Social Honeycomb

Students + Cameras + Community = Press Pass TV

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Boston Public School teacher Gabriel Mugar, who is the founder of Press Pass TV, a group started in 2004 to work with local middle and high school students on the production of civic-minded video journalism.

The idea behind PPTV is to promote positive community identity and engagement in both the viewers and the student producers. These local kids are using their talents to communicate with the world around them in new and positive ways. I think Gabriel’s group is inspiring and very much in line with my view of creating a stronger, brighter, fuller future in the communities we find around us.

So, how did PPTV start?

I started volunteering in an after school program in Roxbury in 2004, helping out with a fledgling video production program. During this time I got to know the students and learned about the many challenges in their lives. One of the things that bothered me more than anything was that, on top of these daily challenges, the local news and entertainment media did not provide much hope or inspiration to overcome these challenges. As I got more involved with the community, it became very clear that the news media was overlooking all of the individuals, initiatives and organizations doing incredible things here. I thought that it would be nice to inject some positive content into the local news spectrum, something that made people feel better about the community they live in.

Let’s talk about creating and building futures. What are your hopes and goals for the students involved with PPTV?

My hope is that the students become more aware of all of the great things going on in their community and hopefully inspire their viewers to get involved in civic activities. On a more practical level, the goal of the program is to empower students with the skills needed to produce their own video news stories. Although the program is currently only within Boston, my goal is to have this expand to a nationwide network (or create a network between existing groups across the country so that they are producing similar content). The hope is that so much positive content is produced that it counteracts the stifling effects of negative reporting on local communities.

How are your students using their involvement in the program to further their own futures?

One student is going to Emerson College, and others would like to attend college for communications. Some are doing two years at community college with hopes of transferring to a solid four year communications program. One success story that comes to mind is that one of my students became so proficient in Final Cut Pro that he taught college students and a new hire at a local network station how to use the program. It’s been four years now–I’ve worked with more than 100 students, produced more than 40 stories and am about to release the fourth 30-minute show.

I know the program thrives on volunteer support, so how can my readers become involved?

If your local readers have basic video journalism production skills (and I mean basic, i.e. know how to frame a shot), they could volunteer to produce a news segment with a few students. Equipment is provided, along with support from myself. Your readers can also help out by letting others know about the program and the volunteer opportunities, which they can learn more about on our Team Advisor page.

If you’re inspired by Gabriel and his Press Pass TV initiative, I encourage you to check out ways to become involved, as well as the content the students have been creating. I am looking forward to seeing these students develop the program and use new media tools to inspire and communicate with their viewers. It’s great to see kids building on interests and talents to bring something new to the table when it comes to media, news and content creation.