In Juneau, young people have a new way to find their voice.
This fall, a digital media club for youth is teaching technical skills and encouraging kids to explore their creativity through audio and video. And their first big project — inspired by Halloween — puts a new twist on an old fairy tale.
“Quiet on set! Roll tape,” said Levi Spaulding as he directed a room full of middle schoolers in front of mics and mixing boards wearing headphones and costumes.
The kids meet in the new Indigenous Sciences Building on Sealaska Heritage Institute’s campus, which features a recording studio.
Penny Maes practiced her interviewing skills under a bright red hood.
“Hi, everybody, it’s me, Little Red Riding Hood, and we’re here today with Mr. Wolfie Wolf Wolferson,” she said into the microphone. “Give a hand and get your bear spray out.”
Recording their on-camera interview in front of a green screen, Penny demanded answers to the hard questions.
“So, Wolf, why did you eat my grandma?” she said.
Lucas Kelleher answered her through a plastic wolf mask.
“I didn’t!” he said.
Cory Wolf is the instructor. He has a background in documentary film, and wants to use his skills to help kids find theirs.
“By giving them a space where they can learn the technical skills, it also gives them a space where they’re working with others as a team,” he said. “So just allowing each of the different gifts that come into the room, allowing those gifts to flourish.”
He said the kids are inspired by podcasts, which have blown up for younger audiences over the last few years.
“All of the kids have their favorite podcasts,” Wolf said. “A lot of them that come to my class actually have a vision for their own podcast.”
And while they’re working on a Halloween-themed exclusive interview now, upcoming programs will continue to build the skills they need to launch their own projects.
“Kind of the motto of that space is to give our young people a voice,” Wolf said.
The podcast – audio and video – will debut on Halloween at the Zach Gordon Youth Center.
