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Teenagers taking part in Ohio University’s Kids on Campus summer program this year will get to learn about videography, media production and social media thanks to the Scripps College of Communication. For the first time, the Media Arts and Studies program is putting together a series of sessions that will be offered to students in grades 7-12 during the final week of the five-week 2024 program.
Kids on Campus was established in 1996 to provide school districts with a place for students to come during the summer to continue the learning that took place during the school year. It has since expanded to include after-school programs during the school year.
“High school students have expressed interest in learning about media and media production,” said Kids on Campus Assistant Program Coordinator Matthew Borror. “So, we reached out to the Scripps College to see if we could give our students the opportunity to get involved and exposed to videography during the summer program and let them see what kind of careers might be out there for them.”
Scripps Associate Professor of Instruction and Outreach Coordinator Andie Walla is one of two faculty members involved in the programming and sees it as an opportunity to inform students about the field as a career option.
“Kids on Campus is important to our community so local kids can have the opportunity to be exposed to what a college campus is like. It's a great way for them to feel comfortable with the environment and know what resources are available,” said Walla. “It also exposes them to departments and majors they might not know existed. Not many students realize you could major in the creative arts like we offer in the School of Media Arts and Studies. By participating in the day camp, we can get their wheels turning about their own future endeavors.”
Being a part of Kids on Campus and other community initiatives is something that makes complete sense to Walla. She thinks it’s critical to the educational experience for Scripps College students to be out working in the region and using what they are learning in the classroom to serve the community.
Walla teaches a class, Media Production for the Community, that pairs students with local non-profit organizations that have video needs. The students learn how to work for a client and create something that is useful to the organization. This also gets the students out of the classroom and into the community. Every summer, Walla takes students to produce content as part of a multi-camera crew for the Nelsonville Music Festival. The students take turns running cameras, directing, and technical directing.
“Assistant Professor of Instruction and Social Media Certificate Program Coordinator Viktoria Marinova and I are going to break the high school group of students in half. We will each have one undergraduate student helping us,” said Walla. “Students in her group will be focusing on social media aspects. They will learn about safe social practices as well as potential jobs for social media. My group will be learning how to capture better videos with devices like cell phones and tablets. They will switch after lunch. The students will get the opportunity to create something combining the things they learn in each section by the end of the week.”
Kids on Campus began on Monday, June 17 and will conclude on July 19.