Cal State LA students learn critical media literacy thought in assessing the 13+ hours of media they consume daily via tablets, phones, computers, video game consoles, TVs, films, billboards and other media platforms. They serve as peer mentors and provide media literacy workshops to support the critical thinking of middle and high school teens in local and surrounding areas of LA County. They help teens address issues of self-esteem, body image, cyber-bullying, violence, rape culture, cultural and gender stereotypes and a variety of pertinent issues teens face in the vast media landscape.
Over the past 10 years, Media Done Responsibly has worked with Cal State LA across disciplines to increase the number of students able to critically analyze media messages and neutralize the influence of exposure to violent behavior, risky sexual behavior, and cultural/gender stereotypes. It has offered social- emotional development that leads to self- efficacy along with civic engagement and service learning opportunities that allow students to become mentors in their siblings’ middle and high schools. The program has provided traditionally marginalized youth with agency and access to both critically assess the media that represents them, and to utilize media platforms to more accurately tell their own stories. Starting in Spring 2009 with 3 students, the partnership quickly grew to train 100 media literacy mentors on Cal State LA's campus annually.
Leaders emerged in this process and a volunteer coordinator internship program was developed where interns facilitated media literacy training for new mentor cohorts. In 2016, the program was integrated full time into the TV, Film, and Media Studies Department’s curriculum. As a result, MDR trained 280 Cal State LA students in 2018 as media literacy mentors and scholars.
Over the past 10 years, Media Done Responsibly has worked with Cal State LA across disciplines to increase the number of students able to critically analyze media messages and neutralize the influence of exposure to violent behavior, risky sexual behavior, and cultural/gender stereotypes. It has offered social- emotional development that leads to self- efficacy along with civic engagement and service learning opportunities that allow students to become mentors in their siblings’ middle and high schools. The program has provided traditionally marginalized youth with agency and access to both critically assess the media that represents them, and to utilize media platforms to more accurately tell their own stories. Starting in Spring 2009 with 3 students, the partnership quickly grew to train 100 media literacy mentors on Cal State LA's campus annually.
Leaders emerged in this process and a volunteer coordinator internship program was developed where interns facilitated media literacy training for new mentor cohorts. In 2016, the program was integrated full time into the TV, Film, and Media Studies Department’s curriculum. As a result, MDR trained 280 Cal State LA students in 2018 as media literacy mentors and scholars.