For students at four Chicago high schools, an array of Apple devices are providing them much more than the latest technology–they’re providing an opportunity to lift their voices in a historically challenging time. In late January, Thrive Chicago along with Chicago Public Schools’ Competency Based Education Program, Communities in Schools, and StriveTogether provided iPhone 12s, Macbook Pros, and iPads for use in a video storytelling project that will take place throughout the spring. The project—part of a joint Together For Students initiative—will counter the prevailing narrative of learning loss during the pandemic. The reality is that the experiences of Black and Brown youth are much more complex than many existing portrayals. The aim of Together For Students is to accelerate the progress of local communities in transforming how they meet the needs of individual learners, particularly the most vulnerable.
Thirty students from Hyde Park Academy High School, Phoenix Military Academy, Benito Juarez High School, and Marie Curie Metropolitan High School will have the opportunity to document their experiences, record community interviews, and edit their films in partnership with a professional videographer. The project’s goals include developing social and emotional learning skills such as self-awareness, building positive relationships, collaboration, and leadership. Students will attend 11 after-school virtual workshops with the videographer and a school-based leader. In May, students will present their videos at a final showcase event and have the opportunity to be featured on social media.
The Shifting Chicago Narratives project is part of Thrive’s Youth Development portfolio, which aims, in part, to meet the social and emotional learning and mental health needs of youth. This focus complements Thrive’s narrative change strategy and its collective work to address and eliminate inequities for boys and young men of color.
