This is an introductory guide to Street-Level Youth Media's program offerings. For additional sample program outlines or to set up a meeting with our team, please contact Street-Level Youth Media Director of Education, Marc Furigay at marc@street-level.org.
2. Why Partner with Street-Level?
By partnering with us you will:
Increase student engagement with learning
Promote creative expression, media literacy, and
digital technology proficiency
Enhance students’ artistic critical thinking, and
leadership skills
Support their positive social and
emotional development
For nearly 20 years, Street-Level has been bringing quality media
arts programs to low-income students across Chicago.
Our programs include media arts integration projects, after-
school workshops, class electives, and field trips to our
multimedia studio.
4. “The arts must be considered an
essential element of education...
They are tools for living life
reflectively, joyfully and with the
ability to shape the future.”
-Shirley Trusty Corey
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5. Street-Level Core Competencies
Street-Level’s programs prioritize engagement that leads to creative expression, emotional maturity,
and social responsibility. Our focus on media literacy helps youth develop essential critical thinking
skills; our use of digital tools helps youth develop technical skills essential to the 21st century
workplace; and our focus on social responsibility helps youth develop healthy attitudes and life skills
essential to success.
Academic Standards
Our programs meet some or all of the following Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make
logical inferences from it, cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of
a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas; CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the
course of a text; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific
sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza)
relate to each other and the whole; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or
purpose shapes the content and style of a text; CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate
content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as
in words; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes
or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take; CCSS.ELA-
Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently
and proficiently
Our programs meet some or all of the following Illinois Fine Arts Standards:
25.A.4 Analyze and evaluate the effective use of elements, principles and expressive qualities in
a composition/ performance in dance, drama, music and visual arts; 25.A.3e Analyze how the
elements and principles can be organized to convey meaning through a variety of media and
technology;
25.B.5 Understand how different art forms combine to create an interdisciplinary work; 26.A.5
Analyze and evaluate how the choice of media, tools, technologies and processes support and
influence the communication of ideas; 26.B.5 Create and perform a complex work of art using a
variety of techniques, technologies and resources and independent decision making; 27.B.5 Analyze
how the arts shape and reflect ideas, issues or themes in a particular culture or historical period
25.A.5 Analyze and evaluate student and professional works for how aesthetic qualities are used
to convey intent, expressive ideas and/or meaning. 26.A.3e Describe how the choices of tools/
technologies and processes are used to create specific effects in the arts. 26.A.4e Analyze and
evaluate how tools/technologies and processes combine to convey meaning. 26.A.5 Common for all
four arts: Analyze and evaluate how the choice of media, tools, technologies and processes support
and influence the communication of ideas. 26.B.5 Common for all four arts: Create and perform a
complex work of art using a variety of techniques, technologies and resources and independent
decision making.
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nce #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts #whypoetrymatters #whymusicmatters
Program Types
Media Arts Integration
Street-Level develops media arts integration curriculum to enhance your in-
classroom teaching of core subjects for grades 6 through 12. These programs
run between 6 to 12 weeks, with 1-2 sessions per week, and usually include field
trips to Street-Level’s multimedia studio.
Electives
We work with partnering schools to offer media arts classes for school credit.
We help define specific curriculum goals and implement the instructional
strategies needed to achieve them. Our electives bring the intensive focus of
after school workshops into the school day, helping schools meet competitive
educational demands.
After-School (OST) Workshops
Our workshops target youth ages 12-18 and may last 8-12 weeks, with 1-3
sessions per week. These workshops may be student driven or a variation on
one of our existing programs. In both cases, students learn media production
while building conscientious community.
Field Trips
These 1-3 day sessions hosted at our multimedia studio are a great option for
schools that do not have the time or resources to work with us year-round,
but are interested in exposing students to media arts or integrating media
production into some component of their regular classwork.
Do It Together - Custom Programming
Whatever your budget or timeframe, you can expose your students to hands-
on media arts production. Whether your students are working with digital tools
for the first time, or you have an intermediate to advanced group that needs
some advanced instruction for a special project, contact us for a synergic
planning session.
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change #chicago #antichiraq #antiviolence #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts
“We encourage youth to explore
their interests, take creative
risks, learn new things, and learn
to learn —perhaps the most
important skill we can give them.”
-Manwah Lee, Street-Level Executive Director
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nce #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts #whypoetrymatters #whymusicmatters
Sample Program Overviews
Anime
Students apply multimedia techniques to create
and distribute their own Japanese cartoon
and animated characters, stories, and manga.
They also work within small groups to create
collaborative pieces.
Gender in Media
Students analyze portrayals of gender in
popular culture. Through multimedia projects,
they express how they view themselves in
relationship to media and work towards
developing their own identity.
Multimedia Journalism
The voice of the new generation is often lost,
but with digital media tools and internet savvy
skills, students learn how to articulate and
publish what they consider newsworthy, and
learn how they can reach a wider audience.
Graphic Design and
Photography
Students gain skills in personal and politial
communication through graphic arts and
photography. Participants collaborate and
problem solve within small groups.
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sicmatters #whynewsmatters #education #equality #leadership #community #2030now #advocacy #changemakers
change #chicago #antichiraq #antiviolence #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts
Multimedia
Antiviolence Project
Chicago is one of the most violent cities in the
country. This project teaches students to use a
variety of digital art tools to identify causes and
solutions to violence while promoting peace.
Music Video
Building on the foundation of music that
students create or enjoy, participants learn
concept development, storyboarding, studio
and location shooting, and editing to produce
original music videos.
Musicology
While exploring both the fundamentals and the
advanced sides of musical artistry, students
learn beat making, composition, lyric writing,
and audio engineering to produce
original songs.
Stop-Motion Animation
Students learn basic camera technique, lighting,
and animation software to create and distribute
stop-motion animated videos of their own
stories and concepts.
Sample Program Overviews Cont.
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nce #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts #whypoetrymatters #whymusicmatters
Sample Program Outline
Gender in Media 20 / 30 / 40 hours
SUMMARY
Students develop a stronger, healthier sense of self by critiquing how art and
mass media and art have historically portrayed gender. Students learn to use
photography, video, and/or music to express themselves and develop positive
gender identities.
OUTCOMES
• Reflect on self-image and gender beliefs
• Identify and critique stereotypes in mass media
• Uncover and deconstruct the beauty myth
• Critique mass media for objectification
• Identify strong and healthy role models
• Develop a healthy understanding of beauty
• Create photo, video, and or music projects that explore gender identity
ILlINOIS FINE
ARTS STANDARDS
25.A.3e
25.A.4
25.A.5
26.A.3e
26.A.4e
26.A.5
26.B.5
COMMON CORE
STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6
CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10
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sicmatters #whynewsmatters #education #equality #leadership #community #2030now #advocacy #changemakers
change #chicago #antichiraq #antiviolence #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts
Sample Program Outline
Gender in Media 20 / 30 / 40 hours
STEPS: CENTRAL QUESTIONS
1. Establish group identity: who are we and why are we here?
2. Examine mass media and artistic representations: how has gender
been portrayed?
3. Examine the problem of stereotypes: what are stereotypes and how do
they work?
4. People: dignified vs. objectified: what does it mean to objectify someone?
5. The beauty myth and gender extremes: what is the beauty myth?
6. Fight insecurities: what are my insecurities and where do they come from?
7. Finding your strength: who are some great role models?
8. Challenging cultural norms: how can we influence change?
9. Positive gender identity in mass media: what does it look like in art,
fashion, and music?
10. Showcase and distribute final project: what did we get out of this program,
and how can we showcase and distirbute our work?
SAMPLE DELIVERABLES
• Signed pact (1 per 10 hours)
• Personal feature (1 per 10 hours)
• Peer portrait (1 per 10 hours)
• Self portrait (1 per 10 hours)
• Video diary (1 per 10 hours)
• Slideshow (1 per 10 hours)
• Student survey (1)
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tion #equality #leadership #community #2030now #advocacy #changemakers #notforprofit #socialgood #mentor
nce #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts #whypoetrymatters #whymusicmatters
Sample Program Outline
Stop-Motion Animation 20 / 30 / 40 hours
SUMMARY
Students explore various types of animation and produce simple original stop-
motion videos. They learn basic camera technique, lighting, and animation
software, as well as how to storyboard, set design, script and voice act original
narratives. They also produce audio elements vital to creating settings and
soundtracks (music, voice overs, sound effects, etc.) and upload content to
the internet.
OUTCOMES
• Construct visual elements (characters, backgrounds, titles, etc.)
• Identify shot elements and composition
• Create storyboards and scripts
• Use digital cameras to take well-composed pictures and / or capture
video footage
• Use a variety of shots and angles to create effects and convey meaning
• Upload content to the internet
• Work collaboratively
• Give and receive constructive feedback
ILLINOIS FINE
ARTS STANDARDS
25.A.4
25.A.3e
25.B.5
26.A.5
26.B.5
27.B.5
COMMON CORE
STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6
CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9
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sicmatters #whynewsmatters #education #equality #leadership #community #2030now #advocacy #changemakers
change #chicago #antichiraq #antiviolence #giveback #socialjustice #activism #volunteer #youthmedia #digitalarts
Sample Program Outline
Stop-Motion Animation 20 / 30 / 40 hours
STEPS: CENTRAL QUESTIONS
1. Intro to stop-motion animation: what is stop-motion animation?
2. Explore and experiment: what can we animate and how do we do it?
3. Brainstorm, outline, and create story elements: who are the characters, what
are the settings, plots, and themes?
4. Storyboard, script, and continue creating story elements: how do we map out
our animation?
5. Film: how do we produce an animation scene?
6. Film: how do make our scenes into a story?
7. Edit: how do we edit content?
8. Share and critique: how can we improve our work?
9. Revise: how can we improve our work?
10. Showcase and upload to internet: how can we distribute our work?
SAMPLE DELIVERABLES
• Peer portraits (1 per 10 hours)
• Self portraits (1 per 10 hours)
• Other characters (2 per 10 hours)
• Landscapes (2 per 10 hours)
• Storyboard (1)
• Script (1)
• Polished manga (1)
• Student surveys (1)
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