Meaningful Media: Education, Research &
Storytelling
by Tatyana Terzopoulos, PhD.
A Media Storytelling Project Canadian girls & non-binary youth.
for & about
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who can apply?
Enthusiastic and creative girl-identifying & non-binary youth ages 12-17 from anywhere in Canada. You can apply individually or in a pair/team.
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You should have some experience making videos (TikToks count!) and be curious about factual storytelling (this includes anything from documentaries to how-to videos, etc.). Access to a smartphone/tablet (for video-making) and a computer with webcam & high-speed internet (for meetups) is required.
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What will you be doing?
You will join a small group of youth on Zoom/MS Teams for approximately 6-8 virtual meetups. These will be 1-1.5 hours long and may include a mix of sharing stories, ideas, and experiences, exploring different aspects of video storytelling, and talks from professional media-makers. The goal is to work towards creating a few short videos individually/as a group on topics that are of interest to participants. This will involve doing tasks outside of the meetups. This project will run after school and/or on weekends based on participants' availability.
why participate?
This is a unique opportunity to connect with other girls & non-binary youth in a supportive and collaborative space and to co-create videos on topics and stories that are important or of interest to youth. You will also receive a certificate & honorarium as a thank you for your contributions.
what is the story of this project?
Media storytelling/making and digital literacy skills are more important than ever for youth today. And, in a time of seemingly endless media content, there continues to be a lack of diversity including gender inequality in the media industry, especially in key creative roles.
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These two points are what led me to conduct research on Canadian girls & non-binary youth and media storytelling (opportunities and experiences).
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My name is Tatyana Terzopoulos and I am a PhD student at York University. I have also had a very long, award-winning career as a producer, writer & director in Canadian media. My experiences as a woman creative professional, my love of collaborating in teams to create media, and my interest in supporting youth who are interested in media storytelling are my reasons for conducting this research.
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I aim to learn more about the lives and (media-making) interests of Canadian girl-identifying & non-binary youth. For this portion of my research, I am conducting interviews with youth from across the country to better understand their experiences with video-making and media-storytelling. I especially want to hear how video-making has played a role in their lives this year... a year like no other before! This info will help me tell the story of their video-making journeys including how they develop their skills and passions, who they make media with, and how they are (or aren't) supported with their interests. This information will help reveal how we (educators and media professionals) can encourage and support (more) girls and non-binary youth in cultivating their interest in video-making and media storytelling!
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WHAT else should participants know?
This project is supported in part by the Government of Canada's Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council.
Sessions will be recorded and you will be video-interviewed at the start and end of the project and asked to record a few vlogs about your experiences. This content will support my dissertation and articles & presentations about the study. Parts of this content and videos created will be used in a short video/project website. Both you and your parents must sign consent forms to participate. This study has been reviewed & approved by York University’s Ethics Review Board.
