Below is Mindy’s definition of youth media. What would you add, change, delete or challenge? Please post your comments.

WHAT IS YOUTH MEDIA?
The term youth media is often used to describe the expanding number of after-school programs that use media (radio, video, print, digital tools, game design) to engage young people in art, organizing, journalism, citizenship and leadership development. Youth media organizations often, but not always, work with low-income, under-resourced or marginalized populations of youth. Youth media makers often create media about issues affecting their lives such as juvenile justice, racism, sexism, the environment, schools and violence. In the process, youth learn to use print journalism as well as new media tools and technologies for personal and political expression. Many youth media programs emphasize the “training and production” aspect of media, seeing it as a vehicle for democratic participation, community organizing, civil liberties, art education and free speech as young people learn to represent their own experiences and perspectives with a public forum. In addition, youth media programs frequently develop customized media literacy curricula that trains youth to analyze how they are portrayed in the media. As a result of youth-centered media education, most youth media programs report that their young people become more active agents, critical thinkers and participating citizens in a democracy.
Youth media programs occasionally operate inside of formal schools, but more commonly, they occur in after-school, community-based and non-profit settings. Youth media practitioners are often trained as professional teaching artists, writers, activists and/or youth development specialists rather than formal educators. Teaching methods tend to create non-hierarchical settings that emphasize the development of youth voice through open discussion and exploration as well as individualized and hands-on learning. There are several hundred youth media programs across the country, and while they address issues and problems specific to the youth in their communities, the vast majority are committed to amplifying youth voice by providing access to the tools and means of communication in a public arena.

What is the connection? YouthLAB and Open Youth Networks, of course.

Henry Jenkins, Director of the MIT Media Lab recently was in the audience when YouthLAB members, Ameenah Muhammad, Sadia Nawab and Zane Scheuerlein presented YouTube-Sized at the DIY Video Summit. Read Henry Jenkin’s February 13th post called From YouTube to WeTube.

Also, we just learned that Mindy Faber was quoted in a Mother Jones article about youth activism and the internet.

Last but not least, Cafe Catedral in Chicago’s Little Village not only serves up a wicked Chai latte, has free wireless internet, serves amazing food at reasonable prices and was the on location site for the filming of Stranger Than Fiction but it was also the site of our most recent Open Youth Networks blog and google multimedia map training for the youth activist team of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization. See for yourself.

Side by side, these video speak volumes about the differences between Barack Obama and John McCain. One speaks about the hope and sacrifice of everyday people to achieve equality and justice. The other warns of what is not possible to overcome, such as ending a war or solving immigration policy. One speaks about his presidency as a collective effort of the people- “what we can do“. The other talks of individualism - “what I might do and what you cannot do.”

These videos also say a lot about the power of spreadable media and culture in “the networked publics” (Ito) to not just tell the story but to become part of the story itself. Obama’s campaign for presidency is a narrative about a transitional moment in American history. Hilary says Obama has pretty words but it is experience that matters most and Obama says words do matter and being right is what matters most. What issues come up for you as you view these videos be shared online right now? Please post reactions in the comments below.

Here is our question:

YouTube-sized: Youth Personas, Protests, Paranoias and Pleasures
Curated by Open Youth Networks with Mindy Faber

Premiere Date: February 8, 2008 4:00 P.M.

Premiere Site: Davidson Conference Center, USC School of Cinematic Arts

Youth Curatorial Committee
Spencer Fitzsimmons
Erik Lobo
Lori Moody
Ameenah Muhammad
Sadia Nawab
Zane Scheuerlein

PROLOGUE
The Revolution will be Televised by YouthLAB
1:44 2007
YouthLAB’s spoken word video about the meaning of revolution, social change and the role that new networks and participatory media play as youth “dream of a brighter day!”

ACT ONE: FEEDBACK LOOP: VIRAL ON VIRAL (trt: 22 min)

Internet People by Dan Meth
1:31
Music by Dan Meth and Micah Frank.
If you know every single reference made in this video, then you truly are a nerd.

Ask A Ninja, Question 50, Jessica Lee Rose
By Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine
5:23 (3:00 minute excerpt)
Douglas Sarine, one of the co-creators of this hysterical podcast along with Kent Nichols, series plays the Ninja who interviews Jessica Lee Rose, otherwise known as Lonely Girl 15on the anniversary of their 50th episode.

The Evolution of an Internet Sensation: Dramatic Chipmunk
By Unknown
1:00
The most famous five seconds in internet video is re-mixed again and again and again and again.

Super Tube Debate by Current TV
4:12
During the 2007 Democratic Presidential Debate CNN decided to mix things up a bit by asking people to ask the candidates questions by uploading videos to YouTube. Not wanting to be left out, the SuperNews team decided to mix things up even more by selecting a few videos for the candidates themselves.

News Loves Viral Videos by Brookers
1:47
Youth video blogger Brookers makes fun of the mass media’s incredulousness over the popularity of YouTube. In her words, “the news just LOVEs to talk about this hott new craze that came out this week …and it will be new next week as well …heck…this new INTERNET phenom garp will probably steal the front page long after we are all dead !”

Dove Onslaught Exposed by polepositionmarketing
1:59
Audre Lorde has said,”The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” But she might change her mind if she could see this brilliant remix of the Dove Viral Video about “unrealistic body images.” Dove’s original video is aimed at young girls, offering up a critique of false perceptions of beauty created by ads. The problem is that Dove is owned by Uni-Lever, the same beauty industry pushers of Slim-Fast and Axe body products for men and, through its subsidiary in India, the Fair & Lovely line of skin lighteners. This video commentary exposes the corporate hypocrisy behind Unilever using their own advertisements.

Don’t Tase Me Bro Remix by Toby Turner
1:44
Website: http://www.tobyturner.com
A audio/video remix by University of Florida student Toby Turner about the tasing incident of his fellow classmate, Andrew Meyer. Turner uses various shots and angles from the many videos cell phone cameras and camcorders that were present to capture Meyer’s now-famous line, “Don’t Tase Me Bro”. Says Turner, “Andrew is in most of my classes this semester… I wanted to show him this in class, but he didn’t show up. He was in some place called “carcerated.”

Leave Britney Alone Trance Remix by Jon Kinnear
1:47
Okay, the visuals get a bit redundant but this is a must-hear remix. Just don’t hate us if you can’t get the song your of your head ever again.

Leave the “Leave Britney Alone” Guy Alone
By Mugflub
2:48
This college comedian’s spoof on Chris Crocker is one of the best.

Miss West Carolina Speaks Out on Maps by Paper Lilies
1:44
We love Paperlilies and we love her parody of Miss South Carolina over all others, because she is British and because she thinks the Iraq needs maps.

AOL News presents…Where are they Now?
1:05
Corporate controlled media conglomerates (AOL) now make videos about YouTubers rather than the other way around. Interesting, eh?

ACT TWO
TV IS SOOOO 20TH CENTURY (18:00 trt)
What we as youth watch online and why. From Ask a Ninja to sleeping puppies we youth curate and analyze our own online video pleasures.

Sleepy Spudgy
:27
He’s sooooo cute. Put this on your iPod and pass it around during Study Hall. It will wake them up or help them sleep.

Urban Ninja by Evolved Monkey Combat
3:00
At first we were going to include a Parkour video from France. According to Wikipedia, “Parkour is a physical activity which is difficult to categorize. It is not an extreme sport, but an art or discipline that resembles self-defense in the martial arts.” There are a lot of great parkour videos but we chose this American version from Evolved Monkey Combat. EMC from California uses a hybrid style that combines Chines Gung-Fu, Kick Boxing, Tae Kwon Do and Acrobatics. Video is an important way they distribute their work to fans.

Kiwi by Dony Permedi
3:09
This makes us cry like babies.

Bush vs. Zombies by MyEverythingdotcom
3:03
The newest threat in the war on terror is terrifying; the undead! The press conference reveals it all. The makers used a green screen effect to do this video and have posted their Making of.. video on YouTube too.

Youth Radio on Jena 6 by Youth Radio
3:07
This video is like being able to listen in to a “conversation on the corner” – it is like a digital “water fountain.” It is where young brothers “drop some knowledge” about Jena 6. It is a cool video done by Youth Radio in Oakland.

Banksy vs. The Streets by Unknown
3:16
A v-jamming fan video combining images of stencil graffiti and guerrilla artist Banksy with British rap group The Streets.

Midwest Teen Sex Show: Gym Class
3:40 by Guy Clark (starring Nikol and Britney)
http://midwestteensexshow.com/
Youth culture meets sex education. We love the fact that Guy, Nikol and Britney bypass the gatekeepers at schools to tell us like it is in our own language with scaring us to death. The Midwest Teen Sex Show is the most informative and the funniest sex education lesson you will ever get. Why Midwest? Because as they say, “Broadcast media shies away from any real exploration of the topic, and they forget that not all teens live in Orange County.” We just had a hard time choosing which program to feature. Backdoor Business, Female Masturbation or The First Time. But Gym Class is hysterical.

ACT THREE:
CELL PHONE CINEMA
Youth make the most of mobile media devices and portable cameras. Media moments captured by teens and made public through YouTube.

Angry Teacher by Corey Zappa
1:28
So Corey Zappa, a student at Brick Township High in Jersey shot this with his cell phone camera and got suspended for ten days after it went public on YouTube. But what about the teacher? He never faced disciplinary action but ended up taking “Behavior Management” classes. In high schools, youth are often the ones being surveilled. But now that kids have camera phones, adults may have to “watch those mouths of theirs.”

Virginia Tech Shooting by Jamal Albarghouti
1:15
Within hours of the Virginia Tech Massacre, Jamal’s cell phone video was on YouTube and being picked up by all the major networks. How mobile turns into news instantaneously.

The Principal’s Office

police brutality - go skateboarding day
4:20
Criminalization of kids being kids caught on camera. Some adults complain that kids are cooped up inside too much, not exercising outdoors or socializing with their friends. Maybe when you see this video you can understand why so many kids are on MySpace. It is safer than the sidewalks.

Mr. Schwartz Imitation by Adam Norway
55 sec
We found tons of videos made by students making fun of their teachers that are pretty hysterical. We like this one because it is done right outside of the classroom.

ACT FOUR – FACE-OFF: ME AND MY PERSONAS (14:00)
A montage of short videos and vlogs in which youth either construct or imitate different personas online. This disarming and intimate selection reveals how we as youth attempt to make sense of gender, race, class and other identities by pretense or parody
I Got into a Fight in P.E. by DaxFlame
2:13
Daxflame plays a spastic kid named Bernice Juach, who tells stories about his life (such as when he bought a car on eBay with his mom’s credit car and failed to convince her that he thought it was actually a Hot Wheel). Daxflame began his webisodes when he was 15 and he had a huge subscriber fan base.

Pretending to be An(Other) Montage
7:00 A montage of clips where youtubers act out a different race

What if Men Menstruated? By Reel Grrls
2:38
Teen girls from Seattle made this hysterical piece with the help of Reel Grrls, a youth media program that empowers young women to deconstruct a, lets face it, male dominated mass media from their own perspectives.

Chongalicious by Laura DiLorenzo and Mimi Davila
3:53
Okay, this may be cheating but Wikipedia has got this one down. Here is their entry, “Chongalicious is a homemade music video performed by Laura DiLorenzo and Mimi Davila (both born in 1990), drama students at Dr. Michael M. Krop High School in Aventura, Florida in 2007. The song is a parody of Fergie’s 2006 hit song “Fergalicious”. It focuses on the term “chonga,” a slang term describing a stereotypical way of dressing and behaving among hispanic girls living in Miami-Dade County. The video was filmed on a digital photo camera and the music and vocals were later recorded with a simple microphone on a computer. It quickly gained notice when it first appeared on YouTube, where it has had more than 1,900,000 views. Its popularity led local radio stations to play the song often. Power 96 has recently said that it is their most requested song since first being discovered on YouTube.

Slip of the Tongue by Karen Lum (age 16)
3:30
A spoken word music video about gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality made by 16 year old Karen Lum that you will want to watch over and over again because it says so much to so many. Props to the The Factory at Bay Area Video Coalition and Kim’s mentor, Scott Boswell for helping her create a dazzling filmic look.

We would’ve included it in YouTubesized but didn’t get it in on time.

YouthLAB members Ameenah, Sadia, Zane and I just returned from L.A. where we presented our curated program YouTube-Sized at the 24/7 DIY Video Summit. It was held at the Davidson Center at the University of Southern California. The program was definitely a big hit and we had tons of folks giving us props afterwards including Henry Jenkins (MIT)! We also really liked what he had to say on all his panels. It was an amazing experience for all of us.

Other highlights of the Summit in our view was the Political Remix selection curated by Jonathan McIntosh and the Vlogging section curated by Ryanne Hodson. Here is a photo of Zane with Jonathan and another remix artist named Elisa.

The big Main program on Saturday night was unbelievable. USC is going to try and feature all of the programs on their website. The photos below are borrowed from marc Davis and Digital Natives from Flickr. To see more photos search under the tag video247 at Flickr.com

John Seely Brown and Jochai Benkler, Chongalicious, Mimi Ito, Howard Rheingold and Henry Jenkins, I Heart the Internet by Ryanne, A Girl Like Me and George Bush Don’t Like Black People.