Next Gen Public Media: Accelerator

The Next Gen Public Media Accelerator is a program that supports the piloting, experimentation, and spread of youth-focused initiatives in the public media sector. The submission period ended December 20, 2021.

Twelve stations were selected through a request for proposals that concluded in December 2021. The stations below were awarded $15,000 and participated in a six-month Accelerator program from February to August 2022. 

Over the course of 2022, the Accelerator met as a learning community, sharing their progress and the lessons they learned. The stations collaborated on a toolkit to support other public media stations as they develop new programming for tween and teen audiences.

The Accelerator cohort includes:

• KBTC-TV (Tacoma, WA) 
  With “Ability Awareness,” KBTC will produce a series of short videos for neuro-diverse teens that address life skills needed for transitioning to the workplace and independent living.
• KWMR community radio (Point Reyes Station, CA)
  “Indigenous YOUth Nation” (IYN) is a 27 minute radio show engaging youth with their own Indigenous culture in a radio show made by and for youth with support from native media professionals. Indigenous youth face many social pressures and risks, yet traditional culture can be an anchor.  IYN is a path of discovery that “my culture is cool.” A pilot episode of the show will be broadcast on KWMR and distributed via Native Voice One: The Native American Radio Network and PRX.
• South Carolina ETV 
  “Conversations with Crescent” uses participatory action research to involve teenage Black girls in the creation of standard–aligned learning media for youth audiences. Centering Black girl experiences, interests, and values, the collective production team will build a world around Crescent, an animated character who represents Black girlhood in South Carolina and facilitates courageous and civil conversations, while keeping it real.
• WSHU (Westport, CT)
  “Climate Change Proof in Bridgeport” will be a podcast produced in collaboration with SHU Discovery Science Center’s after-school STEM accelerator program in Bridgeport, CT that explores the climate concerns of 8th graders. The students will guide the podcast content, illuminating the fact that climate change is real in Bridgeport using the expertise of Science Center educators.
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  Next Louisville Youth Talk Show

  WFPL (Louisville, KY)
  With “Engaging Youth in Local Civic News,” WFPL will increase coverage of issues affecting Louisville’s youth, engaging them in civic dialogue and empowering them through information and resources. Youth voices will be featured in the award-winning talk show, In Conversation, and the station’s 2022 Voter Guide, amplifying issues impacting local youth to those who can institute change.

• Vegas PBS (Las Vegas, NV)
  “In Our Opinion” will be a digital companion and provide featured segments within currently offered broadcast programming. A student-led Media Crew will work in mentorship with Vegas PBS staff to design and pilot new inclusive content to engage youth in innovative ways, reflect on social issues, cultural disparities and technological changes.
• WUNC North Carolina Public Radio (Chapel Hill, NC)
  The “LaboraStory” is a media production studio built at a local North Carolina high school dedicated to producing student PSAs. Students will create a PSA and a community-focused action plan to share with their school and beyond in order to create curriculum adjustments, student advisory boards, and awareness about important issues facing young people.
• WBUR (Boston, MA)
  With “WBUR Youth Takeover,” youth in the Greater Boston area will develop a series of live events that tackle issues that matter to young people today; the project is aimed at empowering high school and college-aged students through conversations and deep exploration of generational issues, led by young people themselves.  Segments will be edited for broadcast on Morning Edition.
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  WQED Film Academy

  WQED (Pittsburgh, PA)
  “Building Bridges and Bridging the Gap” incorporates Steeltown Film Academy into WQED with two Learning Labs, in which youth media makers and adult producers collaborate to create masterclasses with a youth perspective. These sessions will be filmed and shared in order to shape best practices for elevating youth voices in public media.

• Twin Cities PBS (St. Paul, MN)
  “HYPE 2.0” marks the return of one of Twin Cities PBS’s most celebrated programs, “Don’t Believe the HYPE,” training BIPOC students to craft their own narratives and amplify their voices within a new media landscape.
• Mississippi Public Broadcasting 
  “MPB Student Council” taps students across the state to participate in storytelling workshops and produce a podcast series about social issues that affect them. This diverse group of students from across the state will lend their voices to societal issues, help bridge the technology/media use and consumption gap, and become advocates for the educational mission of public media.
• The WNET Group (New York, NY)
  

  WNET Youth Collective Summit

  “Youth Collective: The Amplify Series” explores a direct method of collaboration between public media and Gen Z creators that elevates youth voice, supports youth-produced media, and compensates young creators for their work. Mini-grants will foster young, diverse talent and introduce their work to a larger audience.

   

All proposals were evaluated by the Next Gen Public Media team as well as a panel of youth reviewers. Many thanks to the young people who participated in our review process:

• Katrice Ramirez Henry
• Chris-Ann Barnett
• Fernando Cienfuegos
• Victoria Hodge
• Madeline Mayes
• Kenisha Mahajaran
• Lina Barclay
• Kate Daniels
• Elena Kulubya
• Jade Reese
• Kalyn Day

The ​Next Gen Public Media Accelerator is an important element of the By/With/For Youth: Inspiring Next Gen Public Media Audiences initiative. Visit the initiative’s homepage to access research publications, the NGPM learning community, and more.