North Omaha Media Alliance sponsors youth media literacy
JoAnna LeFlore
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: News
The North Omaha Media Alliance is holding the second annual youth media project at the UNO to sponsor activities focused on promoting positive messages of North Omaha.
The alliance helps youth participants understand how to use tools of the media to record images, create dialogues and use the messages to show its viewers another perspective of North Omaha.
NOMA is directed by Lynnette Leonard, assistant professor at UNO's School of Communication. Leonard spoke of the project's goal as providing a platform for youth to learn about the media and develop a sense of service.
"The project is focused on the students' involvement," Leonard said. "It's the topics they choose and want to talk about."
The project has two goals of learning and service, each with a different focus.
Through learning, students become critical thinkers about the media and the world around them, produce awareness and understand media literacy as it applies to becoming an active consumer.
Through service, the students aim to help change the view of North Omaha and present stories of a more positive outlook. Leonard said they learn to address problems and find plausible solutions to some issues they face in that community.
The NOMA students' ages range from 14 to 18 years old. The participants attend Omaha Public High Schools from Benson, Central, North and Northwest and plan to meet eight times to work on their projects. These ideas range from last year's presidential election, drop out rates of high school students, teen pregnancy, safe sex, needs for afterschool programs, drug use and violence among teens, scholarships and relationships.
Another goal of the project is to help students realize that continued learning is an option through college. This is most evident through the mentor-based partnerships NOMA has developed with youth from Girls, Inc. and UNO Communication students from the Advanced Broadcasting Journalism class taught by UNO associate professor Chris Allen.
The alliance helps youth participants understand how to use tools of the media to record images, create dialogues and use the messages to show its viewers another perspective of North Omaha.
NOMA is directed by Lynnette Leonard, assistant professor at UNO's School of Communication. Leonard spoke of the project's goal as providing a platform for youth to learn about the media and develop a sense of service.
"The project is focused on the students' involvement," Leonard said. "It's the topics they choose and want to talk about."
The project has two goals of learning and service, each with a different focus.
Through learning, students become critical thinkers about the media and the world around them, produce awareness and understand media literacy as it applies to becoming an active consumer.
Through service, the students aim to help change the view of North Omaha and present stories of a more positive outlook. Leonard said they learn to address problems and find plausible solutions to some issues they face in that community.
The NOMA students' ages range from 14 to 18 years old. The participants attend Omaha Public High Schools from Benson, Central, North and Northwest and plan to meet eight times to work on their projects. These ideas range from last year's presidential election, drop out rates of high school students, teen pregnancy, safe sex, needs for afterschool programs, drug use and violence among teens, scholarships and relationships.
Another goal of the project is to help students realize that continued learning is an option through college. This is most evident through the mentor-based partnerships NOMA has developed with youth from Girls, Inc. and UNO Communication students from the Advanced Broadcasting Journalism class taught by UNO associate professor Chris Allen.
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