Media/Communications

The YMCA Youth Institute is a year round structured youth program that focuses on youth development principals, technology skill building, leadership, service learning, and academic support. The teens take part in an intensive all day summer program where they learn leadership, diversity training and technology skills.

The program begins in June and ends with graduation in early August (a total of eight weeks). The theme is Creative Digital Arts and Literacy. Students are placed in project teams and carry out multiple assigned tasks towards the creation of a short film, and a Teen Story Magazine. During this process, they learn scripting, storyboarding, pre-production, production, and post-production editing. They work with iMovie HD, and Final Cut Pro HD editing software. They develop a screenplay through different word processing and presentation software such as Microsoft WORD, Power Point, Keynote, and Inspiration 7. They learn lighting, sound, special effects in filming, locations, and sets. Students also learn geometry and algebra skills through digital 3D editing software such as Cinema 4D in which they learn equations of depth in making and rendering animation within their production work. Teens also learn digital music production using mini-keyboards, Reason, Garage Band, and Sound Track music software. Teens then create their own original sound tracks for their digital films.

Students also do a compilation of individual writing and editing projects called the Teen Story Magazine. Each student is responsible for a page of the magazine. They learn how to tell a story, the parts of a story, and creative writing. Teens refine their story through an editing process and come up with a one page fictional story involving teens.

Teens also create individual websites through learning web design and HTML.