 by Maleah Briggs
The first day I walked in, I was late. Missing the actual first day of the program was causing me to be extremely nervous the whole time while I was riding in the car to the Youth Media Project, up until walking through the doors. Smiles and warm welcomes met me, erasing my slight feelings of awkwardness and anxiety. I greeted the adults I saw by the door, and then Ms. Donna pulled me over to the side as she explained to me that she had remembered who I was from two summers ago, before YMP became a separate project from her newspaper. She hadn't realized who I was at the pizza party from two weeks before. By then, I started to be relieved of my overall stress.
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 by Joshua Wright
It's the last day of the 2016 Youth Media Project. I reflect on all the memories of the summer as I close the YMP door for the last time that summer. I promise myself I will come back next summer. It is the Thursday of the pizza party for the 2017 Youth Media Project, and I'm excited to see the new participants and returners. After meeting the new participants, seeing the talents they had to offer to the project and finding out that Mississippi Public Broadcasting was joining us, I was ready to start the project the next day. The first few days of the project were fun. The first day a lot of people were nervous, including me. Emily, from MPB, had some great games and activities that broke the ice in the room. My favorite was the interview scheduling game because we learned about each other. You could also see the diversity and different backgrounds among the students. The first day brought memories of last year's first day, but it also came with some surprises.  by Sonni Pressley
The elevator suddenly jerks to a stop but delays a moment before opening up in front of a cement wall. We look around, and all realize this is nowhere near the first floor. We just wanted to get Chick-fil-A for lunch, but the universe obviously had different plans. That elevator was a box of wrongdoings and wouldn't follow through with its duties. It was the second day of the YMP summer. Jeffery, Chloe, Chauncey and I decided to take a different elevator than the others, because there was no way all of us would fit in one tiny closed space for even a few seconds. We unknowingly jumped on the death box with food on our minds. The elevator stopped on the 10th floor, then zipped up to the roof. We were all confused and decided stairs were our safest bet at this point.  by Maggie Jefferis
I was waltzing down the street looking up toward the Regions Building, pointing it out to the other kids, and then all of a sudden I felt something hard and kind of cold touch my knee. Something somewhere in the back of my head told me to keep walking. So I did, and then I flipped over a fire hydrant, landing on my knees and giving everyone some pretty good laughs. I knew then and there this was how my summer was going to go, me being completely oblivious to everything happening so much so that I might get hurt. When you expect something to happen one way, and it happens a totally different way, it can be a little jarring at first, but eventually you'll get used to it.  by Sean Collins
Having been a part of the YMP program last summer, I didn't expect to have a vastly different experience within the first couple of days. I couldn't have been more wrong. Because of the feedback and prior experience the program accumulated last year, Donna and the other staff members who help to run the program were able to find a new way to give the exercises and projects we do an extra boost of stability and organization. However, this also meant that the way the program functions received a facelift that completely changed the grouping of the projects. Instead of sorting everyone into rooms based on what their individual expertises are, we are scheduled to be put into groups based on how our personalities and individual talents function in a group.  by Jennifer Shields
Monday, June 26, 2016. was another afternoon in the YMP office. In the morning we were working on either our house's shared story or our individual story. Work stopped, however, when Mr. Cassio Batteast stopped by and spoke to us for a while about coverage of black youth in the media and the juvenile-justice system. Ms. Donna (Ladd, YMP director) came in at the end of his session with us, holding two trophies. One trophy was really weird looking and covered with a whole bunch of different items from mardigras beads to feathers. The second trophy was plain with red plates covering the gold middle. Shortly after Mr. Cassio finished, Ms. Donna began to divulge why she had the trophies. She explained that we would do weekly polls to determined which student who worked the hardest and helped the team the most, and the winner would basically take a picture with the trophy but also receive a gift card. We all voted and submitted them to Adria (Walker, program assistant). Once the votes were tallied, it was announced that Eli Bettiga and Maisie Brown tied the vote. Before I knew it, Ms. Donna pulled out the Cups gift cards and gives it to them, and she rewarded Kelsee Ford the staff's choice "Kickbutt Award" for her hard work (and the fact that she found a way to get us cheap t-shirts). I can honestly say felt genuinely happy for my friends winning the poll. Not too long afterward it was announced that Broad Street Bakery was catering our lunch. This made me feel even better knowing I would not have to pay for lunch. It has really shocked at how kind the people here are YMP are. They'll give us gift cards for Cups, free movie tickets, provide snacks, have bagel Wednesdays and even catered lunches. It actually overwhelms me how much they do for us each day at YMP. I am very grateful that I joined YMP this summer, because I would not have met such a caring and kind group of people if I hadn't.  by Z'eani Furdge
From the very beginning of the Youth Media Project, I was very shy and never really spoke unless I was spoken to. I was nervous and scared about how I was having to be in a room full of people I barely even knew for just about all day. As we were getting deeper and deeper into the program, the normal me started to flow. I started talking more, cracking jokes and just flat-out having a good time. This came fairly quickly because the people in YMP were making me feel comfortable. During these past two months, I have not only learned about podcasting and more about technology, but I've also learned more about journalism than I ever imagined. Being in YMP has helped me to be in more control of my responsibilities. By us having to do things fairly quickly, it has helped me get finish what I need to get done. YMP can definitely change your life and is the place to be during the summer.  by Zipporah Jones Change is always good. Change in focus, change in direction, change in ideas—each has value. We must all change at a point. I didn't always embrace situations that involved a change in my life, but I've learned over the years to adjust and welcome change. Participating in The Mississippi Youth Media Project showed me how to push myself to do better and to take pride in my work. I have realized that everything I think is right or correct may not be, and the way I do things may not be the best way to do it. With guidance and support from my fellow Youth Media Project students, I was able to learn about new people and build relationships I would not have made if I were not in this program. The project managers for the Mississippi Youth Media Project have really shown a great deal of leadership. They have motivated me to critique my work and never settle for less than the best. Project Director Donna Ladd has taught me how to do the necessary research before I spring into a project. Project Manager Lynne Schneider has shown guidance and order, and she constantly stresses the importance of following through on deadlines. Project Assistant Onelia Hawa has helped me by linking me with important resources for topics I may have been interested in writing about, and Project Assistant Adria Walker provides good writing and research tips when they are needed. These people really have shown support and help in places that were needed and supplied me with information when I did not have enough.
Not only were the adults important to my experience, but also my fellow Youth Media team members. They have shown me how to adjust to new people and different personalities. When these different minds are put to work, great ideas are formed. My favorite moments include times like when everyone wanted to come together to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, due to the recent police shootings that have happened in America, or more simple things, like when we all pick a restaurant to go to that we may have never known about. This experience has changed me for the better. The resources, people and information that this program has provided to me have truly been a blessing. Learning to use my resources and the things that are right in front of me, like my computer and phone, to make a difference in the world was one of the most valuable things I was taught during this program. I never would have thought I would be surrounded by such great influences for a portion of my summer, and I am thankful that I had this opportunity to grow as a person, even if the time I spent at YMP was short. My advice to anyone wanting to follow their dreams is to try new things and never be afraid of what lies ahead. Change is nothing to fear; change should be embraced.  by Darryn Price
I usually spend my summers curled up in bed eating chips and watching Netflix. This summer, instead of following my routine, I’m being productive and doing things that I’ve always wanted to do which, for me, is absolutely mind-blowing. I only participated in the summer session of the Youth Media Project for about a week, but I have had so much access to so many amazing opportunities in that short span of time. I have visited Medgar Evers’ home, where his daughter, Reena Evers, gave us a visual on what it was like when her father was shot. I visited the Lumumba Center, where I and the rest of the YMP group interviewed some of the nice, intelligent teens visiting there, all of whom came from different places, religions and races. I attended my first Shabbat service. Shabbat was very different from the church services I usually attend, but it gave me insight on how different someone else’s religion might be compared to mine. While participating in these activities, I have learned many things, from videography and photography skills. It’s fascinating to me that I have learned so much in such a little amount of time. The Mississippi Youth Media Project has taught me that anything is possible if you just work for it. My favorite project is the interview with Genesis Be—mainly because I didn’t work on it with anyone else. I truthfully thought that I wouldn’t be able to interview Genesis because I can be socially awkward at times, especially with͞professional͟ things. I pulled through and proved to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.  by Zeakyy Harrington
To me, the Mississippi Youth Media Project is like a whole little town inside downtown Jackson. It's like a dream come true for the world with kids doing things you would never expect, like photography, writing and even podcasting. We edit footage and sounds we've recorded into documentary-like films. So many intelligent young people working together in one room really bring out our hidden talents. When I first came to the Mississippi Youth Media Project, I didn't like the idea of having to come to downtown Jackson every morning. In my part of Jackson, it feels like people who live and work in downtown are against the city's success. From my experience, it's just a place for business and opportunities for other people. The best-looking part of the whole city is downtown. Now, after participating in the Mississippi Youth Media Project , I don't understand why more people don't visit downtown Jackson. In reality, there is so much they're missing, and they don't even know. Being in the Mississippi Youth Media Project has also changed the way I look at white people and politics. In my neighborhood, white people are known to be against my community. Since being here, I know for a fact that is not true for all white people. Donna and Lynne, YMP's director and manager, showed all of us unconditional love. At first I thought everyone was against us. Now I see chances and opportunity out here. You've just got to find them. |
