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.

The Magic of Proudly Being Myself

6/19/2017

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by Jeffrey Caliedo

"The Mississippi Youth Media Project is a safe space for promoting diverse ideas and encouraging a creative environment where every student feels and is respected and accepted regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation or religious background." 
As the words echoed throughout the focused room, I felt a smile creep upon my lips. 
"...regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation or religious background." 

​Quietly repeating the words to myself, I looked up and through the open spacious window. Staring out past the vast city into what became a gray abyss, I reached an epiphany. I realized that this was the moment in which I would finally find a place where I was truly accepted for me.Spending my summer in an office space was an idea that both excited and terrified me. Walking toward the towering building that greeted me proved to be a task that would be more challenging than I thought. Eventually, I managed to muster enough courage to move my feet and find my way to my destination on the 13th floor. As I entered the YMP office, I immediately noticed a common sense of anxiety and nervousness in the room.

 "Hi! Good morning!" said an energetic lady whom I had known as Donna Ladd, the founder of this entire project. She directed me toward the other kids who I would spend the next nine weeks with. 

I heard nervous chattering and awkward small talk as I sat down at a wooden table filled with unknown people and anxious faces. Everyone shared the same feeling of uneasy yet hopeful anticipation about the upcoming summer that awaited us. 

More people entered through the door, and I saw a familiar face. It was Chloe Bishop, a close friend of mine for years. As we made eye contact, a sigh of relief came from both of us. I was glad to find someone who I knew was just as lost as I was.  As the day continued, the tension in the room grew less and less. I felt more comfortable, saw more people I knew, and even became friends with new and previously intimidating faces. 

Then, standing proudly in the middle of the office was Emily Henderson of Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Excitedly, she stated that we were going to end our busy day with an overview of this project and what to expect. I sat back and sighed with relief. 

Today was an eventful day to say the least, and plenty of interesting experiences happened. I thought back on the day and remembered warm smiles greeting me at the door. I recalled the deep, hard-hitting topics that we were discussing on the very first day. The sense of community we had already formed was present in the air as we continued to have open discussion about topics we found relevant. 

Emily began speaking on the project again. Following her thought from before, she discussed equality and acceptance of everyone. She stressed that this was an idea that was important to her and necessary for this project. "Basically, all I'm is saying is that we don't discriminate here. YMP is a welcoming place, and here we accept everyone," Emily said eagerly.

Hearing those words hit me with a sense of disbelief. There were few places in which I truly felt I was able to be myself without the need of hiding my sexuality or my race. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the summer that awaited me. I began to realize that this summer was going to be one in which I would be able to proudly be myself, and that feeling was truly a magical feeling.
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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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