New Teen Media Program Launches!

Three weeks ago, we launched the new Teen Media program with students in the Mass Media and Democracy course at Perpich Center for Arts Education High School.  Students will explore social justice issues world-wide through UNICEF and through the work of musician and activist Angélique Kidjo.  This 10 week residency focuses on media production, imagery, and social justice issues. Two classrooms of around 30 students are working with Sherine Crooms, media artist and educator, to create collaborative public service announcements (PSA) surrounding social justice issues of their choosing.

During the first session, students watched a wide range of advertisements and discussed their content, use of imagery, social context and relationship to the videos. The conversations were open and inventive and we are very excited to see what this group of students will come up with for the project content. They will be reaching out to the community to interview people that connect to their topic of interest and learning about the best interview techniques. Production starts in a week which means the students will begin learning about the technical aspects of video production, materials and also the artistic and strategic elements of documentary interviewing and creation.

The content of the PSA is social justice and students have selected topics ranging from racial equality to bullying in schools.

If you and your students had an opportunity to create a PSA, what topics would be important to them and why would it be important for your students to share their PSA with the world?