Youth Media Education

Skopelos International Film Festival for Youth

From 2017-2019, I have volunteered as a youth media instructor for the SIFFY program in Skopelos, Greece. It is an honor to work with these students and create these short films. Below is some more information about the program.

“The Skopelos International Film Festival for Youth (SIFFY) was first created out of a need for Greek students to be offered additional education in the arts. Greek students are taught subjects such as ancient Greek, philosophy, science and math but the arts is virtually left out of the curriculum.

The festival lasts one week with two days of educational classes based on the yearly theme and then for the next five days students work in teams of seven to nine with a professional filmmaker to create a short film. The students do everything from creating the initial idea, writing the scenario, camera, directing, acting and then they partially edit the film with the assistance of the professional filmmakers. The last evening the films are screened to the townspeople.

Since 2009, nine festivals have been organized and were funded by private donors through Kickstarter campaigns. In 2020 we will celebrate our tenth anniversary! The festival has grown from three to sixteen filmmakers from countries such as America, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Greece, India, Italy, Nepal, Mexico, S. Korea, Spain and Turkey with approximately 125 children participating ages 6 – 18. The films are screened at the Amphitheater in downtown Skopelos to an audience of about one thousand people. The films are then circulated to festivals throughout the world. Films from various years have been screened in America, Asia and Europe.”

Wide Angle Youth Media

In 2014, I volunteered as an assistant youth media instructor and in 2015 was offered the position of Distribution Coordinator and Media Instructor for Wide Angle Youth Media in Baltimore, Maryland. I was lucky enough to work with students on a number of projects including short film, radio, and photo essays. In addition to teaching, I worked on fundraising, communication and distribution plans, and I created a STEAM summer program for middle school girls. A few of these projects are showcased in the above gallery.

”Through media arts education, Wide Angle Youth Media cultivates and amplifies the voices of Baltimore youth to engage audiences across generational, cultural, and social divides. Our programs inspire creativity and instill confidence in young people, empowering them with skills to navigate school, career, and life. Since 2000, Wide Angle Youth Media has worked with over 5,500 youth from across Baltimore City who have produced hundreds of digital media projects about their lives and communities.”