Mississippi Youth Media Project
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YMP Student Voices

Hear from our current class of 2017 Youth Media Project participants in their own words.

Always a Positive Vibe

6/14/2017

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by Ariel Willingham

When my mom told me she signed me up for this project, my immediate thought was a definite no. I didn't want to do this and was already thinking of a way to get myself out of it. By the time the pizza party rolled around, I started to get nervous.

My parents and I arrived, and while it wasn't so bad, I was still very nervous and couldn't go through with it. Just walking in the room and seeing everyone was making me even more nervous. I wasn't used to being around kids I didn't know.  It kept running through my head that I couldn't do this program this summer, but after a talk with my parents I decided that I would do it. During this summer I would try my best to overcome my nervousness, work on my social skills, and interact with new people and new things.

Although i was nervous at the start of the project, I've been having a good time with all the other students in the program. We have done many activities in which we had to work together in groups or with an individual. The icebreakers that we did have helped me get to know everyone better and interact with one another. I also enjoyed having our little hourly breaks and going to lunch. Just from this time alone, I feel like I have gotten to know my peers a lot more than i did in the beginning. 

I not only enjoy the people, but I enjoy the atmosphere here, too. There's always a positive vibe, and we always have something to do while here. The view is great and shows much of downtown Jackson from the 13th floor. 

While there is a lot of stuff I've enjoyed, I have learned several things already. One  is that speaking isn't as bad as it seems, even though I still have a lot of stuff to improve on. I hope to one day overcome my nervousness and be able to communicate what's on my mind and what I want to do. 

I think one of the best memories in my four days of being here is thinking I was stuck in the elevator. This particular day and time reminded me of a scary movie that I never wanted to remember again. It was our first lunch beak, and we were excited to head out. As we got into the elevator, it took us to the first floor really fast and landed abruptly. Everyone looked shaken. Then it started moving back up towards the 20th floor. After the doors opened and closed, it took us back to the first floor. By this point, I was thinking we were stuck because there was a long pause before the door opened again. 

Overall, I have had a good experience and would like to keep moving forward with it.
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Major Sponsors and Supporters of YMP

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Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) is a leader in informational broadcasting. MPB has exhibited a commitment to educating and informing Mississippians. MPB has partnered with YMP to lend tech equipment and provide youth engagement and media specialists to train students. 
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E3, a project of Parents of Public Schools of Jackson (now Ask for More), supported YMP in summers 2016 and 2017 with stipends for students, and other  resources.
The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson (now The Community Foundation of Mississippi) is the
​fiscal sponsor for E3.
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Podastery Studios in downtown Jackson offers a network of locally produced podcasts. Beau York, founder of Podastery, has generously donated his time to train YMP students in podcasting skills and allowed Youth Media Project students to borrow professional podcasting equipment to learn
​production skills.
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Dialogue Jackson, formerly Jackson 2000 Inc., is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to fostering understanding and building harmony between people of different races, ethnicities and backgrounds. The group became YMP's fiscal sponsor in 2017 and hosts youth dialogues for teens.. 

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Choice Printing in downtown Jackson is an in-kind sponsor of YMP offering YMP copying and printing services from its Capitol Towers location.

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Good Design & Code >>

Good Design & Co offers high-end UI/UX, web development, app development and branding services. Principal J.C. Hiatt is helping YMP students publish their own website for stories, video, podcasts and more.
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Jackson-based Workplace Solutions by Barefield is a Steelcase authorized dealer offering high-end office furniture and technology solutions. Workplace Solutions has loaned chairs, mobile desks and mobile whiteboards to create a collaborative office for YMP participants.

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Jackson-based Fuse.cloud (formerly Broadband Voice) offers Voice-over-IP phone systems, fiber Internet connections and technical services. Fuse.cloud has sponsored phones, VoIP phone service and technical assistance for YMP.

SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. GEORGE SCHIMMEL and NATALIE IRBY FOR THEIR GENEROUS DONATIONS OF PRODUCTION IMACS FOR THE YOUTH MEDIA PROJECT.
CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO YMP.
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