Make Stories That Matter: Innovative Techniques for Teaching Ethical and Inclusive Media-Making

The focus of this research is to explore how a co-creation process and a constructive journalism philosophy can be applied to creating a filmmaking course. By identifying five main principles for effective constructive co-creation and embedding them into a digital education platform, a new educational approach has been created to empower and engage youth in creating stories that matter. Constructive Journalism requires a media-maker to address larger societal, environmental or systemic problems in their story while also showcasing possible solutions, innovations or progress made. This course is designed to allow students to choose a topic they are passionate about and partner with an inspiring individual who is leading change in that area, together they co-create a film using the constructive approach. The student's learning is broken up into five modules where each module begins with a fable that allows them to better understand key topics. Students progress at their own pace through a series of interactive videos which include self-tests, opportunities for reflection, and group online chats to socialize ideas. By the end of the course, students create their own "director's cut" with behind-the-scenes reflections and photographs to show their journey as well as a short film to be featured as part of Worldviews Productions digital platform. The course is designed to be scalable and versatile in nature so it can be offered digitally or in person.