YOUmedia are spaces where kids explore, express, and create using digital media. YOUmedia’s core philosophy is that youth are best engaged when they’re following their passions, collaborating with others, and being makers and doers, not passive consumers.
YOUmedia are transformative spaces—and catalysts—for new kinds of thinking about libraries, museums, and community centers. The sites are open, flexible, and highly creative, with inspiration zones, production zones, and exhibition labs where youth “hang out, mess around, and geek out.” YOUmedia connects three realms of learning—peer groups, interests, and academics—in deliberate ways. One of the most important aspects is that they connect learning directly back to school, careers, and other realms.
While hands-on learning has a long history, digital media gives it a new twist. Digital media is reshaping how young people think, learn, and play. Tapping into its power in creative and fresh ways, YOUmedia programs grab young people where they are and inspire them to stretch their talents and interests in new ways.