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Pedagogy, Civil Society and Strategies of Empowerment: The Capabilities and Current State of Youth Generated Media Programs in Vancouver, British Columbia

Written by: Katie Raso Submitted on: April 14, 2008

CMNS 428 Stuart Poyntz 2

Introduction As digital culture continues to evolve its contributions to the media landscape, the role of the media user also transforms. This parametric shift changes the ways in which users interact with cultural texts. Where previous media environments encouraged the capacity of the user as an audience, the new media landscape allows potential for this role to include production capabilities (Jenkins, 2006). This new system of users as participants is integral to the proliferation of Web 2.0 culture. Web 2.0 refers to the emergent internet- based information system, comprised of networks, social software sites, and collaborative projects, that depend on participation and contributions of users for their structure and longevity (O’ Reilly, as cited in Jenkins, 2006). This increased ability to create media texts is not limited to the realm of Web 2.0. The development of affordable personal recording devices, such as camcorders and camera phones, has uprooted media production from the studio to the public sphere (Halleck, 2002). These changes in the structure and availability of communication technologies are already recognizable amongst users. According to research from the Pew Internet and American Life project, 57 percent of American teenagers who use the Internet engage in media creation processes (Lenhardt & Madden, as cited in Jenkins, 2006). Similarly, the proliferation of personal recording devices has allowed a wide range of citizens to engage in media creation. Content generated by these amateur filmmakers has strengthened social justice movements by capturing undeniably powerful images of struggle and repression (Seeing is Believing, n.d.). Within these changes to the media landscape, a new skill set is forming. As noted by the Pew research, young technology users are quickly harnessing the opportunity to create media (Lenhardt & Madden, as cited in Jenkins, 2006). The informal learning processes inherent in developing these media creation skills are often experienced outside of the traditional school system. Sefton- Green (2006) notes that the increased capabilities of informal learning environments to engage youth have created educational experiences outside of the academic structure that are more dynamic than their traditional counterpart. 3

Such a shift in both the media experience and learning patterns of youth allow participants a greater sense of agency than previously possible. This realm of media creation has become a mechanism with which youth construct identity and distinguish their personal taste (Kline, Stewart, & Murphy, 2006). While this process can be seen as a negotiation between youth and their representations in mainstream culture (Kellner, 2001), the question remains if the capabilities of this process are fully realized. In this format, the individual user gains the ability to shape a multi-textual self-representation. However, these abilities are dependent on the youth’s capacity to generate the requisite skills to achieve breadth in both ability and audience-reach. For young participants, media generation can be employed as a tool of self-actualization, but deeper engagement with these skills is required to reach heightened capacity for the texts created. As a community organizer in Vancouver, I was interested in understanding how youth generated media programs are used by local nonprofit organizations to both engage youth and contribute to beneficial community change. To understand these capabilities, I interviewed a series of organizations in Vancouver who operate youth generated media programs. Recognizing the need for further development of such programs, I also turned my attention to organizations in California’s Bay Area. The two data set acquired from these surveys provide considerable insight into the current state of youth media creation programs, and the potential for their future development.

Youth Generated Media: Elements and Capacities, and the Role of Community Organizations

Youth Generated Media (YGM) are distinguished from other types of media, as the creative direction and production are youth led initiatives. For the purpose of this project, youth will refer to persons between the ages of fifteen and thirty. The audience for whom media is created does not define YGM; rather, the media creation process determines this status. While YGM must maintain an emphasis on involving youth in media creation, this process can include non- 4 youth acting in the role of facilitator. This is the distinguishing factor between youth generated media and youth targeted media. While youth targeted media may play an integral role in youth communities, it is not the focus of this research. Rather, emphasis is placed on media that is generated by youth. The wide range of formats used for production enhances YGM’s capabilities. Included in this array are traditional media, such as live performance and print-based publication, as well as the new platforms, including blogging, and podcasting. The multi-platform structure of YGM, combined with the aforementioned proliferation of personal technologies and Web 2.0 culture, allows for extensive entry points. Thus, the ability for youth to create media allows for an increased production of texts. While this is an important development, it must be seen as a first step for the potential of YGM. The great strengths of these texts are their ability to project the narratives of youth (referred to as youth voice) that do not exist in mass cultural representations.

Mainstream media portray youth as the root cause for many social ills. The unfounded blame placed on youth by mass media has significant impacts on the opinions of, and actions toward, youth by the general populace (Giroux, as cited in Kellner 2001). Moreover, this stereotyping leads to an exceptional sense of disempowerment amongst young people. Such disempowerment has fluidly translated into disengagement, with youth demonstrating an apathetic lack of political interest (Buckingham, as cited in Poyntz, 2006).

YGM demonstrate great ability to challenge the predominant narrative projected by mass culture, while creating a sense of empowerment in young producers. YGM are capable of providing the mechanisms for engagement of youth within civil society. The ability of youth to exercise agency within such a meaningful context allows for the realization of empowerment (Poyntz, 2006). YGM ‘s fostering of self-actualization extends beyond participants’ articulating identities to understanding the relationship between these identities and society. 5

In addition to nurturing self-identity, YGM is capable of furthering the empowerment of youth and their communities through contributing to civil society. Downey and Fenton (2003) present civil society as the “mediating space between the private and public spheres in pluralist democracy. A place where individuals and groups are free to form organizations that function independently and can mediate between citizens and the state” (p. 190). With media conglomerates controlling society’s dominant messaging systems, I propose that the media should be seen as a third party in this definition, so that the mediation occurs between citizens, the state, and the mass media. YGM’s contribution to this ongoing process of negotiation is in furthering the capabilities of media education. Through introducing youth to the production processes inherent in media creation, YGM is capable of demystifying the power of mass media (Goldfarb, 2002). While this new level of deconstruction furthers the understanding of media education, YGM also provides opportunity for this discipline to expand its methods. Moving past the objective of deconstruction, YGM allows users to articulate their response to dominant messages. Here, the negotiation between the young citizenry, the state and the mass media is truly enhances by the capabilities of YGM.

While YGM provides a new level of capability media engagement and the negotiation of meaning within civil society, the creation process also advances through this pairing. By aligning the skill set used by youth for media creation with the analytical strength of media education, YGM producers attain critical literacy. Moving beyond the realm of comprehensive skills, critical literacy affords users the ability to appreciate and critique the social and historical contexts of their experiences (Anderson & Irvine, Kretovics, as cited in Goodman, 2005).

Goodman (2005) proposes that there are three central practices for critical literacy: teaching multiliteracies, teaching continual inquiry, and teaching reflection. Although this is a comprehensive outline for the components of critical literacy, the use of the term ‘teaching’ seems almost contradictory. As noted by 6

Goldfarb (2002), the empowerment engendered by YGM is the result of youth demonstrating their expertise. YGM provides a rare forum for such expression, and while learning is an integral part of this process, it does not occur in a formally structured manner. Thus, while I wish to employ Goodman’s three practices of critical literacy, teaching will be replaced by facilitating. Through facilitating multiliteracies, continual inquiry and reflection, critical literacy encourages youth to consider the multi-dimensional aspects of their environment, and their roles within it.

The final area of YGM capacity that I will focus on is that of creating community dialectic as a means of problem solving. As Tufte (2004) notes, media can be used as a context for problem identification, exploring potential contributory factors and solutions. When YGM processes are based on group work, dialogue becomes a vibrant component. Furthermore, the dialogue generated provides a forum for negotiation between youth. This process of creating collective understanding can be seen as a microcosm of civil society, where youth share experiences and narratives. This dialogue helps to generate tolerance and respect for cultural differences between participants (Jenkins, 2006). Thus, the integration of YGM into community programs utilizes the strong creation skill set to benefit the development of youth within the context of the group.

The potential of YGM to enhance the civil experiences of its users is immense. I have outlined five areas in which there is great opportunity for capacity building of YGM participants:

1) Empowering youth against stereotyping in mass media 2) Enhancing the negotiation ability of youth as citizens within civil society 3) Evolving media education beyond deconstruction 4) Fostering the practical development of critical literacy 7

5) Engaging group dynamics as a method of building tolerance while exploring problem-solving strategies.

The actualization of these possibilities can be greatly enhanced by organizations that promote YGM programs as a component of community development. Through providing programs that engage youth in both media creation, and critical discourse, community organizations encourage participants to cultivate more comprehensive effectivity sets. According to Barab and Roth (2006), effectivity sets are comprised of the competencies, acquired through experience, that one can utilize to optimize her potential within a situation or environment. Not only can YGM programs strengthen the effectivity sets of youth by providing technical media making skills, but also the areas of opportunity listed above offer participants an intricate skill set with capabilities that extend beyond the realm of media creation to participation within civil society.

With the potentials of YGM programs articulated, it is necessary to consider what pedagogical framework best supports their fulfillment. I propose that the Constructionist pedagogy offered by Peppler and Kafai (2007) provides an excellent framework for designing YGM programs. Constructionism “places learners in designer roles and ties together the importance of designing artifacts that are of relevance to a larger community. Constructionism places equal importance on the individual learner and on the role of social participation” (p. 153). Maintaining the importance of the youth as the authority of their own experiences, Constructionism allots positions of agency for the participants. However, this creative control is balanced with the context of interacting and working within the community. Thus, Constructionism can be seen as a pedagogical framework capable of supporting the capabilities of YGM programs.

Networking as a Mechanism for Community Engagement 8

When considering the potential for community organizations to operate successful YGM programs, it is important to recognize the limitations of organizational capacity. Such limitations may include available staff, workspace, technology, funding, and distribution methods. As many nonprofit organizations are not large institutions (Lohmann, 2007), it is important to consider the implications of these limitations, and the possibility to overcome them. Establishing and maintaining inter-organizational networks allow increased capacity for the organizations involved. Here, it is important to consider organization capabilities in terms of affordance networks: the tools, methods, and practices available for the attainment of a goal (Barab and Roth, 2006). By participating in an inter-organizational network, the affordance network available to an organization becomes exponentially expanded.

Moreover, organizational involvement in networks is a natural reflection of the aims of critical literacy development. Jenkins (2006) recognizes the necessary roles of collaboration and networking for the development of multiliteracy. As it is logical that an organization’s structure should resemble the aims of its programming, the case for inter-organizational networking for YGM programs is based in organic rationale. This rationale is extended by the additional aim of programs which intend to show YGM as a component of a larger structure of media education and/or civic engagement. Recognizing that media creation is only a part of these systems, it is important to also recognize the relevancy of the other components. Similarly, organizations can gain much strength through recognizing the strengths and opportunities for co-development with other agencies. Despite these considerations for the importance of inter- organizational networking, a great deal of hesitancy seems to prevail amongst non-profit organizations about engaging with such structures.

The Effects of Limited Funding Streams While there may be additional deterrents that prevent organizations from entering into networks, I believe that the greatest implications are the effects of 9 unstable funding. With government contributions to social programs shrinking, competition between organizations for remaining funding streams intensifies (Eikenberry & Kluver, 2004). Not only can this competitive system lead to hostility between organizations, but it can also generate anxiety about the future’s uncertainty. This anxiety may act as a substantial barrier preventing organization’s programs from reaching full potential. Rather than continually developing and improving organizational structure, when funding streams are vulnerable attention is diverted from programming to fiscal management. Furthermore, this uncertainty may prevent organizations from involving themselves in long-term inter-organizational commitments. Thus, organizations that operate without sustainable infrastructure on an uncertain basis of year-to- year, contract-to-contract, or project-to-project funding are unable to demonstrate their full potential within their communities.

Vancouver’s YGM Organizations: Current Situation Through my work with the Vancouver Community Network, and the Community Access Program (CAP), I became familiar with many youth organizations within the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Due to both the focus of my work to engage marginalized youth, and the geographic location of my office, much of this experience was centred on understanding the capabilities of such organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). What I recognized, through my assessment of the availability of nonprofits services for youth in Vancouver, was that structural constraints of organizations limited their ability to engage with youth. During my time with CAP, we forged a partnership with TakingITGlobal. Through this collaboration, representatives from both programs began working to initiate inter-organizational networks between youth-focused nonprofits. These attempts were met with limited success. While inter-organizational networking is capable of expanding the capacity of an agency to affect its community, it is seemingly regarded by organizations with great hesitancy. 10

In my secondary role as an organizer with the emergent Fearless Media project, an initiative of the DTES Community Arts Network (CAN), I began to explore questions about the function of YGM in community organization. As we prepared to launch the Fearless web-based system, I wondered what roles this new platform could fulfill in creating meaningful community engagement. To adequately address this question, it was necessary to examine the activities of pre-existing YGM projects within Vancouver. This consideration was directed by three questions about the purpose of YGM creation: 1) Who are the intended audiences for YGM? Are these audiences peer- to-peer or intergenerational? 2) Do YGM offer societal and cultural analysis, or does content generation focus solely on the expression of personal narrative? 3) What is the purpose of these media creation processes? Are the projects intended to offer creative therapy (with multi-barrier youth, or as recidivism reduction initiatives, for example), or is it created to strengthen media literacy? Are there additional mandates for YGM? It became immediately apparent that YGM are fostered by a large number of community organizations. However, the structure and aims of these programs are very diverse. While YGM have been harnessed as a tool for community engagement in Vancouver, the best practices for this employment have not been identified.

Through CAP and Fearless Media, my experiences with the inter- organizational tendencies and YGM capabilities of nonprofit organizations led me to two conjectures. The first is that nonprofit organizations in Vancouver are limited by structural impediments. Although networking offers potential to challenge these constraints, nonprofit organizations seem weary to engage within these frameworks. The second conjecture is that the ambitions and intentions of YGM projects are affected- either positively or negatively- by the programs’ levels of pedagogical specificity. Programs that employ a clear pedagogical directive create YGM with increased efficacy for building community 11 dialectic. Vague pedagogical structures prevent the manifestation of YGM’s full potential. These two conjectures, combined with the three questions detailed above, founded the premise of my research regarding the structure and capacity of YGM organizations in Vancouver.

Projecting the Future: Lessons from the East Bay While this project focused on the capabilities and limitations of YGM projects in Vancouver, additional research was collected from organization in California’s San Francisco/East Bay communities. This secondary stream of organizations was surveyed as a means of establishing a set of best practices that might be applied to the recommendations for the future of YGM programs in Vancouver. The YGM projects created by nonprofit organizations in the East Bay demonstrate great comprehension of their capacity within the community, and work within clearly defined pedagogical structures. Furthermore, many of the agencies involved in media creation also participate in dynamic inter- organizational networks. Beyond this organizational sophistication, the Bay Area community must be considered for its similarities to Vancouver. Both regions are home to thriving ethnocultural diversity. Additionally, each region is currently faced with challenges of marginalization and poverty. These problems manifest differently, in Vancouver the key issues are homelessness and addiction problems while Oakland struggles with gang violence. However, the root cause to the struggles in both communities is poverty, and community organizations have a responsibility in addressing it on both fronts. Based on these similarities, I engaged with representatives from East Bay-based nonprofit organizations to help refine my recommendations for the future of YGM in Vancouver.

Hypotheses The structure of YGM organizations affect their capacity to engage with their communities. Prior to commencing my research of these effects, I constructed three hypotheses regarding the structural capacities of YGM organizations within Vancouver: 12

1) YGM organizations that engage in inter-organizational networking experience increased longevity, greater community outreach, and a higher volume of media creation. 2) YGM organizations that demonstrate higher levels of participant retention (involvement of an extended period of time) have greater resonance within their communities. 3) Through the study of the behaviours of YGM organizations in Vancouver, patterns of action and structure will be realized. Within these hypotheses, the implications of the aforementioned three questions and two conjectures can be realized. The aims of YGM programs to engage specific audiences, peer-to-peer of intergenerational, greatly impact the role of the organization within the community dialectic. Returning to the notion of civil society, organizations with capabilities for fostering inter-generational dialectic expand the capacity for young participants to negotiate their identities within a broader context. Additionally, programs that integrate media education and group dynamics embrace the multi-dimensional possibilities of YGM. These added elements evolve the creation process from providing technical skills to advancing the effectivity sets of youth to participate in community dialectic. The ability of organizations to use media creation to explore solutions to community challenges further enriches the YGM participants’ experience. All of these potential attributes may be heightened by the use of inter-organizational networking, and clear pedagogical focus for program creation.

Method To test these hypotheses, I developed a comprehensive questionnaire. The scope of this survey was largely influenced by the research-framework detailed by Schroder, Drotner, Kline, and Murray (2003). Comprised of two parts, the questionnaire focused on organizational mechanisms and content created by YGM programs. Within the first half, emphasis was placed on exploring organizational structure, funding streams, and inter-organizational networking experiences. The latter half examined the level of youth involvement, the 13 pedagogical aims of YGM projects, and the results of these initiatives. Recognizing the qualitative attributes of my hypotheses (such as gauging resonance in a community), many open-ended questions were created to allow organizational representatives the opportunity for self-reflection. A secondary set of questions was created for the East Bay organization. The areas of focus from the original questionnaire were maintained in the creation of the second form. Following the creation the question sets, organizational representatives were contacted to schedule interviews.

Participants In an attempt to capture an accurate snapshot of YGM organizations within Vancouver, groups were selected based on their primary medium and methods of youth engagement (ranging from one day workshops to multi-year participation capabilities). Initially, 35 Vancouver-based organizations were solicited to participate in this project. The aims of the research were clearly stated in an invitational letter. Potential participants were informed that their input would allow for an analysis of the current landscape of YGM projects in Vancouver, and that this recognition of strengths and opportunities would benefit future forecasting endeavours of the organizations involved. This first attempt at engaging YGM organizations was met with minimal response. Following this unsuccessful attempt to recruit participants, a series of emails, phone calls and personal communications were conducted in an attempt to generate further response. This expanded initiative to engage with YGM organizations resulted in an eight-week communication campaign. The result of this extensive attempt to reach organizations was the involvement of 9 organizational representatives in the research project (with one incomplete interview). Efforts to enlist participants from the East Bay were much more successful. Following two weeks of communication with 16 organizations from the Bay Area, 8 consented to participating in the study (with two incomplete 14 interviews). This variation of response rate- 25.7% in Vancouver versus 50% in the East Bay- will be considered in later discussion of organizational structure.

A complete list of participants is available within the data sets (attached).

Procedure The research for this project was collected through a series of interviews with organizational representatives in Vancouver and the Bay Area. These sessions lasted between 25 and 70 minutes, depending on the level of dialogue generated through the questionnaire. Due to staffing constraints, several organizations explicitly stated an inability for discussion to exceed 30 minutes. Additionally, some organizations expressed anxiety about participating in the interview without prior access to the questionnaire. In order to accommodate these concerns, two organizations were access to the questionnaire before their interviews. While this increased exposure to the question set may have led to more carefully constructed answers (Schroder et al., 2003), I elected to accept this risk in order to facilitate organizational participation.

Results The information collected by organizations in both Vancouver and the Bay Area provided an excellent understanding of their respective organizational landscapes. For the purpose of analysis, the trends and patterns identified in the Vancouver component of the survey are detailed below. To clarify concepts discussed, experiences of individual organizations will be used as examples. As the function of the East Bay data set is to encourage normative forecasting for Vancouver’s future projects, it will be explored in the forthcoming discussion.

Part One: Organizational Structure Of the organizations interviewed, the average number of years in operation was 9.7. For community organizations with a scope extending beyond YGM, the operational age of the media project was considered, rather than the 15 age of the overarching organization. Thus, while TakingITGlobal has operated for eight years, its capacity to engage youth in Vancouver in media creation has developed over the past two years. Here, the number of years in operation is recorded as two, not eight. The demographics served by the YGM programs studied seemed to be impacted by the organizations’ flux between ideals of inclusion, and demand. Fifty percent of the organizations identified themselves being neither anchored in a geographic or ethnocultural community within Vancouver. Rather, these organizations stressed the emphasis of engaging youth throughout the city (some with a reach that extended into the GVRD and Lower Mainland). Additionally, many organizations stressed the importance of engaging all ethnocultural communities equally. This emphasis on equal engagement was not as aptly represented in the gender breakdown of participants. The average percentage of female participants in the organizations’ YGM projects was 68.75%, leaving male participation at 31.25%. Organizations identified that girls demonstrate heightened interest in media creation. Similarly, media creation is occurring with youth in age ranges outside the scope of this paper. While the age range with the highest participation in YGM programs is identified as being between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, several organizations identified users between the ages of eight and fourteen. Again, here we see that desire to participate amongst users shapes the demographics served. Finally, 63% of organizations interviewed identified a portion of their participants as At-Risk and Multi-Barrier Youth, while 50% recognized Street Involved Youth as participants.

The volume of participants involved in YGM programs ranged significantly between organizations. While the average number of youth involved in media creation was 590 per organization, per year, the self –identified numbers ranged from 9 to 2500. There was similar variance in the annual period of increased participation volume, with eleven of the twelve months identified by at least one organization as having higher volume. 16

Streams of funding used by Vancouver YGM organizations showed clear concentration on certain sources, and varied alignment with others. 87.5% of organizations identified government funding as a key support. 50% recognized donor, and foundations as funding sources, while 37.5% rely on corporate donations. Only one organization accrues support through earned income (in this case, income is generated through advertising revenue). 75% of participants expressed concern about the viability of their long-term funding.

Inter-organizational Networks All organizations interviewed stated activity within inter-organizational networks. The primary focus of these networks is project collaboration, as 100% of the interviewees identified this as a level of networking. 87.5% recognized resource sharing as a component of their networking structure, 50% identified funding sharing, and 25% participate in labour sharing. These networks were identified as maintained on a project-to-project basis for 87.5% of the organizations. While 25% of participants expressed interest in developing more long-term networks, only one organization has succeeded in sustaining such connections. Despite the short-term basis for much of the networking, all of the organizations identified as intending to continue networking. When considering future endeavours, the organizations expressed interest in exploring additional networking possibilities. 75% identified potential organizational networks of interest. 50% agreed that shared goals between organizations operate as an incentive to engage in networks, while 37.5% identified increased promotional abilities as capable of encouraging increased networking. Furthermore, 75% stated that inter-organizational networking was important to their future.

Organizational Analysis The self-analysis of the organizations provided very diverse reflections. The convergence point for organizational strength was the ability to foster youth voice, identified by 62.5% of organizations as one of their strengths. Beyond this, 17 organizations identified strengths ranging from providing comprehensive skills training to allotting positions of agency to youth. Similarly, there was variance in the areas for improvement. While 62.5% identified a component of infrastructure as needing improvement, the focus of this improvement ranged from staffing to workspace. These infrastructural limitations were further identified by 37.5% as the greatest challenge to the organization. Additional challenges identified include competition with private enterprise (25%) and unstable funding (37.5%).

Part Two: YGM Creation As previously identified, the variety of organizations selected to participate in this research were intended to reflect the diverse methods of YGM creation. The various media employed for the creation processes exemplify this diversity. Ranging from traditional formats to emerging platforms, the Vancouver organizations utilize media including radio broadcasting (terrestrial and internet- based), performance, print, website, digital video, digital music and graphic design. Additional variance exists in the methods of production. While 87.5% engage youth in workshops, 50% include cyclic and ongoing production processes, and 37.5% employ apprenticeship-style skills trainings. The most common methods of distribution of YGM content are through online portals. 75% of the organizations identified websites and social software as mechanisms they employ for distribution, with 37.5% utilizing print and an additional 25% using radio.

Program Development Here, again, the diversity of organizational methods is realized. Although 62.5% of the organizations identified their programs as being shaped by the community, the additional considerations varied significantly between agencies. 37.5% stated that their programs were created to meet a need for skills (as identified within the participants by the organization). An equal number of organizations (37.5%) base their programs on the suggestions of participants, and create projects through group decisions (involving the youth). Additional 18 considerations included proven effectiveness with focus groups, fostering youth agency, creating sustainable programs and encouraging youth voice through program structure. While only 25% of organizations identify youth voice as a consideration for the creation of program consideration, 50% recognize it as an aim of youth involvement. 50% of the organizations also recognized challenging social problems as a goal for programming. Generating community dialogue and providing a positive experience for participants were also popular objectives. While the methods employed by the organizations for engaging youth and creating texts are diverse, there is continuity in the goals of these projects as strengthening the community and encouraging the development of youth voice.

Level of Youth Involvement Varying levels of youth involvement between organizations are more difficult to navigate than other factors. This increased complexity is due to the arbitrary definitions assigned to level of youth involvement. The YGM organizations of Vancouver engage youth in a variety of roles beyond that of content production. As noted in part two, section 2.1 of the survey, the roles of youth in these organizations spans from board members to distributors. The most popular levels of engagement were as creative participants, and content planners. The least popular levels were board members and distributors. Additional complexity to the problems of understanding youth involvement arises when considering rates of retention. Here, it is important to note that several of the organizations interviewed are youth-run. Thus, there are two very different sets of numbers associated with youth retention rates. For example, Check Your Head engages youth in workshops that run for 75 minutes. So, the retention rate for workshop participants is 75 minutes. The youth involved in the organizational structure, however, are retained for 2 years. Considering these potential discrepancies, the average length of youth participation in YGM organizations in Vancouver is 13 months.

Content Analysis 19

The theme of identifying youth voice as a central consideration for YGM creation extends to the organizations’ self-identified strengths of content created. Here, 50% identified it as a strength of the media content generated. Additional strengths, identified in part two, section 3.1, included the presence of multidimensional analysis of media, and the immediate applicability of the content. Positive feedback received by the organizations from participants focused mainly on the sense of pride that resulted from creating texts (50%). Some of the challenges to the creation and distribution process outlined by the organizations focused on infrastructural problems, while many addressed problems in content generation. The specific challenges are outlined in part two, section 3.3 of the survey. Suggestions from participants on methods of improving programs focused on increasing resources (from technology to time).

Discussion

The results of the Vancouver study will be considered in relation to the questions, and conjectures that I offered earlier. Additionally, these results will be contrasted with the data set collected in the Bay Area survey. When originally considering the climate for YGM in Vancouver, I postulated three questions regarding the aims of these media creation practices. Through exploring these aims, I hoped to understand the potential contribution of YGM to civil society and the community dialectics inherent. Of the Vancouver organizations interviewed, half identified their audience as being peer-to-peer, while the other half recognized their audience as intergenerational. Additionally, 87.5% of the organizations identified their programs as incorporating social and cultural analysis into their media creation process. This number may be deceiving, however, as only 57% of these organizations were able to detail their pedagogical framework for engaging youth in more broad concepts of such analysis. Furthermore, only 25% of the organizations incorporate a well- developed media literacy component with their creation. While the YGM programs in Vancouver allow excellent opportunities for youth to develop media 20 creation skills, there is room to improve the analytic skills that should coincide with this production. Increasing the technical skills of participants is an important component of YGM programs. However, in order for YGM to realize its full potential as an avenue for engaging youth in civil society, a greater level of critical analysis must be present.

Turning to the programs in the Bay Area, all organizations interviewed produce media content that engages an inter-generational audience. Additionally, 83% of the organizations’ YGM programs included social and/or cultural analysis. With the number of organizations engaging participants in media literacy education at 63%, the Bay Area programs are two and a half times more likely to include media education as a component of YGM creation. Here, the potential for media creation to act as a component of civil society is both recognized and embraced.

The focus of the Bay Area programs on analytic capabilities is indicative of a more holistic approach to media creation programs. YGM as a component of social change has also led the organizations involved in these programs to foster more advanced inter-organizational networks. Here, there is an increased emphasis on communicating with schools, community centres and other nonprofit organizations. An excellent example of a proficient networking system is that of Oakland Rising. Consisting of a core of six organizations (including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights), OR meets monthly. During these meetings, participants share developments from their programs. After sharing updates, the organizations analyze where there is potential for collaboration and support for one another’s work. This network system is multi-disciplinary, involving agencies that work within all aspects of the community. Recognizing that issues, such as gang violence, facing the community are both intergenerational and multi- dimensional, OR provides a forum for discussing multi-dimensional approaches to problem solving. 21

Furthering the argument for networking, the Vancouver organizations identified their infrastructure and visibility as areas for improvement. However, with funding instability, such improvements are difficult to achieve. By not recognizing the full potential of networking as a mechanism for advancing organizational capabilities, the Vancouver organizations inhibit the realization of their potential.

The limited use of networking by Vancouver organizations should not be as the result of organizational oversight. Rather, the lack of networking is indicative of the larger problems of organizational funding. As operating budgets are tightened, the capabilities of nonprofit staff to expand organizational capacity are significantly ebbed (Lohmann, 2007). One Vancouver representative interviewed suggested that the inability to network and establish long-term relationships demonstrates an organizational manifestation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s theory proposes that before one is able to engage in meaningful relationships and reach a stage of self-realization, basic requirements must be secured (Simons, Irwin, & Drinnien, 1987). Applied to community organizations, when long-term sustainability is threatened by funding instability, it becomes increasingly difficult for these groups to consider engaging in inter-organizational networks. Recognizing the inhibitory effects of funding insecurities, I again turn to the practices of the organizations in the Bay Area. While Vancouver organizations experience decreasing governmental support, groups in the United States experience even less government-based funding (Lohmann, 2007). Funding strategies for the majority of these organizations includes some form of social enterprise. By securing streams of earned income, often through selling copies of the texts produced through YGM processes, the Bay Area organizations lessen their financial vulnerability. Furthermore, some of the organizations interviewed identified the social enterprise component of their youth programs as offering participants an additional skill set based on developing economic competency. Naturally, such a stance is not without its critics. Eikenberry and Kluver (2004) 22 identify social enterprise as limiting the capacity of community organizations to participate in civil society.

Returning to the five areas that I outlined YGM programs to enhance the youth experience of civil society, I wish to discuss these aims in relation to social enterprise. For the purpose of this discussion, the social enterprise I will focus on is the marketing and sale of texts created through YGM programs. The first area for YGM to improve the youth experience is empowering them against stereotyping in mass media. I argue that increasing distribution capabilities of texts of youth voice allow for such stereotypes to be challenged on a new level. Such challenging has been seen by the Ella Baker Center’s Silence the Violence campaign. This program, created in response to an increase of street violence, engages youth in writing, recording and producing hip hop music. The tracks created are then burned to disc for sale. Not only does this program further the sense of pride of users in their work, it helps spread the nonviolent message of the program. The second area for improvement is enhancing the negotiation ability of youth as citizens within civil society. By creating texts that are available for distribution to an intergenerational audience, this negotiation is furthered. Both YGM organizations and their participants have expressed the frustration of limited audience reach. However, selling the texts in storefronts such as that of 826 Valencia allow a wider audience to engage with the work. By adding an element of economic competency, social enterprise empowers youth as participants in civil society. This process takes media education out of the deconstruction phase and encourages youth to grow their enterprise to reflect their vision for a more functional, just society. Furthermore, economic literacy can be seen as a component of multiliteracy, and as increasing the effectivity sets of young participants.

Social enterprise is not the solution to all of the funding problems facing YGM organizations. However, with its abilities to empower youth in new platforms, reduce funding instability and increase the methods for audience 23 engagement, social enterprise can be seen as furthering the role of YGM in civil society.

Analysis Based on the information within both data sets, the applicability and accuracy of the hypotheses I offered earlier can be evaluated. Firstly, I proposed that the YGM organizations that engage in inter-organizational networking experience increased longevity, greater community outreach, and a higher volume of media creation. In comparing the number of years of operation of organizations in Vancouver (with less emphasis on networking) and the Bay Area (with intricate networks), the averages were very similar. As previously mentioned, the average number of years of operation for the Vancouver organizations was 9.7. For the Bay Area, the number was only slightly higher at 10 years. However, it is also important to note the disparity in levels of participation of organizations contacted. As only 25.7% of organizations in Vancouver responded to my request for information, I suspect that the less structured and newer organizations were unable to facilitate my request. Both organizations in Vancouver and the Bay Area recognized the importance of networking to future endeavours. Barab and Roth’s (2006) concept of affordance networks support this opinion further. When organizations forge partnerships, they expand the breadth of their services and add multi-dimensional capabilities to their methods of engaging the community. This added capacity does suggest greater impact, but does not necessarily facilitate increased text production.

The second hypothesis I offered suggested that the YGM organizations that demonstrate higher levels of participant retention (involvement of an extended period of time) have greater resonance within their communities. I immediately recognized the difficulty of assessing a qualitative effect such as resonance within a community. However, when it comes to establishing one’s program as an active component of the greater community, organizations with higher youth retention expressed such a self-identity. This level of retention also 24 allows programs to develop and become more sophisticated through the creation of institutional memory. Additionally, by providing long-term projects for youth, organizations create opportunities for personal investment. Again, in such a capacity, YGM creation extends far beyond the realm of providing technical skills to providing a variety of possibilities for youth empowerment. However, returning to the issue of community resonance, this is not achieved solely by youth retention. YGM programs must have a clear pedagogical basis for media creation. Earlier, I proposed a Constructionist model for this framework. This model can be seen as creating the potential for community resonance by engaging youth in positions of agency while balancing these roles within the larger context of the community. In considering community in its development, Constructionist pedagogy offers potential for YGM programs to have increased effect within their communities. Finally, I proposed that through the study of the behaviours of YGM organizations in Vancouver, patterns of action and structure could be realized. The information collected by this survey portrays a vibrant landscape of YGM creation. Patterns of action are apparent in the methods of distribution, sources of funding, levels of engagement with networks and youth. Furthermore, areas of opportunity for the organizations of Vancouver become apparent through analyzing the information collected. A higher level of specificity within pedagogical framework will allow these programs to increase the effectiveness of their youth engagement. Additionally, creating longer-term programs within social/cultural contexts will further the ability of YGM to engage youth in civil society.

Based on this review of my original hypotheses, I now propose a hybrid revision that combines elements of all three to aptly capture the potential of YGM organizations in Vancouver. Through employing Constructionist pedagogy as a basis for programming, focusing on long-term programming based within a context of generating critical literacy, YGM has the capability to empower participants while expanding their capacity within civil society. Furthermore, the 25 effectivity sets available to both youth and their communities are significantly increased when YGM organizations engaged in dynamic and meaningful inter- organizational networks.

Conclusion YGM plays a critical role in engaging youth in the communities. Media creation encourages youth to discover empowerment through creative processes. This empowerment, combined with an exploration of group dynamic allows YGM participants a greater skill set for engaging with civil society. However, when YGM creation processes focus too closely on increasing technical skills, the possibility to affect the community is compromised. Just as media education must look beyond deconstruction, YGM must look beyond construction to understand its effects within the larger context of civil society. YGM programs in Vancouver offer a variety of mechanisms for youth to engage in self-expression. By employing a more comprehensive pedagogy to these opportunities, YGM can create much more meaningful engagements for its participants. The capacity of engagement is also furthered by inter-organizational networking, as demonstrated by agencies within the Bay Area. However, unstable organizational funding often hinders such collaborations. Thus, in order for the YGM organizations to create more viable networks, they must first address their funding instability. Social enterprise can be used as a method of alleviating this vulnerability. If organizations are able to overcome the great challenges of funding to create meaningful networks, the YGM program participants and their communities will reap the rewards.

Acknowledgement I would like to recognize the contributions of all the organizations involved in my survey. Additionally, I must thank Andrew Boyd for his supporting in connecting me with organizations in the Bay Area.

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