YOUTH CIVIC NEWS
Seeking teens interested in Television, broadcasting, journalism, media and radio, etc.
- Are you a teen looking to join a creative team in TV, broadcasting and radio production?
- Are you interesting in being a hosts, personality or interviewer?
- Are you a great writer interested in Journalism?
- Do you care about the Civics: the rights and duties of citizens?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, we’re looking to work with you! Join our team!
Quick Links:
INTRODUCTION: YOUTH CIVIC NEWS
Youth Civic News (YCN) mentorship program powered by the Philadelphia Film Factory (Philm Factory) with instructors from We Talk Weekly, is a yearly educational mentoring program that uses TV production, news, media and journalism to promote youth civic engagement and civic literacy for youth between the ages of 15-24. Youth are given the tools to produce and run their own broadcasted radio/news show.
Youth participants will have the opportunity to be TV/Radio Hosts, write content for news segments, learn camera operations and equipment for broadcasting and much more! Our partners We Talk Weekly, will be the instructors for each session.
ABOUT CYN
YCN’s Fall program will run for 12 weeks from September – November, 2024, operating every Sunday from 2pm – 6pm at the Cambridge Innovation Center located at 3675 Market Street with site visits to the Philadelphia Community Access Media (PhillyCam) tv/radio station. The first session will take place on Sunday, September 8th, 2024 and the last session is November 24, 2024. A mandatory Orientation will be held on September 4th, 2024 at CIC Philly 3675 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, from 6pm – 7:30pm. Youth participants will take media classes hosted by We Talk Weekly. We Talk Weekly is an award-winning, digital media company that provides news and information to the Black community in a solutions journalism style, etc. The three classes are: Journalism, TV Production & Media, and Radio Production (radio, internet, streaming platforms and podcast).
YCN students will produce 5, 30-minute episodes with approximately 6 segments or stories in each episode. The episodes will air once a week on Thursdays on our philmfactory.org website while also airing on We Talk Weekly’s syndicated platforms: WPPM LP 106.5 FM radio show, online podcast and website wetalkweekly.com/youthcivics (creating a dedicated youth based media page) and PhillyCAM TV: xfinity 66/966HD, Fios TV 29/30, Roku and Apple TV. The episodes will also be transformed into audio episodes or special segments to run as podcast episodes on We Talk Weekly’s website.
The show will consist of our youth cohort producing a youth internet news show with a season of 5 episodes. The news segments will target the following topics: Civic life and education, voting, activism, economics, social issues & current events: entertainment, public safety, youth gun violence prevention, social change, weather, and more.
Youth Civic News is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.
PURPOSE
Youth Civic News (YCN) project addresses various community needs centered around youth civic engagement in Philadelphia and beyond. There is a necessity to address public concerns and promote healthy communities through media and youth participation. Philadelphia has seen its share of public safety concerns such as gun violence, public health issues, poor education, the lack of economical opportunities, environmental decay, amongst other civic issues. The lack of civic education results in low voter turnout, or low interest especially from young adults. Young adults who haven’t been introduced formally to civics, when they turn 18, tend to lack understanding or comprehend the rights, obligations, and duties of citizens in society. Thus, YCN would introduce a young audience to civic life and engagement through the lens of their peers in the form of a fun, innovative news show.
The goal behind YCN is to boost and promote activism and advocacy, community service and volunteering, civic education and awareness, public art visibility through projects, and electoral participation from a youth centric viewpoint and voice. In doing such, this would enhance civic life in our communities, while instilling in our youth values, empathy and compassion for social issues and change. The youth participants of YCN will learn from our professionals in the field of journalism, TV and film production, and civic engagement.
Program Schedule
The duration of the project will last 3 months (12 weeks), operating every Sunday from 2pm – 6pm. There will be a total of 5 episodes to complete the fall program.
MILESTONES | FALL PROGRAM – 4 weeks, 3 months, 12 sessions
September 2024 – November 2024, Every Sunday from 2pm – 6pm
Month 1: September 2024
Milestone 1: Week 2, Introduction Trainings Complete
Milestone 2: Week 4, Episode 1 Completion
Quarter Milestone 1: 1 Month Complete
Month 2: October 2024
Milestone 3: Week 6: Episode 2 Completion
Milestone 4: Week 8: Episode 3 Completion
Quarter Milestone 2: 2nd Month Completion
Month 3: November 2024
Milestone 5: Week 10: Episode 4 Completion
Milestone 6: Week 12: Episode 5 Completion
Quarter Milestone 3: 3rd Month Completion
Program Milestone: Program End Celebration and Presentation – December 8th (Subject to change)
Program Milestone 4: YCN will run weekly every Monday at 9:30 pm on Comcast cable channels 66 and Verizon Fios 29 & 30.
Meet Your Instructors
Charles Gregory
Charles Gregory is an emerging Television Producer/Director/Host with over 12 years of creative Television and video experience. He earned a Bachelors and Masters degree from Temple University. Charles was awarded a citation from the City of Philadelphia for his creation of 501 (c)(3) non-profit Organization Project S.T.E.A.M. The 2014 Hometown Media Awards is among many awards he has won during his career. Charles has styled celebrities such as current clients Kindred The Family Soul, Carl Thomas, Hill Harper, Brian Michael Cox, and America’s Next Top Model Nik Pace. Charles is also an actor with commercial work for 6ABC Action News in Philadelphia.
Lauren J. Settles
Lauren J. Settles is a seasoned media professional with a Master’s degree in Journalism and seven years of diverse experience in radio, television, and media production. Lauren’s career began in radio, where she quickly established herself as a compelling on-air personality. Lauren has also pursued acting, with roles in feature film “Heroin,” Investigation Discovery TV movie “A Taste for Murder,” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” stage play. She is also a National Association of Black Journalists member.
Sparkle Howell
Sparkle Howell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management and is an Operational Manager at one of the nation’s top Cancer Centers in Philadelphia. She is the founder/creator of nonprofit 501 c3 organization “Fighting Against Cancer,” helping those diagnosed with cancer and other debilitating diseases. Sparkle has been featured in the stage play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” by Lee Harris and “Twisted Season” stage play written and directed by Franchella Simmons.
Apply Now
Program requirements:
Must be between 15-24 years of age
Must live in the following areas: Center City, North Philadelphia , Northeast Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, South Philadelphia , Southwest Philadelphia , West Philadelphia
First Session: Sunday, September 8th, 2024.
Last Session: Sunday, November 24, 2024
The application deadline is Friday, August 30, 2024.