13 Jun Philadelphia Youth Media Arts Programs: Empowering the Next Generation of Filmmakers
BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR
One unique and incredible aspect of Philadelphia is the vast amount of free youth film programming. These opportunities for young people are invaluable because they allow students to harness their voices and make art about their own lives and communities. Some programs allow students to get paid hands-on training and even get their work broadcast on public access. This list includes programs that are open to students from across Philadelphia rather than programs that are specific to particular schools. Each program featured is a tuition-free program and some actually pay students for their participation.
With summer approaching and the new school year on the horizon, this list is designed to help Philadelphia-based parents, teachers, and caregivers find a youth filmmaking program that’s right for their students. These amazing programs help the next generation of filmmakers and artists develop their skills and points of view.
Big Picture Alliance
With offices in Center City, Big Picture Alliance (BPA) provides holistic support for youth media makers ages 14 to 24 with programs that serve over 200 youth per year. BPA provides additional support to youth through access to the BPA media lab as well as the opportunity to schedule weekly one-on-one mentorship sessions to further their filmmaking practice and goals.
For youth ages 14 to 18, there are three programs they can take part in. “Cinemaniacs” is an after-school film theory and studies program that analyzes cinema history. The “After School Filmmaking” program allows students to produce their own original films from script to screen with the mentorship of professional instructors. The nine month paid “Youth Media Collective” fellowship program provides more in-depth mentorship and a cohort of peers with which to develop unique filmmaking voices and explore career options in film.
For youth ages 19 to 24, BPA provides a robust slate of programming geared toward establishing their work practice and setting them up for a career. The 9-month paid “Film Futures” fellowship allows students to produce an original narrative film from script to screen with professional support from mentors. The 9-month paid “Media Futures” workforce program provides hands-on support for youth to pursue long-term careers in film and media making. For youth interested in refining their technical skills, BPA provides four workshops focusing on acting/directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and photography.
BPA offers “Weekend Workshops” for youth ages 14 to 24 that are essentially crash course intro workshops to learn the basics about a particular area of filmmaking. For participants over 18, BPA offers “Community Media Workshops,” teaching the fundamentals of film production to produce a community-based short documentary with the support of industry professionals.
Learn more about Big Picture Alliance.
Documentary History Project for Youth
Scribe Video Center’s annual after-school, weekend, and summer media production program–the Documentary History Project for Youth–teaches filmmaking workshops to middle and high school students grades 8 to 11. The program accommodates up to 15 teens who “gain solid skills in media production, including planning, scripting, camera and sound recording, video editing, and exposure to varied media production software–Adobe Premiere Pro (video editing), AfterEffects (titling & special effects), HTML (websites), and Audacity (sound editing).” Each student is paid a stipend for their work in the program. They spend five hours per week during the school year and up to 10 hours per week in the summer during the program.
Learn more about the Documentary History Project for Youth.
iCAMP
iCAMP at West Chester University (WCU) is designed for rising junior or senior high school students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia and offers two programs for students. “iCamp Media Academy” is a week-long summer media academy taking place on the WCU campus teaching media-making. “iCamp for College Credit” is a three-week college course that teaches Digital Storytelling while also providing students with two weeks of housing on the WCU campus and college credit. The goal of the programs is to create innovative media projects working with Philadelphia-based activists and artists.
Learn more about iCAMP Academy.
Lil’ Filmmakers
Lil’ Filmmakers provides different programs for ages 11 to 24, including workshops, after-school programs, and summer programs. The programs all provide hands-on experience in filmmaking to support youth in building a career. The four to six week “Story to Screen” program works with schools and organizations to offer foundational filmmaking skills to youth ages 11 to 17. Students learn acting, cinematography, screenwriting, audio recording, directing, and producing to develop short films. The 12-month-long “She Shoots Movies” program is geared toward young Black women to teach them the skills to pursue a career in the film industry. The three-month-long “Real to Reel” program is for 13- to 24-year-old youth to help them develop and produce short films and pursue a career in the media industry. Participants are divided into two groups: 13 to 17 years-of-age and 18 to 24 years-of-age.
Learn more about Lil’ Filmmakers.
PhillyCAM
PhillyCAM offers youth media classes for ages 14 to 21 including the audio production workshop “Hear Us Out Radio Program” and the video production workshop “Youth Media Reel Skills.” They also have a TV/radio show hosted by youth ages 14 to 21 called “Hear Us Out.” The show centers the perspectives of youth in Philadelphia and covers topics including social justice, identity, and media. Catch “Hear Us Out” Tuesdays at 5 PM on PhillyCAM’s TV and radio stations.
POPPYN
POPPYN is a youth media TV show production program run by the University Community Collaborative at Temple University. The TV show is run by high school students and touches on a number of social issues affecting the city. Students ages 13 to 19 with an interest in youth media, TV, and video production are encouraged to apply for the program. The production cycle for involvement in POPPYN lasts about 12 weeks and provides students compensation for their production work. During the program, students meet twice a week after school at Temple University to work on the TV show. Catch POPPYN episodes on PhillyCAM every Thursday at 4:30 PM.
PSTV
The education channel Philadelphia Schools TV (PSTV) is run by the School District of Philadelphia. The channel provides coverage of local schools and higher education organizations and shows student-produced content. PSTV is broadcast on Comcast Cable Channel 52 and Verizon Fios Channel 20. Philadelphia-area students enrolled in a local school (public, private, parochial, charter school, college, or university) can present their school-issued ID to use the PSTV studios. However, if a student is 19 or older, they are encouraged to use other programs outside of the school district.
WHYY Youth Media Labs Program
PBS broadcast station WHYY runs “Youth Media Labs” at participating schools through the School District of Philadelphia as well as “other schools located in the Philadelphia region, South Jersey, and Delaware.” The after-school programs teach students grades 10 to 12 the fundamentals of producing short documentaries. Schools can apply to be part of the WHYY Youth Media Lab here.
WHYY provides additional after-school classes that are open for students across the city. WHYY also runs the “Youth Media Awards,” which celebrate middle school and high school media makers. Winning films are screened as part of the Young Creators Studio TV show that “spotlights a collection of youth-created films from students in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.”
Finally, for students interested in getting paid for hands-on work experience, the “Pathways to Media Careers Youth Employment Project” is “open to Philadelphia students ages 16 to 19 who have completed at least one year in a WHYY media education program.” Each student gets on-the-job training in media production.
Learn more about WHYY Educational Programs.
*Featured Image: Image of youth on set with Lil’ Filmmakers. Photo credit: Julian Moore-Griffin.
Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx freelance journalist, documentary filmmaker, and festival programmer based in Philadelphia. They serve as the Editor-In-Chief of the cinéSPEAK Journal and Programmer for SFFILM and Frameline.
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