YOUmedia Teens Learn Audio Skills with Vocalo Collaboration

Written by Vocalo Radio on September 14, 2022

Vocalo partnered with The Douglass Library Branch YOUmedia to teach students basic audio, reporting and storytelling skills.

Founded in 2009, YOUmedia became the first space dedicated to teens at Chicago Public Libraries. Now the organization spans 29 different library locations and has given artists like Chance the Rapper a place to start out (back when they were teens). It’s a place to hang out, mess around, and geek out, a key learning strategy used at the spaces.

YOUmedia provides high school students with a safe space, mentorship and free resources to pursue digital media skills, learn and have fun. In addition to laptops, camera, music and gaming equipment, the Douglass branch also provides a recording studio and digital media creation assistance.

The following CPL branches house YOUmedia spaces (some are for high school students, while other spaces are for middle school-aged students):

High School

Albany Park
Altgeld (recording studio)
Austin
Avalon
Back of the Yards
Chicago Bee (recording studio)
Chicago Lawn
Chinatown
Douglass (recording studio)
Edgewater
Hall
Harold Washington Library Center (recording studio)
Independence (recording studio)
Jefferson Park (recording studio)
Kelly (recording studio)
Legler Regional Library (recording studio)
Little Italy
Lozano
Merlo (recording studio)
Northtown
Richard M. Daley
South Chicago
South Shore (recording studio)
Sulzer Regional Library
West Loop (recording studio)
Whitney M. Young, Jr. (recording studio)
Woodson Regional Library (recording studio)

Grades 6 – 8

As a part of a summer collaboration, Vocalo producer Ari Mejia spent four weeks with the Douglass YOUmedia participants guiding them through different audio production assignments: the Sound Scavenger Hunt, Vox Pop, Audio Postcard and Short List Activity.

Listen below to hear the work of YOUMedia participants Anaiya, Ericka, Gabriel and Na’Tanya.