Call for Change

Youth Media Challenge

Instructions

Teachers:

We are excited you have decided to do the KQED’s Call for Change Youth Media Challenge with your students! Submissions will be accepted until June 2023.

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Soundtrap and WeVideo are offering free education licenses to teachers for students who participate in youth media challenges. Check out the FAQs to learn how to get all of your students free access to these media tools!

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This challenge is designed for middle and high school students. All grade levels are welcome to use this curriculum, but elementary and college educators, please don’t ask your students to publish to the showcase.

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Before students publish their work to the Youth Media Showcase, ensure that student pieces are original and free of hate speech.

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Make a copy of this deck and modify as needed. The slides are intended to be shared with students, and they address them directly.

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Climate change, civil rights, healthcare, college access, gun control, book banning, the price of gas…the list goes on. What issue inspires you to call for change?

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Or if you’re not sure, think about it this way: What would make your community or city a better place? What change do you want to see in the nation or the world?

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Whether you pick a local issue or global concern, we can’t wait to hear your voice!

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Prompt

Your audio or video commentary can address your peers, principal, local community, state leaders, the president or any world leader.

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Create a podcast, selfie video, narrated slideshow or original animation. We’ll feature your submission on the Youth Media Showcase and possibly broadcast it on KQED or your local NPR or PBS channel.

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Prompt

What you’ll do

• Your script is 300-400 words
• Final audio or video is 1-3 minutes in length
• Video or audio is edited for smoothness and clarity
• Audio is recorded in a quiet place
• Must be original.
• Must be free of hate speech. Hate speech is anything that degrades an entire group of people based on race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation/identity or disability.
• Must not include any images, video or music that is copyrighted to someone else.
• Your submission can be a YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud or Google Drive link (set to “anyone with the link can view”). The video needs to be public or unlisted.

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Final submission process will include an artist’s statement.

Project requirements

To complete this challenge, you’ll need access to:

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• A digital video OR audio recorder, like a smartphone or webcam.
• Video or audio editing software, like iMovie, WeVideo or a similar program for video, or Soundtrap, Audacity, Garage Band, Anchor or a similar program for audio
• Copyright-free music, images and sound effects.
• KQED is responsible for content accountability. That means if you use media you don’t have the rights to, we won’t be able to share your piece with a wider audience.
• The ability to upload your video to YouTube,Vimeo or Google Drive or your audio to SoundCloud or Google Drive post on the showcase. Make sure Google links are set to “anyone can view.”

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If you’re under 13, please have a parent or guardian sign the COPPA consent form and give it to your teacher.

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Tools/What You’ll Need

Your commentary will include both your own experience and evidence from research to share your views about a issue you care about.

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It’s OK to use the pronoun “I” and share a personal experience, memory or story that explains why you chose the topic. Then, you’ll bring in evidence to share why you think this issue deserves attention.

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Do First: Learn more about the commentary genre in this infographic. Then listen to examples of commentary on educational issues.

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Watch Examples

Step 2

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Watch or listen to one or all of these example video and audio commentaries about a few current issues (there are so many more!):

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• A More Diverse Curriculum by Ruby C. (audio)
• Unaffordable College by Katherine L. (audio)
• A Call for Stricter Gun Laws by Shaq H. (video)
• What Will the World Look Like When I’m 20? by Alex H. (video)
• Should the Electoral College be Abolished? by Cole B. (video)

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Watch Examples

Step 2

Choose one commentary and answer the following analysis questions or use this analysis graphic organizer.

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Analysis Questions

1. What motivated the author to choose this topic? How can you tell?
2. What is the author’s claim or call to action?
3. What personal experience and evidence from research does the author use to support the claim?
4. What special effects (music, sound effects, images, etc.) does the author use? How do they enhance the piece or make it easier to understand?
5. What did you learn from these examples that you’ll use in your own commentary?

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Analyze

Step 2

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What’s one issue YOU care about and want to change?

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• Do you already have an idea you’re excited about? Great! Move onto Step 4. For this project, it’s important to choose an issue you care about.

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• Don’t quite know what to pick or where to start? Move onto the next slide to start brainstorming.

Summarize your ideas

Step 3

Here are a few questions to help you think about school-related issues:

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Think big: How should schools be funded? What should school budgets prioritize? What curriculum should be taught? How should students be tested or graded? What’s a service or program should schools offer besides academic instruction? Or...

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Drill down to the day-to-day: How should bullying be addressed? Should your school offer a new subject, type of class or schedule? What about the homework policy or dress code? What technology should your school provide? The list goes on and on…

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To start generating ideas, you can use this brainstorming graphic organizer to help you get your ideas flowing...

Summarize your ideas

Let’s brainstorm

The first step for a video or audio commentary is to write your script.

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Review the commentary graphic from Step 1. Your script should include:

• Your claim: What do you want to change (or stay the same)?
• A personal story, memory or connection to your topic
• Evidence that supports your claim

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Optional: Use this handy script graphic organizer to help organize your script.

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Remember: Keep your script to 300-400 words, if possible. This chart is a good reminder that writing for audio and video is NOT like writing an essay. Choose less formal words and write short, concise sentences.

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Create Your Draft

Step 4: Write Your Script

Planning an audio commentary?

For audio, you’ll want your script to include what you’re going to say along with any sound or music cues.

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It’s never too early to start thinking about finding copyright-free media

• Create it yourself: Record your own sound effects or compose your own song or beats
• Search for shareable media: Use an old song or sound effects in the public domain, or choose music or sound effects from an online sound bank like freesound.org. The Library of Congress and the BBC sound archive are also great sources of copyright-free sound.

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Create Your Draft

Step 4: Write Your Script

Planning a video commentary?

As you write your script, think about what kind of video you want to make and what you need to make it. For example, if you’re making a narrative slide show, you’ll want to choose what images will accompany your narration.

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It’s never too early to start thinking about finding copyright-free media!

• Create it yourself: Take your own photos, shoot your own video footage, record your own sound effects or compose your own song or beats
• Search for shareable media: Use news clips, an old movie, song or sound effects in the public domain, or choose music or sound effects from an online sound bank like freesound.org. The Library of Congress and the BBC sound archive are also great sources of copyright-free sound. Only search for images with a Creative Commons license.
• How to find shareable images tutorial

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Create Your Draft

Step 4: Write Your Script

Planning a documentary style video commentary?

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If you’re making a documentary-style video, you’ll also create a storyboard. A storyboard visually represents your video sequence, shot-by-shot. You can use this simple Google Slides storyboard template or an online tool like Storyboard That to plan out the flow of your video. However you make your storyboard, it should include a few key elements:

• Shot images are sketches of what’s happening in each shot
• Narration (or dialogue) is the audio component of your video, either spoken directly during the shooting of the video or in a voiceover after recording
• Effects (FX) are technical details that you need to execute during the filming or in post-production

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Create Your Draft

Step 4: Write Your Script

After you finish your script, get some feedback from a classmate, friend or teacher. Use the checklist below or this feedback graphic organizer to help:

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• Do you address why your topic is important and connects to your life or your community?
• Does it include credible evidence to support your views on the topic?
• Are sentences short and clear?
• Would anything be confusing to an audience that doesn’t know you personally?
• Do you have the rights to use any music, images or video clips you plan to use? For example, did you create it yourself or is it copyright-free?

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Revise & Edit

Step 5

Now that you’ve gotten feedback on your script is ready to go, it’s time to record and edit! Any digital video camera will work, including a smartphone.

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Use these tips from Above the Noise host Myles Bess on how to get great video and audio.

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Make it

Step 6

• Edit your video using editing software like iMovie, WeVideo or similar program.

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• Edit audio using software like Soundtrap, Audacity, Garage Band, Anchor or similar. To learn how to get a free Soundtrap account for this project, check with your teacher.

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Before you submit your project, use this checklist to make sure it looks and sounds good.

• Your commentary is clearly written and uses personal examples and evidence from other sources to support your claim about your call for change.
• All audio is easy to understand and recorded in a quiet place.
• If making a video, the subject(s) of your video are visible, and the camera is stable.
• The background music or sound effects don’t drown out the narration or voiceover.
• You have the rights to legally use any media (video clips, music, sound effects, images) in the piece.

Edit Your Audio or Video Commentary

Step 6

Submission Form Template + Submission Link

Step 7

Submit Your Project Here

Congratulations! You’re almost ready to submit!

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Use this submission template to get all the pieces of your Call for Change submission together in one place.

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Then submit on the showcase using the code your teacher provided.

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• Project standards alignment

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• Project rubric, submission requirements and self-assessment

Other resources