Leveraging Partnerships to Support Youth Pathways in Technology

The Teen Arts + Tech Program at WMCAT (West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology), a creative youth development organization located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, relies heavily on partnerships with local employers and community-based organizations to develop authentic projects for high school students in their visual and media arts studios. In the video clip below, Derk Baartman of The Mosaic Film Experience, Erik Lauchiè of Carbon Stories and Tyler Hollman of Gorilla talk about their collaboration with WMCAT teens on a public service announcement created for the City of Grand Rapids Mayor’s Office.

The video shows how relationships with community members outside of your organization can be leveraged to open doors for young people and expose them to future pathways in media and technology.

WMCAT staff have found that the most impactful studio projects with community partners are those which include the following key principles:

Principle 1: Partnership provides opportunities for teens to build social capital

• Highlights a variety of future pathways in creative sector
• Allows students to observe professionals demonstrating skills of collaboration, creation, and technical production
• Diverse representation of professional mentors for students exists

Principle 2: Partnership provides students with tangible resources

• Technology: Access to software, equipment, and other tools for creative production
• Human: Professionals share expertise and feedback with students

Principle 3: Partnerships provide a context for real-world application of skills

• An authentic audience exists for student work outside of the studio/classroom
• Partners are aligned with our organization’s mission and project objectives

Check out the resulting public service announcement that WMCAT teens planned, directed, shot and produced in support of Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss’ Greening Initiative.