August 2013 Pittsburgh Youth Media

Youth Invasion from Steeltown Entertainment Project on Vimeo.

By Justen Turner-Thorne

Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest and Labsies

By Justen Turner-Thorne The Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest was created to pay tribute to the Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Ralph W. Munn. The contest focused on the artistic and creative writing abilities of teens. There were five categories that teens could enter their works in: short prose, poetry, screenwriting, and cover art. The entrees that won would get a chance to have their work published in a anthology book, a collection of creative writing written by teens. Read more [...]

video 29 Aug

By DaMya Gurley

image 29 Aug

By Tracey Thomas On August 24th, 2013, Faison held its annual Back to School Block Party. The block party consisted of 24 tables for all the community organizations including Westinghouse High School and Lincoln Elementary and the Pittsburgh Promise. There were tables also set up for face painting that overlooked the blowup bouncy house set up in the field. Upon entering the block party, one had to register and was handed tickets to get food and also enter the photo booth. The Read more [...]

aside 26 Aug

Photoessay: Comics Camp

By Ananya Cleetus

: Literary Arts Bloom’s Comics Club Camp is a summer camp extension of their year-round Comics Club. A week long camp from Monday, August the 5th through Friday, August the 9th, the camp is held at Assemble, a community area for arts and technology, located at 5125 Penn Avenue. It is open to ages 8-12, both boys and girls, to anyone who wants to have fun and make comics.

: A hand-painted “No Fly Zone” mural covers the entire wall where campers have hung up their collaborative comic strips.

: The campers create various types of comics and cartoons through multiple different types of media, from using paint, crayons and markers on paper to making collages with cut up pictures from magazines.

: In a collaborative comic strip, each camper creates only one box of the story. Each box builds on the previous boxes, but the story keeps changing as each camper adds a little of their own flair and personality to the story.

: The campers cut out pictures from old editions of National Geographic and other magazines to design collages. Many of them supplement the pictures with their own drawings and captions. while others use the images to recreate a story.

: Liam shows off his “Adventures of Stupid Man Volume 1 & 2”. He created them using his own drawings as well as cut-out pictures.

: Layla proudly displays her “Crazy Things Collage”, a one-page compilation of well.. just about everything.

: Obadiah with his Mouseman and Rat Brat comic, part of a series of comics he’s created.

: Sean holds up his personalized skateboard he covered with drawings.

: The campers pose in front of their wall of hanging artwork along with their facilitators.

image 26 Aug

By Tracey Thomas On June 8th, 2013, the YMCA Westinghouse Lighthouse Project music group (also known as Profound Myndz) performed five songs from their third album New Future. Songs performed included Landmarks, I've Got You, Been Through It All, Out With A Bang and Fun Nights. The crowd was ecstatic and were clapping their hands and moving along to the beat. From little children to grown adults, everyone was enjoying the show. Profound Myndz was also having fun performing for the crowd. Read more [...]

image 26 Aug

By Tracey Thomas May 2013 marked my third year in High School Urban EcoStewards or Eco as most participants call it. I’ve really enjoyed working out in Frick Park to plant trees, flowers, shrubs, dig up invasive species and just sit in nature and write in a journal. I started Eco back in my ninth grade year when my afterschool program, the YMCA Westinghouse Lighthouse Project, introduced the program to a few of us. While most kids are exposed to nature. Eco is a way to be exposed Read more [...]

aside 26 Aug

Tribute: Teens On The Move

By DaMya Lea Gurley Teens On The Move is no longer an active organization, but it was a big part of my life. This alternative program started in 1997 for girls 10 to 15 years of age. In 2006, the program was expanded to included boys and girls up to 18 years of age. Founder Clementine "June" Smith established the organization to make it easier for children of the Glen Hazel neighborhood to find mentors, friends and even benefactors for college. Early in the organization's Read more [...]

video 24 Aug