A Media Storytelling Project for and about Canadian Youth

Phase ONE: Interviews

A Media Storytelling Project Canadian Girls & non-binary youth.

for & about

why participate?

This is a unique opportunity to share your journey and experiences with video-making and help tell the important story of girls' and non-binary youths' video-making in Canada... and especially this year! You will receive a $25 honorarium as a thank you for participating.

who can apply?

Enthusiastic and creative girl-identifying & non-binary youth in middle school or high school from anywhere in Canada. You should have experience making videos (TikToks count!) either inside or outside of school assignments (or both) and/or identify as a filmmaker. Access to a computer with webcam & high-speed internet (for the interview/group discussion) is required.

What will you be asked to do?

You will join the researcher for a 1.5 hour video interview either one-on-one or in a group with several other youth in August/September. Afterwards, you can indicate if you'd like to continue in future phases of this research which will include a virtual group/program for youth around video storytelling running in Fall 2020.

Read about phase two here.

what is the story of this project?

Media storytelling/making and digital literacy skills are more important than ever for today's youth.

And, in a time of seemingly endless media content, there continues to be a lack of diversity including gender inequality in the media industry... especially in key creative roles.

These two points are what led me to conduct research on Canadian girls & non-binary youth and media storytelling (opportunities and experiences).

My name is Tatyana Terzopoulos and I am a PhD student at York University. I have also had a very long, award-winning career as a producer, writer & director in Canadian media. My experiences as a woman creative professional, my love of collaborating in teams to create media, and my interest in supporting youth who are interested in media storytelling are my reasons for conducting this research.

I aim to learn more about the lives and (media-making) interests of Canadian girl-identifying & non-binary youth. For this portion of my research, I am conducting interviews with youth from across the country to better understand their experiences with video-making and media-storytelling. I especially want to hear how video-making has played a role in their lives this year... a year like no other before! This info will help me tell the story of their video-making journeys including how they develop their skills and passions, who they make media with, and how they are (or aren't) supported with their interests. This information will help reveal how we (educators and media professionals) can encourage and support (more) girls and non-binary youth in cultivating their interest in video-making and media storytelling!

WHAT else should you know?

My supervisor for this project is Dr. Kate Tilleczek, professor in the Faculty of Education & Director of the Young Lives Research Laboratory. She has a wealth of experience working on international research projects about and with youth & youth issues. This project is supported in part by the Federal Government's Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council.

Interviews will be recorded (audio and/or video). This content will support my dissertation and articles & presentations about the study. Parts of this content will be used in a short video/project website. Both participants and their parents must sign consent forms to participate. This study has been reviewed & approved by York University’s Ethics Review Board.