However, despite America's love for instant solutions, we will not find them by silencing and locking away our young people. There are clear alternatives to engage youth to become full participants in a civil society and at that same time help adults view youth as an asset, and not a liability. In every way. The growth of young people in mediamaking is growing at an astronomical rate. At 60 sites and a couple thousand producers networked, we are barely scratching the surface of media production.
Funding is critical.
Costs to technology are coming down and the quality is going up. Populations that have traditionally denied a right to use the means of communication in the past have much more access. I believe, of those groups, youth media is the fastest growing sector. Youth media producers need greater funding for long-term, sustainable programs that can sufficiently nurture these emerging artists. Media literacy at school and at home is critical.