Module 5: Helping Youth Develop and Use Voice and Agency
Introduction
As discussed in the previous module, it is important for young African American males to become creators of media in addition to learning to critically evaluate it. Librarians can assist them with this by helping them to develop their own unique voices and by teaching them to use tools that give them the agency to express their ideas and identities. Cultivating the voices and agency of African American male youth also has the added benefit of increasing the authenticity and relevance of instruction, giving projects and assignments greater purpose, and consequently increasing the engagement and learning of the young men involved. Below are a number of real examples that demonstrate the power of voice and agency. In each case, the youth involved with the projects were so motivated to develop their literacy skills that they willingly gave up much of their free time after school and over summers holidays because the work they were doing was purposeful, they could see that purpose, and by developing these skills, they were empowered to make demands and to change their communities.
Technologies and Web 2.0 tools in particular provide a unique opportunity that has not been available prior to recent years for young people to create and publish their own content. The following skills and tools are just a sample of those available to them:
Technologies and Web 2.0 tools in particular provide a unique opportunity that has not been available prior to recent years for young people to create and publish their own content. The following skills and tools are just a sample of those available to them:
- Filmmaking
- Podcasting
- Blogging
- Word Processing
- Web Development
- Creative Writing
- Presenting
Explore: Library Programs that Cultivate Voice and Agency
The following are several examples of real library programs that use the tools and skills identified in the introduction to empower teens to create, share, and promote their own work. Though the focus of this collection is on teens, it is important to note that similar programs could be developed for younger children with some adaptations to make them more age appropriate.
Radio LMMS: In 2012, the learning commons at Lakewood Montessori Middle School in Durham, NC hosted a bi-weekly podcasting club to help students in 6th and 7th grades create short radio programs about their interests and the school and local community. Over the course of a semester, students learned how to identify a subject for their segments, write a script, use audio recording equipment, and mix and edit their recordings using a popular free program called Audacity. Four of the students' podcasts are available through the link. This guide from YALSA offers additional advice on starting a library podcast program for teens.
Teen Filmmaker Festival: This annual program from the Kalamazoo Public Library in Michigan invites teen filmmakers to create and submit their own films for screening, awards, and publication. The link provides access to the past year's award winning films, entry rules, and the brochures and flyers used to promote the event.
Teen Creative Writing Program: This program, offered by the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts, offers teens access to free creative writing classes taught by local authors to be held weekly over the course of seven weeks. The link accesses a Somerville Public Library Blog post that describes the program in more detail and advertises it to the community.
Radio LMMS: In 2012, the learning commons at Lakewood Montessori Middle School in Durham, NC hosted a bi-weekly podcasting club to help students in 6th and 7th grades create short radio programs about their interests and the school and local community. Over the course of a semester, students learned how to identify a subject for their segments, write a script, use audio recording equipment, and mix and edit their recordings using a popular free program called Audacity. Four of the students' podcasts are available through the link. This guide from YALSA offers additional advice on starting a library podcast program for teens.
Teen Filmmaker Festival: This annual program from the Kalamazoo Public Library in Michigan invites teen filmmakers to create and submit their own films for screening, awards, and publication. The link provides access to the past year's award winning films, entry rules, and the brochures and flyers used to promote the event.
Teen Creative Writing Program: This program, offered by the Somerville Public Library in Massachusetts, offers teens access to free creative writing classes taught by local authors to be held weekly over the course of seven weeks. The link accesses a Somerville Public Library Blog post that describes the program in more detail and advertises it to the community.
Watch: Youth Speak Out in South Central L.A.
The program examples above highlight several programs that nurture the development of voice and agency in teens, but it is also important to help them find real issues in their own communities on which to speak out. These tools can also be used to give young African American men the necessary skills and a forum to engage in social action that has a real impact on their lives and their communities. What are teens capable of when they are asked the right questions and have the knowledge needed to conduct research and create presentations to answer those questions? The answer, as the Council of Youth Research at UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access demonstrates in the example video below, is great things. Participants of this program are high school students in Los Angeles who work on these projects in the summer and after school over the course of a year. They are not required to do this. They do so because they are interested and engaged and feel empowered to make a difference.
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"To Live and Learn in L.A." This video looks at students' need for a safe and clean learning environment and compares the differences between their school and those in wealthier neighborhoods. It includes interviews with a number of teachers and students that are affected by these differences. |
For more information on The Council of Youth Research and it's projects, please take some time to visit their website which features several other videos and PowerPoint presentations developed by young researchers to address issues in their communities.
Activity: Creating Media for Social Action
Brainstorm a list of issues in your community that your students or patrons might find interesting and have the desire to address. Could you design a program around solving these issues? What materials and tools would need to be accessible for participants to conduct the research to investigate the problem? What tools and materials would they need to present their findings? Who could teach them to use these tools? Here are a few ideas of potential community issues and corresponding programs:
- The library is planning to invest in new e-readers. After researching the topic thoroughly and surveying other users about their needs and preferences, teens could could create presentations recommending a specific e-reader for purchase.
- When examining the local newspapers, your users noticed there were far more negative depictions of African American and Black men than ones that were positive. They decide to start a campaign both in the local community and online to raise awareness of this issue and to call for more positive representation in the newspaper.
- The school playground is in disrepair and needs new equipment. Elementary school students research and compare possibilities for replacement of the equipment, design a fundraising activity, and create advertisements for their fundraiser.
Summary
Young African American men have a lot to say, but they don't always feel like they have the means to say it. Both school and public libraries can use programming and instruction to help cultivate the voices of their students or patrons and develop their sense of agency. Many modern technologies and Web 2.0 tools are currently available to help librarians meet this task such as camera phones, blogging platforms, social media, and etc. In addition to self-expression, African American male youth can and should be encouraged to examine social issues in their communities and use these tools and technologies to help enact change.