Thursday's Thoughts

"Mentoring to a new beat"


The Digital Youth Network is an innovative program that gives students from Chicago the "tools to be engaged, articulate, critical and collaborative... and facilitate the ability to become creators -designers, builders, and innovators-who can envision new possibilities". Students learn valuable skills in music composition, film making, and game design among others. This program has so much potential in creating a new wave of artists especially because it values connecting the instruction to student's passions and interests. Students are assigned projects in topics they can relate to and find common ground with the experience of others. A typical assignment might require them to use a creative expression of a book they read, and by doing this "the text becomes reality".
While this program offers students opportunities to explore various media outlets, they are also deconstructing the world around them with the help of program instructors who are more than instructors for their students. Their connection with each student allows them to earn their trust and help uncover their creativity. Instructors serve as role models that students can look up to, receive guidance from and become empowered to follow their dreams in the process. The Digital Youth Network seems to offer a great environment where students can use their talents to make a greater impact.