As I was reading this weeks articles, I was reminded of a film I ran across a year ago that clearly combines media use and civic advocacy by teens. This film is called March Point and information about it can be found at here. This film follows three young men as they participate in a film making program rather than go to drug court. Initially, the young men, Travis, Nick, and Cody wanted to make rap videos and action movies, but were drawn instead to look at the effects of oil refineries on their reservation. This film follows their progress from knowing very little about the impact of the refineries to presenting the case to their senator in Washington, D.C. This film is a very powerful story and shows the impact of the movie making process in their personal, social, and civic lives.

Peter Levine discussed the importance of audience in a crowded media environment. For me March Point illuminated some of the issues that he addressed. Levine points out that in a celebrity culture the creativity of ordinary people is blocked out. March Point is sort of a combination of the two. It was funded and filmed by a non-profit organization with professional filmmakers as well as student film work done by the young men. It is also available on iTunes which is a very main stream venue for accessing many types of media. There is a potential for a large audience, but is this information actually getting to people who can make a difference and right the wrongs of the oil companies? In the film, the young men are very discouraged after visiting with their Senator and remarked that it was more of a photo opportunity than a real avenue for change. In this situation, a very powerful audience was reached and yet they wondered if this actually was an audience that would create the change they sought.

Throughout the film, the "plastic" aspect that Levine described was very evident. These teens experienced a very personal change in their habits and concerns. They became more involved in school, their community, and in preparing for their future after high school. This is a prime example of the positive youth development that public voices in media can have on young adults. These adolescents learn to care about not only their health, but the health and concerns of their whole community as well as their cultural heritage.

March Point is sort of an extreme example. This was a project that had a strong backing of funding, instructional filmmakers that worked with the young men, and experienced directors. A librarian who is interested in involving teens with civic engagement might not have the resources, film experience, or motivation to take on a project such as this. That is where I believe Howard Rheingold's article and the slides by Michael Stephens might be more useful specifically in a library setting.

Rheingold's focus on combining the digital production that teens already know how to do with civic engagement is a really useful way to encourage young adults to develop their public voice. I appreciated his description of the activation gap and the thought of bringing pro-social goals into enjoyable formats such as blogs, digital storytelling, and wikis. I particularly found the exercise he described at the end with high school students as very accessible. By using wikis to discuss an interesting topic, the students are able to cultivate skills that congressmen and congresswomen use such as discussing and arguing with peers, making decisions, and composing group summaries. This exercise attempts to develop very useful skills in a way that incorporates media in a very applicable way.

I also appreciated that both Rheingold and Levine discussed the differences between addressing a civic issue over the internet versus actually putting feet to the pavement. Rheingold's mention of social scaffolding was particularly poignant to me as it created the image of addressing community issues with support and a connection to what is already going on. As students attempt to make sense of their transition from a private voice to a public presence they can be encouraged to make the connections to those who are working on the issue and use their experience when finding a listening audience. I think that one way librarians can greatly impact their communities is by helping young adults to make these connections between the civic interests that they have and the organizations within the wider community that work to address these issues. However, libraries must be places where young adults are welcomed and can feel their voice is valued. As Michael Stephens showed, there are many examples of libraries that do not allow many things that are appealing to young adults. Creating environments that draw teens in will allow librarians to interact with teens in a way that encourages their interests and allows them to expand their involvement.