News

YAC yaks with new E.D. Chad Johnston

Nicola Pine — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:16:32 +0000

SPNN Youth's Action Committee (A.K.A. YAC) took a pause from their current projects recently, to chat with Chad Johnston, new Executive Director of SPNN. Over sandwiches and juice, YAC members got to know Chad, and find out what motivated him to leave the warmth of North Carolina for the (sometimes) frigid tundra of Saint Paul. "When I'm comfortable, there is a problem", said Chad, on why he took the E.D. position at SPNN. And we don't think he was talking about weather. Chad has known of SPNN for many years and considers it the "gold standard" of Access Centers. He was thrilled when the opportunity arose to join SPNN and be part of the community media scene in the Twin Cities. When asked what changes he plans to make, Chad stated that he did not have any big plans, "change is derived from the ground up, so my job is to help figure out what needs to be changed, and tweak things to make them work better".

Chad also got to know YAC - learning about the projects currently being worked on, and the committee's future aspirations. YAC is a 10 person committee made up of youth active in SPNN Youth Programs, as well as alumni. They typically take on 2-3 projects each year to help build visibility and develop leadership skills of youth at SPNN. Many YAC members are interested in the idea of a youth position on the board, as a way to increase youth voice at SPNN.

The conversation ran the gamut from basketball, to favorite foods, to regional differences, with general agreement that Saint Paul is a pretty awesome place, and that Chad needs to watch more basketball. YAC members had a fun time shooting the breeze with Chad. Said SPNN Youth Alumni Andrew, "I was really excited to get to know Chad... He was very down to earth, and was super stoked about his position here. I can't wait to see what direction he will turn SPNN down!"

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YAC

Chad Johnston

SPNN Youth

Youth Action Committee

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SPNN Youth

Set It Up returns to The Canvas for St. Paul Art Crawl

Kevin Kalla — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:45:07 +0000

On the sunny afternoon of Saturday, April 27th, the Set It Up crew descended upon the Canvas Teen Arts Center to participate in the Teen Art Showcase, which took place as a part of the St. Paul Art Crawl. Set It Up kicked off the program by screening their second episode of the season - a series of videos on Relationships. This was followed by some excellent live music performances and an Open Mic. On top of that, there was tons of visual art on display, and creativity everywhere you turned.

Before the event officially started, there was a celebratory artist’s reception, where the Set It Up crew got to meet other teen artists and hear about the work that they contributed to the show. Crewmember Destiny enjoyed meeting other people at the event, saying, “it was a great way to get together and bond and celebrate each other’s art.”

This is the second year that Set It Up has participated in the Teen Art Showcase at The Canvas, and this event was even bigger than the last. Set It Up member Darartu commented on the standing-room-only crowd at the screening, saying, “it was cool to see so many people there!” Set It Up Assistant Andrew echoed that, saying, “so many more people got to see the screening that wouldn’t have otherwise." Our sincere thanks go out to organizers at The Canvas for putting together another excellent youth media event!

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SPNN Youth

CTEP now seeking applications for 2013-14

Nickey Robare — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:28:19 +0000

The Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) AmeriCorps bridges the “digital divide” for new Immigrants and low-income communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. AmeriCorps members help youth and adults use technology to better access social, civic, educational and economic opportunities. CTEP is currently hiring for 30 full-time positions in the metro area, which will start September 2013 and complete August 2014.

CTEP AmeriCorps Members:

Educate about technology literacy at non-profits, community centers, and libraries
Assess partner agencies’ technology capacities and train staff on how to best use those capacities;
Develop stronger volunteer bases through which agencies can extend programming and more adequately meet the needs of targeted communities;
Develop culturally and linguistically appropriate informational websites and public service announcements (PSAs) that provide community members with access to critical resources and information.

All members receive a living allowance (approximately $900 a month), an education award of $5,550 (upon successful completion), health and dental insurance plan including reimbursement of deductible charge, child care (depending on qualifications) and ongoing training. CTEP is a great way to learn new skills while serving your community in a deep and meaningful way.

Positions are open on a first-come first-serve basis, and the list of positions at TechnologyPower.org is updated daily as positions close with other applicants.

Click here to learn more and apply online!

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hiring

CTEP

Community Technology Empowerment Project

AmeriCorps

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Community Technology Empowerment Project

Doc U participant Theresa Crushshon wins national award

Nickey Robare — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:32:16 +0000

Theresa Crushshon

Theresa Crushshon, a participant in SPNN’s Doc U program, has won the award for Documentary Biography from the Alliance for Community Media’s Hometown Media Awards. Her film about Jazz legend Irv Williams was created in Doc U, a program funded in part by the Minnesota State Arts Board. The program gives low-income adults hands-on skills in all aspects of documentary production. In the first year of Doc U, seven participants, including Theresa, created short films on a diversity of subjects. The upcoming class of Doc U is recruiting now and will train a dozen new documentarians.

Theresa’s film explores the life and legacy of local jazz musician Irv Williams. As the writer of a local jazz history blog, Jassed, Theresa was in a unique position to tell the story of this community. “I know that people use all different types of new media to find and share information these days,” Theresa said. “I was interested in the Doc U project because I wanted to learn how to use different kinds of technology to create interesting content for my blog. In the Minnesota community Irv Williams is a legend, I wanted to do something more in-depth and more professional.” Irv is 93-years-old and still performs weekly at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. With his life story spanning nearly a century, Theresa felt Irv had an important history to share.

While participating in Doc U, Theresa and the rest of the new documentarians gathered for in-depth workshops on everything from interview skills, to lighting, to editing. They learned how to work with new HD video cameras and tell a story on screen. “It was a great community of people,” says Theresa. “There were different levels of experience, but everyone…. really wanted to see their idea coming to fruition.”

SPNN’s Doc U program is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

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SPNN Youth Celebrates Three Regional Title Nominations

Michelle Alimoradi — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:54:06 +0000

SPNN Youth program coordinators KaoChoua (far left) and Emily (far right) pose with youth participant Darartu (middle left) and NATAS-nominated youth producer Destiny (middle right) just before the awards ceremony at the Mall of America Theaters

SPNN Youth is proud to announce that three of our youth producers had videos nominated for the 2013 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences-Upper Midwest Regional Student Production Awards. Out of over 200 entries from 30 different programs across the region, Damian Jones, Breon Jones and Destiny Roberts’ were each nominated in separate catagories, in Public Affairs, Arts and Cultural Entertainment, and Commercial, respectively.

On Sunday, April 14th, 2013, nominee Destiny Roberts and fellow youth participant Darartu Tashoma attended the event at the Mall of America’s theatre with family, SPNN Youth staff, and a long line of other high school and college-aged producers.

When it was finally time for the ceremony to begin, the doors opened and guests were meant with a red carpet walkway as they found there way to their seats.

The event was hosted by WCCO's Liz Collin and had a similar feel to the Emmys, the NATAS's other signature award series. With the announcement of each category's nominees, a small snippet of their videos were screened. Award recipients received the signiature NATAS crystal pillar to commemorate their achievement. A cheer rose up from the SPNN Youth section each time our videos were screened. Though we didn’t bring home a crystal pillar this year, having three nominations in three different categories was quite the honor.

Destiny’s proud mother, Felicia says she supports her daughter as a producer. What Felicia loves the most about SPNN is that it gives Destiny and other young people the opporutnity to be creative. Destiny’s niece, who will be entering high school in the fall, says she plans continue the family tradition by applying to Set it Up next year. The event was truly rewarding for all.

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Apply now for Doc U

Nickey Robare — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:44:46 +0000

Mary Mabry, Doc U Year One participant

The power of the documentary film is its ability to shine a spotlight on issues, stories, and perspectives that would otherwise go unheard and thus unnoticed. Because of our belief in this power, SPNN created Doc U, a mentorship in digital documentary filmmaking for low income adults. Now entering it’s second year, this intensive mentorship program guides participants through the process of creating a 10-minute documentary on the topic of their choosing. In 15 weeks, participants will learn how to shape a story and conduct interviews, along with basic camera operation and non-linear editing, through classes, workshops and mentorship..

This program is geared towards giving low-income adults and people of color access to the tools needed to tell the stories of their communities. Participants will gain access to HD cameras, professional editing software, field gear, while gaining the knowledge to use these tools to tell a compelling story. To help offset the time commitment, SPNN is offering a small stipend at the completion of the program.

Throughout the program participants will be mentored by SPNN’s professional staff; have access to the knowledge of local documentarians; and get feedback from their peers. Work nights are built into the program to allow for peers to work together on honing their skills. Mentors will get together with participants for one-on-one meetings to flush out story ideas and to keep them on track to finishing their doc.

Participants will need to commit to every Monday evening from 6-9PM from May 20 through August 26, plus the evening of Tuesday, June 11. The final community showcase of work will be held from 2-4PM on Saturday, Sept. 7. There will be no class on Memorial Day, Monday May 27.

To apply please visit our website www.spnn.org/docu and fill out the online application or download the PDF below and return it to the Access Desk. The deadline to apply is April 19, 2013. Click here to watch films from Doc U: Year One.

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access center

Doc U

Files & Documents:

SPNN_Doc_U_Application.pdf

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Access Center

Meet Kao Choua, our new Youth Projects Coordinator

Michelle Alimoradi — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:46:33 +0000

Photo of Kao Choua, the new SPNN Youth Projects Coordinator

We're happy to introduce the newest member of the SPNN Youth team, Kao Choua Vue, who will be serving as our Youth Projects Coordinator. Kao Choua Vue is an independent documentary filmmaker and has worked in youth media for 7 years. She enjoys youth media because she believes it's an important tool that empowers youth and gives them a voice. She received a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, with a focus on the cultural and social aspects of cities.

In 2010, she started the first Hmong film festival in Minnesota called Qhia Dab Neeg (storytelling) Film Festival which takes place annually in mid-May. In 2011, Kao Choua received the Jerome Travel and Study Grant which allowed her to travel to Laos. Her video titled, ‘Tso Plig: Let the Spirit Fly’ (below) was accepted in the 2011 MNTV Showcase.

Kao Choua appreciates the concept of storytelling through the art of video. In her spare time, she likes to work on video projects, focus on her artistic development and research culture and history.

Fun Facts about Kao Choua:

She is a Virgo.
She grew up on the East Side of St. Paul in the Daytons Bluff neighborhood.
She participated in her first video project when she was 8 years old as a part of an after-school program.
She has traveled to Prague, Czech Republic.
She has 5 brothers and 2 sisters.

As the Youth Projects Coordinator, Kao Choua will help SPNN Youth development new youth media programs, partnerships, and of course will bring exciting new skills and perspective to the department's work. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome to SPNN.

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SPNN Youth

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SPNN Youth

SPNN Youth rocks the TCYMN Youth Media Showcase

Michelle Alimoradi — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:12:50 +0000

Featured youth producers participated in audience Q & A after the screening

Lights, sandwiches, action! On the morning of February 16, youth media coordinators and participants, along with their friends and family, gathered at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis for the Twin Cities Youth Media Network (TCYMN) Annual Youth Media Market and Showcase event.

The event started off with the Youth Media Market event where representatives from regional college media programs, including Columbia College in Chicago, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Augsburg College, the University of Minnesota School of Jounalism, and Minneapolis Community & Technical College, were available for youth to consult with about future plans. The event also featured interactive workshops in experimental sound design, courtesy of Twin Cities band, Beatrix Jar; Stop Motion Animation with John Akre and Beth Peloff; and Computer-Generated Imaging with David Buchanan. For youth who already had a portfolio of work under their belt, Twin Cities film producers Joanna Kohler and Maria Totozintle were standing by to review students’ work and give them advice on how to be successful as professional media makers.

After a great sub sandwich lunch, courtesy of Caffrey’s Deli, it was time for the show! A diverse collection of youth produced media from 12 different TCYMN partners was screened in Intermedia’s theater space. The reel was entirely curated by youth participants at member organizations. SPNN Youth Set It Up alum Damian Jones took home this year’s audience choice award for his documentary short, ‘Fong Lee: The Story of Tragedy and Injustice.’ Damian’s piece examines a wrongful death suit against the Minneapolis Police Department over the death of teenager Fong Lee, who was shot down by Police Officer Jason Anderson, who claimed self-defense in the case. The audience choice award for best radio piece went to Cynthia Ramsey from KFAI Fresh Air Radio for her piece, ‘My Experience in the Foster Care System.”

Since it’s founding twelve years ago, the TCYMN has become the longest standing youth media network in the country. While the inner workings of the network have shifted and evolved over the years, the mission remains the same: promoting, advocating for, supporting, and sharing resources with the community of youth media makers and youth media arts educators. This is why each year, TCYMN puts together the Youth Media Showcase to screen, discuss, and honor the media created by the young people who drive the all our work.

Since then the Network has also started a tradition of a youth-coordinated bi-annual Youth Media Summit, a day-long film project where experienced youth media makers recruit novices from their communities to put together a series of short videos in one day. The Youth Media Market was started last year as an avenue for youth interested in professional media careers to get feedback and explore continuing media education opportunities.

Most of the year, being a member of the Twin Cities Youth Media Network means lots of meeting and hard work, all towards ensuring the equitable growth and quality of youth media programs in the Twin Cities Metro. But once a year, all the planning, emails, and circulating of media comes together in harmony. This is the time when the TCYMN crew can finally sit back (for a quick hour) and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

SPNN Youth is a founding member of the Twin Cities Youth Media Network. For information about the TCYMN, its members, events and opportunities, or about becoming a member, visit tcymn.org. Click here for more photos from this year's event.

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It's A Wrap!

Nickey Robare — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:36:05 +0000

by, Bonnie Schumacher

With the cables wrapped, the long hours in the editing suites over and the first day of class a distant memory, Saturday night it was time to celebrate the successes. Six of the seven new documentarians from SPNN’s Doc U program showed off their work to their friends, family, and the SPNN community at a semi-private event on Saturday, February 16.

Around 35 people enjoyed an evening of good food, great conversation and wonderful docs. The evening started with a reception and moved into SPNN’s studio to watch six diverse documentaries from first time filmmakers. Each of the docs had a unique focus; a jazz musician, a magician, an Upward Bound program, the justice system, GMOs, and recent college grads.

The new filmmakers all worked hard to get to this night, first attending Saturday workshops on a variety of filmmaking techniques, including pre-production, videoagraphy, telling your story through editing, and distribution. After the workshops, the real work began - participants spent countless hours lining up interviews, shooting b-roll, meeting with their mentors and editing, editing, editing!

SPNN Access staff couldn’t be more proud of the first class of Doc U participants. It was a learning process for both staff and participants. We are pleased to show off the films of this hard working group. If you missed the event, you can watch the complete collection of stories every Saturday night in March from 7PM-9PM and again Sundays from noon-2PM. You can also see the films online at http://spnn.org/DocU.

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A home for community: CTEP Build Day

Nickey Robare — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:27:59 +0000

CTEP members at Habitat for Humanity Build Day

by Kate Trigger, CTEP AmeriCorps Member

As the chilled winds of winter blew on the morning of February 15th, several CTEP members traded in their dress pants and Google Docs for plaid shirts and caulking guns. I had woken at a very early hour ready to strap on my boots and get to work at one of three Habitat for Humanity sites that CTEP served at that day.

Upon arriving at the build site I was greeted by Skip the site supervisor, and Andi, a Habitat AmeriCorps member. After Skip revealed that he was an AmeriCorps alumnus and the remainder of our group arrived, we came together in a circle to find out about the house we would be helping to complete. Our home was a refurbishing project, meaning that the home had been stripped down to the beams and rebuilt upon the existing frame. Much of the construction work on the home had been completed by past volunteers, leaving our group to help with the tasks of finishing the home. After a coordinated group stretching exercise we were assigned our tasks for the day.

Some of us learned to caulk the windows and trim of the house. Some learned how to use the miter saw and installed moulding along the base of the walls, while others added shelves to a bedroom closet. I was instructed to go to the upstairs bedroom and assist with sanding down and repainting doors with my partner, a woman named Lula. Lula had arrived with her husband as a part of a program Habitat offers their home buyers in which they exchange service hours on other homes in lieu of a down payment. It was exciting to have the opportunity to work side by side with someone who would be living in a Habitat house and see the very real and tangible effect my work that day would have on the life of another. Though neither Lula nor I spoke much, if any, of one another’s language we worked together effectively throughout the day as a team. We even sharied a few laughs as we meticulously painted the nooks and crannies of the doors with our clunky rollers.

Over our lunch break and at the end of the day we discussed the role of affordable housing in public policy. Andi and Skip led a game (with some help from Des, our fearless program co-director and game show host!) where we discussed the costs and benefits of affordable housing versus community resources such as shelters and hospitals. We discovered quite quickly that affordable housing is not just a moral issue, but a financially responsible investment.

It was this discovery, compounded with our personal experiences building side by side with future homeowners, that drove several of us to consider ways to continue involvement with Habitat. But as we closed our day and moved back out into the weather it was not the numbers or the paint on my shoes that stuck with me, but the words Skip had spoken to us as we wrapped up. We were told to imagine the ways that the house would be filled with scuffs and crayon marks, with shoes and piles of laundry, with family meals and shouts from up the stairs. This vibrant reminder that our work not only serves a community, but creates the foundations that allow for families to find a community, has served as the catalyst for returning to my service site with new eyes.

And so as we closed the door to our work on a family’s new house and returned into the cold of the afternoon, the intricate ties between housing, employment, and yes, even digital literacy were strengthened and bound together in an exciting call to service. Our time had left each of us covered in spackle, snow, and the glow of hope that can only come from joining hand in hand with others to get something done for our community.

Kate Trigger is serving in her second year of CTEP service at the Minneapolis WorkForce Centers. A 2011 graduate of Luther College majoring in Theatre/Dance Performance, Kate bridges the digital divide by guiding WorkForce Center visitors ages 14-24 in learning employable technology skills. When not teaching classes for partnering schools and organizations she assists in planning and presenting workshops at events such as the Minneapolis Teen Job Fair, a unique city wide event focusing on the employment needs of young people. You may find her there on March 23rd at the Minneapolis Central Library, weekly at the WorkForce Center teaching classes for youth with disabilities, or on the odd occasion working front of house at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.

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CTEP

Habitat for Humanity

community building

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Community Technology Empowerment Project