“YCC’s mission is to build skills in the digital media space, eliminate barriers in 21st century technologies, and provide opportunities for youth to create and monetize their content,” says Young Content Creators (YCC) president and CEO Chris Franceschi. YCC has recently announced a partnership with Hillcrest High School of Green Dot Public Schools.
Since adding YCC to its partnerships, Hillcrest has been able to get funding from many supporters enabling the program to buy the equipment needed. “About three years ago, Chris and myself had this idea of this digital programming at Hillcrest and this year, due to extra funding from the state, we are able to offer the program,” says Teddrick Estes, principal of Hillcrest High School. “Funding has been a huge issue, and we have been trying to make it happen. Right now, we are getting our feet wet; we are still in the early stages of the program, but we are excited. We want the kids to learn transferable skills which can land them a job.”
“The program works in three phases — during the first phase is where you focus on how to develop content as per industry standards,” adds Franceschi. “During the second phase, you work alongside industry experts on skills such as podcasting, marketing, audio engineering, and videography. During the third phase, we help [the students] create a digital portfolio, pitch it, and prepare them for college and careers around the nation.”
They kicked off the 2022 school year and second year of programming by hosting a student to industry panel including experts from the digital media industry. The student to industry panel was created with a vision to collaborate and bring real-world experience to the classroom. “The reason behind this panel was to connect to industry experts and have them talk directly to students,” says Franceschi. “We want to lean on the people who have been in the industry for years but the special part is that they come from the same neighborhoods the kids are currently in.”
The student to industry panel also included a Q&A session providing the students an opportunity to get their questions answered about a particular industry directly by
industry experts. “Having them share their story, journey, and how they got to where they are today and even make connections when they come back and teach a class whether in marketing, production, podcasting, and things of that nature,” adds Franceschi.
“We started some of the programming last spring, and students have to have an outlet. Traditional schools have art, choir, and so on,” adds Estes. In today’s digital world, kids have a lot of knowledge about new trends and emerging technology, but the schools, traditionally, don’t offer programs on monetizing and learning these new trends. The partnership between YCC and Hillcrest has been quite impactful. Hillcrest has earned a level 4 rating, which is the second highest rating for schools. “I attribute a lot of that to kids having access to so many different opportunities,” says Estes.
The partnership has also helped address the hurdle of absenteeism by creating outlets for the students to stay engaged. “When kids are connected to something cool, they are more likely to come to school and we can educate and grow them,” says Estes. “This program along with other things at the school will push us in the right direction. Our data, this past testing season, shows that.”
Young Content Creators (YCC) is a 501c3 inMemphis TN and has been working in the community for the past four years. Its overall vision is to create safe spaces for young people and connect them to their interests through career exploration activities, content creation, and monetization. It offers pathways for podcasting, marketing, videography/ photography, music production content, and content design & distribution.