An excerpt from 'The Groovy Little Youth Media Sourcebook' from the Listen Up! Network.

 

  • Create a tone in the training that identifies the youth as artists.  This identification gives them the power to create their own styles and statements rather than imitating mainstream TV.
  • Use hands-on activities on the first day to inspire a sense of comfort and playfulness and to eliminate any feelings of intimidation.
  • Give participants clear roles, responsibilities and guidelines to build their sense of ownership and organizational capacity.
  • Engage in inter-group dialogue to identify what young people are really interested in working on and to enhance group communication skills.
  • Let youth develop their ideas as a group and decide together what they want to create.  This encourages a sense of empowerment and builds decision making skills.
  • Teach facilitation skills to trainers and participants to make the workshop more dynamic and inclusive.
  • Set aside time in the training for people to talk about themselves, what's important to them or why they came to learn to make media.
  • Team teach if staff resources allow (make use of interns, senior learners).  Have one facilitator instruct while the other walks around and demonstrates or provides support to learners.
  • Include ciritical analysis throughout the mediamaking process to sharpen viewing, dialogue and production skills.
  • Hold debriefing sessions after different segments of the training so participants can reflect on what they are learning and how they feel about it.

 

For more information check out the Listen Up website