Pebbles 2008

Youth and the Media: Promoting a Positive Milwaukee

“Why are the media so negative? Why do Milwaukee teenagers only show up in stories about violence and poverty? Why don’t the good things we do ever get media coverage?”

Interesting questions… asked by young people last year, at the Pebbles event of 2007. They had a long discussion with Ted Perry from Fox 6, who came to the 2007 (and the 2006) Pebbles, to talk with youth and put Pebbles on the news.

On “Ted’s Take,” he talked about the difference one or two or a hundred pebbles could make, referring to our balance scale concept of the Pebbles of Peace outweighing Boulders of Violence.

Every year, at the beginning of our Pebbles youth forum, we show a balance scale filled with large rocks on one side, and one pebble on the other side. Naturally, the rocks outweigh that pebble by A LOT. That’s because one person alone cannot make much of an impact against the overwhelming effect of violence – drive-by shootings, gangs, crime and other atrocities. But one person – one tiny pebble – can join other people, and their combined effort – like a hundred pebbles or more – can outweigh the effects of those boulders of violence.

Every year, we display that balance scale, and it’s filled with large rocks. And every year, there is a bowl of pebbles on every table, and an invitation to place ONE pebble into the balance scale during the day, whenever you are touched by what you hear, or impressed with a comment, or motivated by someone’s words or actions.  Year after year, by the end of the day, those pebbles do outweigh the boulders.

Because of an outcry from young people in 2007 wanting to ask the media, “Why so negative?” we made that the focus of Pebbles 2008: “Youth and the Media: Promoting a more Positive Milwaukee.”

Ironically, Ted Perry was not able to attend this year, due to a family commitment. But we did have other media representatives who spoke to young people, and more importantly, listened to what our young people had to say.

The day unfolded in this way…

Young people from 21 different schools, congregations, and organizations gathered for a day at Cardinal Stritch University, and sat in mixed groups at tables led by either a “Teen Leader” from House of Peace or a student in Messmer High School’s leadership class. 

To orient ourselves to the role that the media play in our lives, and to become better consumers of the media, we learned five basic lessons about media, and each lesson involved an activity.

The first lesson was this: All media messages are constructed. Someone -- or a group of someones  -- sits down and figures out what to put into the message and what to keep out. So our first table activity was the task of reporting the city’s news in 22 minutes… a typical half-hour news show that includes that typical 8 minutes of commercials. Each table had to decide which of 19 stories about young people and other events would make it into their news show. Guess what! Almost every lead story chosen was one of the negative stories! Even though we deplore the negative portrayal of our city, we have to admit it… when something negative happens, it’s newsworthy!

The second lesson was related to the first: Media are constructed using a creative language with its own rules. There are lots of techniques used – simple things like camera angles to make things look taller or smaller, background music to coach us to feel afraid or comforted, lighting that is dim or bright, tone of voice that sounds intimidating or celebratory. To make the point, each student was given a cardboard cut-out of a camera, with a hole cut out for the viewer. They were asked to look around our youth forum, and try to “frame” a photo that gives a different impression of the day’s youth forum. Since we had gathered diverse 140 youth, and 48 teachers, youth ministers, and other community leaders, we challenged them to walk around with their “cameras” and try to capture a frame that was somehow not representative of the group – to see how easy or difficult it was. For example, can you “capture” a photo with only adults and no youth? Or one with only males and no females? Or one with only African Americans, or only Latinas, or only Caucasians? A photo with no one smiling? A photo with everyone looking in a different direction?  It wasn’t easy, but it was all possible. None of those photos was “lying” …  they all were real. But they didn’t show the entire truth.

The third media lesson was this: Different people experience the same media message differently. It was illustrated in a comical way. We showed a photograph of two young African males entangled in headlocks, apparently lunging toward each other. We asked what they saw. “A fight.” … “A new dance.” … “Black on Black violence” … “two clumsy basketball players” … these were just a few of the answers. Then we saw a skit with seven teens. On one side of the stage, two girls were talking about the one boy they both liked. On the other side, two boys were talking about the one girl they both liked. On each side, it was a girl who first shoved someone to get them to stop talking, and the shoved girl or boy clumsily knocked into the next person and so on, until the two innocent victims were bumped into each other, and captured in a pose that resembled a headlock altercation…The table’s challenge was to create their own media message – a 30-second statement or illustration to express their view of violence. You can watch this 13 minute collection of footage here.

The fourth media lesson follows from the others: Media have embedded values and points of view. It’s our job to pay attention and be aware of the possible “slant” of each story. The most recent and obvious example of this was the campaign coverage and campaign messages that were “approved” by one candidate or another. “There is only one candidate who has ever fought for you” would  only come from the right and “There is only one candidate who was against this war in Iraq” would only come from the left. It’s easy to see how facts can slide into generalizations. But, we were warned, it’s important NOT to let our generalizations slide into stereotypes. We learned the difference with a simple example. “My ‘cousin’ lives in rural Wyoming, where people don’t own house keys, and they park their cars with the windows down, and the keys in the ignition. When my cousin moves to Milwaukee, what are you going to say to help my cousin adjust to this new environment?” The answer? “Dude, people in Milwaukee will steal your car!” I asked everyone who lived in Milwaukee to raise their hands. (Almost the entire room.) I asked everyone who steals cars to raise their hands. (No one.) Generalization or Stereotype? They immediately knew the difference, even though it was a Milwaukee native and resident who made the statement! The correction? “Dude, some people in Milwaukee might steal your car.”  At their tables, the groups were instructed to come up with both generalizations and stereotypes about males and females. What a lively discussion that was!

The final media lesson is the one we most often forget: Most media are organized to gain profit or power. It’s essential to keep asking yourself, “Who is trying to sell me what? … and… am I buying it?”  This is a hard lesson for a generation who loves to identify with brand names. If I am wearing a company’s name across my T-shirt, I am a walking advertisement for that company. I should be paid for that, and yet, I am willing to pay that company to advertise their product. Several tough questions were brought up in their small groups for discussion, such as, “”How do you feel about being targeted by advertisers?” and “How much power should advertisers have over editorial content in the news media?” and “What  does it mean if some sources of the media is more concerned with selling ads and making money than with reporting the news?” and “What power do you have, as a consume, to influence the news media?”

The morning ended with the creation of key learning points. Each Table wrote down on newsprint what they thought were the most important insights from the five media lessons. For a complete listing of those insights, look here.

After a well-earned break, lunch was served, and the local community leaders arrived.

Each Table shared pizza and meal time conversation with one of the following people:

• Esther Welch, Milwaukee Sheriff Department
• Matt Beardsley, Relevant Radio
• Marquette Baylor, Senator Herb Kohl’s office
• Rebecca Lopez, Senator Russ Feingold’s office
• Dan DiDomizio, professor at Cardinal Stritch University, Director of urban ministry program
• Phil Cavez, City of Milwaukee municipal judge
• Oliver Johnson, Prison Fellowship, coordinator of After Care
• Barbara Pollach, Elizabeth Brinn Foundation
• Derrick Lemmie, Milwaukee Police Officer
• Tyrone Dumas, Milwaukee Public Schools ,  project coordinator
• Michelle Angiolo, Milwaukee Police Department, schools resource office
• Khalif Raney, Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s office
• Trinette McCray, Cardinal Stritch University, Office of Vocation Development
• Greg Moore, Milwaukee Police Department, community services
• Hope DeVougas, Senator Russ Feingold’s office
• Michael Miller, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s office
• James Causey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, editorial writer
• Theresa Kopac, 88 Nine Radio Milwaukee, Community relations specialist
• Elena Kahn-Oren, Milwaukee Jewish Chronicle, editor
• Steve Jagler, Small Business Times
• Sean John, Clear Channel Milwaukee WKKV-V100.7 prmotions/marketing
• Lynda Jones, Milwaukee Courier, Editor

We ended our lunch time with a short panel of media speakers: Sean John, Lynda Jones and James Causey. Each one spoke about the need for balance in the media, and the challenges of working in a world with so much media coverage and choices.

During the afternoon, the young people said “good-bye” to the table groups they had bonded with all morning, and they moved into their “back home” groups for the planning process.  At Pebbles each year, the participants take their learnings home with them in a way that inspires them to take action. They discuss the issues that matter most to them, and they plan some project or activity to address one of those issues. They are challenged to implement their plans during the school year, and then to return for a “reunion” in the spring.

Representatives from all of the groups are invited back to Cardinal Stritch, with their parents and families, to attend a celebration of leadership, where their projects and insights are showcased, and young people are once again affirmed for the important role they have in bringing positive change to Milwaukee.

The following projects are being planned by groups who attended Pebbles:

• North Shore Presbyterian Church:  Free Hugs – A video where in fists get traded for free hugs.
• New Hope Missionary Baptist Church: Homophobia – Using video and newspaper articles, a piece addressing the issue at home, while being careful to let human beings be themselves.
• Early View Academy of Excellence: Effects of Materialism on our Society – We will show the effects of materialism, and present our video message over You Tube and our Take Back the Future youth rally.
• Safe and Sound (3 Groups: Journey House, Neighborhood House, and Project Excell): Encouraging Positive Media – Showcasing positive stories and news within Milwaukee, using video, internet and blogs.
• Safe and Sound (2 Groups: Milwaukee Christian Center and United Community Center): Mulitcultural Youth Forum – We will hold a forum to discuss cultural misunderstanding, immigration policies, and pride; the issues will be addressed with power point presentations, articles in newspapers, posters, flyers, and websites.
• Messmer High School (project #1): Sexism – We will address the issues of sexism by having a prayer service that shows how sexism is negative and how awareness can turn things around to become more positive.
• Messmer High School (project #2): Violence – Knowing the best way to reach out to our entire school is with a prayer service, we will grab everyone’s attention, act things out, talk to everyone, and find interesting ways to keep the school dedicated to non-violence.
• Foster and Williams High School: Public Service Announcements – The big picture is to show that Milwaukee is not all about negative things and violence, but also people who think positive and do positive things for the community. Using blogs and video, we will “expose” people helping others in the community and record their good deeds, and post our positive blogs and video on the internet.
• SUPAR (School for Urban Planning and Architecture): Bullying – We are doing this newsletter/blog/video project to put together a peer mediation group to stop bullying problems at school.
• Tenor High School: Bashing Stereotypes – Our project is about how stereotypes affect our school climate. Using a website, creating a mural and/or holding an assembly, we will educate students in order to eliminate stereotyping.
• Prince of Peace Catholic Church (combining groups from several high schools): Rompiendo Fronteras (Breaking Borders) – With a focus on racism and immigration, we will create an art gallery presentation on Hispanic cultures and immigration. It will be advertised through magazines, radio, and blogs.
• Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning: Student Ambassadors – Group of students will provide direction to teachers in order to relay the real issues of the school. We’ll also provide a student voice through school newspaper, posters, quick notes and intercom communication.
• Carmen High School of Science and Technology: Leaders of Peace – We will focus on bringing community leaders to our school with the goal of providing good role models to our peers. This message will be told with announcements, posters, and assemblies.
• Divine Savior Holy Angels High School: Different but One – We will hold an all-school assembly, to show the individual lifestyles and different perspectives that students bring to DSHA and how they form one united community. We will use power points, videos, posters and websites, such as our online magazine.

The effect of Pebbles does not end with one youth forum in November and a collection of youth ideas.

Those ideas are turned into action plans and implemented in schools, congregations and community organizations all over the Milwaukee area. The 198 people who attended Pebbles in November will reach thousands of other people with the projects, events and activities planned and carried out by young people determined to make their combined efforts outweigh the efforts of violence.

We will re-gather in May, with an open house and invitation to parents, families and community leaders to take a look at what can happen when people come together for peaceful solutions. Please join us on May 3, from 2:00-5:00, at Cardinal Stritch University to see what it looks like when a bunch of tiny peaceful pebbles figure out how to outweigh the effects of boulders of violence.

Note: Pebbles of Peace could not be possible without the support and resources of the following:

The Leadership Center of Cardinal Stritch University

House of Peace

Office of Vocation Development of Cardinal Stritch University

Cardinal Stritch University Department of Communication Arts

East Side Child and Youth Ministry

Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee

Elizabeth Ann Brinn Foundation

Messmer High School

Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Pebbles of Peace Planning Committee

House of Peace Teen Leaders

Messmer High School Leadership Students

If you would like to support the efforts of Tomorrow’s Present with Pebbles and other youth leadership training, please contact Lisa …  Make your check payable to House of Peace – YLM (for Youth Leadership  Ministry) and your own peaceful pebble impact will be felt and appreciated!