YMP: A Game-Changing Unit

By Tionna Anderson

On Wednesday, June 1, while I was standing, anxiously, in the center of the elevator and waiting to arrive on the 13th floor, the thought of "I'm going to be (totally) outside of my comfort zone" kept lingering in my mind. I had not even made it through the office door before the comforting atmosphere of YMP had punched me in the face, and by that moment, my hesitance had become a thing of the past.
 
The Youth Media Project is a program that reaches the "youth," obviously, but it goes above and beyond to provide resources that allow the student journalists to channel their voice. Writing, podcasting, videoing and photography serve as expression methods for us, young journalists, to broadcast our perspective of things. It is not very often that teenagers are presented with a platform that enables them to freely express who they are, and that is what, in my opinion, labels YMP as a game-changing unit.

Personally, I would say that YMP has taught me to value others' opinions because they can help one to better understand others' culture. The diversity just creates an open area for everyone to discuss anything. The biggest thing that I have learned so far is that change is not always as hard as it seems. Adapting to new scenarios establishes and amplifies a beneficial outcome.

​I am most grateful for being around people who don't judge others. Respect and acceptance initiate from the common grounds within the YMP group. I, definitely, cannot wait to publish our podcast, “Jackson Is,” because my team members and I will be able to expand on certain topics that not everyone is comfortable with. My favorite moment, so far, has been the group interaction that happens in The Video Grave. The video room is the house where everyone feels right at home, which is all possible because of its welcoming team members.

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