youth Advisory Committee Update ¨    Save the Date! ¨    YTV Schedule

Join the Set It Up Crew!   We are now accepting applications for Set It Up, which is a teen-produced TV show exploring issues affecting teens in St. Paul. To apply to be a Set It Up crew member, you must be a high school student (9th-12th grade), a resident of St. Paul, and have an interest in community issues and media/television production. Crew members will receive high school credit or a cash stipend for their contributions, as well as a bus pass to get to and from SPNN.     To apply online, click here!   To download and print a PDF version of the application, click here!   For more information contact Peter at 651.361.8147 or email kirsc...@spnn.org

SPNN Youth Summer Peer Mentors Rock the House!   This summer, SPNN Youth is excited to have five youth working with us as Peer Mentors.  This is the first time we have had so many young people working at SPNN at one time; it has been an awesome experience for us and for the youth involved. The Peer Mentors are assisting with youth video classes, helping with editing and making DVD's, and will be organizing the end of the summer youth video screening in August with YAC members.  They have been a huge help and we are so glad to have them.   Here are profiles of the five Peer Mentors.   Megan Schiller Megan (on the right) helping a student in the Teen Studio Production class.   Megan Schiller will be a sophomore at Metro State University and Minneapolis Community and Technical College this fall.  She is interested in filmmaking as a future career, and spends her spare time helping with her friends’ films and making films of her own.  Megan first became involved with SPNN Youth when she was in the Youth Intern Program in 2006.  The following year, she participated in SOL (SPNN Open Lab) to work on an independent project for her school.   Megan was a Peer Mentor with the Connections Teen Studio class that took place in July and really enjoyed it.  She liked mentoring the youth and learning more about the studio.  She found it challenging to work with some of the youth who had a hard time staying focused, but ultimately thought it was a really rewarding and fun experience.   Her advice to other youth wanting to make media is to “get involved with as many programs as you can at SPNN!  The people are nice and really care about youth.”     Jairo Yanes Muñoz Jairo and two interns from YIP   Jairo graduated from Harding High School in June and will be going to Century College in the fall to major in Computer Engineering.  He is very involved in the community raising awareness about the effects of tobacco through a group called Jovenes de Salud.   Last year, Jairo was in the Youth Intern Program (YIP) and made a video about immigration, a topic that drew from his personal experience of immigrating to the U.S. from Guatemala with his family four years ago.  In January, he got involved with the YMCA Youth In Government program and participated in YIG TV - which holds their news program trainings at SPNN.  We are glad to have him back for the third time as the Peer Mentor for the Youth Intern Program.   Jairo really likes being able to give back to a program that he got a lot out of last year.  He can relate to the interns' experience of not knowing much about making videos and enjoys helping them get more comfortable with the technology.  He says the most challenging aspect of the job is trying to help a lot of people who are all asking questions at one time.   His advice for young people who want to make media is to get involved wherever and whenever you can, and to not be intimidated by others who are older.  He says, “I’ve seen younger people giving advice to older people with less experience, so never let nobody turn you down or kill your dream.”     Najma Osman Najma and a student in the East Side Kidventure Class   Najma Osman recently graduated from Saint Paul Central High School and will be going to Grinnell College in the fall.  She is actively involved in the community tutoring Somali youth in English, math, and history at her local library.  She is also very involved at TVbyGirls, an organization that educates girls in filmmaking and creating media to help shape a better world.  Recently, she made a documentary titled “Uncovered” which explores the theme of religious intolerance.   This summer, Najma is working with the Neighborhood Video Camps program at SPNN.  These are one-week camps that work with Junior High-aged youth to make documentary videos about community issues.  Najma really enjoys working with the kids at the camps. She enjoys teaching them and getting to know them.  She found the group dynamics challenging at times, and had to work hard to help the youth stay focused.  But, she feels like the experience has helped her become a better teacher.   Najma's advice to other youth who want to make media is: "there are many places in the community where you can have your voice heard.  Don't be afraid to speak up and use media as an artistic outlet."     Daryl Berg Daryl (on the right) and a youth in the Junior Kidventure Class   Daryl Berg is a Junior at the Creative Arts High School.  Besides video making, she enjoys music production, reading, and hanging out with friends.  She can often be found making media in her spare time.  Currently, she's working on a Zombie movie.   Daryl is also working on the Neighborhood Video Camps with Najma.  She has especially enjoyed watching, mentoring, and learning with the kids in the classes.  They are smart, funny, and pick up on technology quickly.  This is her first time teaching so she has found it challenging at times, but definitely worth it.   Her advice for new media makers is: "Never give up or stop working on your project, even when it gets hard.  Filmmaking is like any art, and it can be challenging sometimes, but incredibly satisfying when it is completed.  Also, listen to your mentors and other people who are important in your life and follow their advice.  They can often give you good feedback on your projects".     Fia Burnett Fia on the last day of the Set it Up program.   Fia Burnett attends Saint Paul Open School and is going into the 11th grade.  She volunteers at her church and is spending lots of time this summer relaxing and hanging out with her friends and family.  Fia has taken the Connections Digital Storytelling class at SPNN, and was a Set it up crew member this past year.  Currently, she is coming up with ideas for a documentary she wants to make in the fall.   In August, Fia will be assisting with the Connections Digital Storytelling class.  She is really excited about this opportunity because she recently took the class and looks forward to helping other young people on their video projects.   Fia's advice for other youth filmmakers is: "Being patient is a big key to making a great film.  I've learned that the more stressed out that I get trying to make a good piece, the more I make it harder on myself.  So, relax and have fun!"

Neighborhood Video Camp Update     Photos from the Kidventure photography class.   For three weeks in July, SPNN partnered with Kidventure to teach digital still photography and filmmaking to youth from the East Side at the Wilder Recreation Center.  Participating youth created awesome photos of each other and their surroundings, three Public Service Announcements addressing topics important to them and three short documentary films, which focused on Dance, Yu-Gi-OH (a card game popular amongst campers), and the interaction between Music and Technology. Youth spent time learning camera work and editing and went on location at Ames Lake via the East Side Circulator. The photos and films will be shown at an end of summer celebration for Kidventure on August 22.

Youth Intern Program Update       Monday, July 14th, nine interns began the 2008 Summer Youth Intern Program.  In this six week program interns will produce three public service announcements and three documentaries from start to finish.    On Wednesday, August 20th, at 6pm, come down to SPNN’s large studio at 375 Jackson to view the great media pieces produced by SPNN’s summer youth interns.  The interns have been hard at work creating original and meaningful pieces about issues in their lives and communities.  Don’t miss this special screening.  There will be food!    For more info, contact Erika Backberg at 651-298-8919 or Kevin Kalla at 651-361-8141

SPNN Youth Goes to Washington   This year's Alliance for Community Media National Conference was held July 9-12 in Washington DC. Several SPNN staffers attended the conference including SPNN Youth's Mary Pumphrey. Mary presented at a panel on integrating media literacy into access center training curricula, and was able to attend several informative workshops on youth media teaching strategies, non-profit cooperation models, and media distribution. One highlight of the ACM conference was the Hometown Video Awards ceremony. SPNN Youth producers won the Empowerment category for the summer 2007 Youth Intern Program reel. The Hometown Video Award competition solicits non-commercial programming from media professionals, nonprofessionals and youth and each year draws thousands of submissions from all over the US and Canada. This continues a very successful award and festival streak for SPNN Youth.

Youth Advisory Committee Update   The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) has been meeting monthly this summer, focusing on a different topic at every meeting. In July, YAC was joined by several of our Peer Mentors to talk about plans for our end of summer screening. Tasks were divided up, and it will be an event not to miss. This month we are getting together to make some changes to the Media Lab, where SPNN Youth programs take place, the exact plans aren’t decided yet, but there might be bean bag chairs in the works.

Save the date!   Thursday, August 28 from 5-7PM will be SPNN Youth’s summer screening.  Stop by to watch a video from each of the classes and programs this summer and have some refreshments! Contact Peter at Kirsc...@spnn.org for more information.

YTV Schedule   YTV Schedule on Channel 16 August 2008 Monday through Sunday: 7- 8 PM   Monday: 7PM                  SPNN Youth Video: Set It Up St. Paul Places Project & #26 Teens & Drugs 7:30PM             SPNN Youth Video: Digital Storytelling Summer 2007   Tuesday: 7PM                  NYMAP Video Exchange: Because #6 7:30PM             NYMAP Video Exchange: Images & Sound                                     Wednesday: 7PM                  Center for International Education: 100 Eagles (Premiere)  7:30PM           Center for International Education: Reel Time (continued)   Thursday: 7PM                  Listen Up! – Reel Girls: Story Time (Premiere) 7:30PM             Listen Up! – Reel Girls: Story Time (continued)   Friday: 7PM                  Swept Away TV: Rockstar Stories 7:30PM             SPNN Youth Videos: Rezek House Media Projects   Saturday: 7PM                  In Progress: Teen Views 7:30PM             Phillips Community Television: Our Turn   Sunday:                                       7PM                  Center for International Education: Reel Time  (Premiere) 7:30PM             Center for International Education: Reel Time (continued)       See you next month!

Thanks for reading this months e-newsletter.  For more info on SPNN Youth Programs, visit www.spnn.org/youth.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact Nicola Pine at yo...@spnn.org or 651.298.8903.      If you no longer wish to receive these updates, send an email to spnnyouth-...@googlegroups.com.