"I Wish I Could Do It Again": Documentary Films About Community Issues

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding Youth Engagement in Digital Media Production Within and Across Complex Learning Environments

Abstract

Setting. The community-based organization was comprised of a six-week summer internship program that provided youth in grades 9-12 with opportunities to learn technology and impact social change in their communities. Teens learned about local issues and then created documentaries that were shared in a public showcase and online. This program aims to “develop technical skills related to media production, community awareness, and job/employment skills.”
This paid internship is part of a broader social justice-oriented mission funded through a vocational training program for economically disadvantaged youth. The interns work with community partners established by the CBO to produce documentaries that serve as authentic learning experiences. The youth work as digital production artists, recording, scripting, and editing documentaries that are shared with the community via local access cable stations.

Data sources. During July – August 2016, eleven youth, two youth mentors, and two adult facilitators participated in the program. Data sources included interviews; 40+ hours of observation in production sessions and one public showcase (130+ pages of fieldnotes and ASOPs); and 100+ images. The YPQA was administered twice and 11 youth completed the PSES at the end of the program.

Results. Findings indicate that the use of digital media provided youth with ample opportunities to engage in critical thinking and in-depth dialogue regarding community issues important to them. Interpersonal interactions were central to learning, as youth quickly formed friendships while developing new skills. Additionally, this setting provided robust opportunities for youth engagement in pathways that served to guide youth participants through an apprenticeship-mentoring model. One of the documentary small groups will be used to illustrate how 2 interns (Casey and Fahmo) embraced the learing object and outcome of the setting.

Authors

• Cassandra Scharber, University of Minnesota

• Yolanda J. Majors, The University of Minnesota

• Cynthia J. Lewis, University of Minnesota

• Debra Ingram, University of Minnesota