There are a couple of really wonderful programs in the Twin Cities of MN (St. Paul and Minneapolis), where young people learn leadership skills through learning media production. The Summer Media Institute of Migizi Communications is one such program:
“We were originally founded to train American Indian journalists to tell their stories from their own perspectives,” says Graham Hartley, director of programs at MIGIZI, adding, “We’ve returned to some of those roots in our media production now. We hope to give students an opportunity to examine their own family histories and cultural connections. The goal is to help them build a solid sense of self-identity by succeeding at something — filmmaking — that is pretty challenging.”
Check out their videos to see the work of talented young people! Here’s one to give you a taste: