MTN has a long history of working with youth on media training programs. These programs give young people a chance to get their voices heard on TV, and to learn about how TV gets into their heads and impacts their thinking. For the last year, MTN has been partnering with the Greater Minneapolis Girl Scout Council in an exciting program called Media Smart Youth. We have been one of seven test sites across the country helping to develop a curriculum aimed at after-school youth groups. The curriculum helps youth understand how the media has an impact on their health. It puts together activities and exercises to get youth thinking about the food they eat and how much exercise they get. In 2003, MTN staff worked on programs at Isanti Middle School and Webster School in Northeast Minneapolis. This year we are working with middle school students at Marcy Open School. The youth meet after school once a week to go through the Media Smart Youth program. Media Smart Youth offers lessons about nutrition and fitness, with information on knowing how to read food labels, learning how to plan a well-balanced diet, and ways to make fitness part of your daily lifestyle. Sessions also examine the media, and introduce the young people to media questions they can use to better understand how the media they see and hear works on them. At the end of the program, the youth make a Big Production with the help of their Media Partner, MTN. Their Big Production is a media message aimed at youth their age to help get their peers thinking about nutrition and exercise. Most of the Media Smart Youth sessions have been led by Naheeda Hirji-Walji from the Greater Minneapolis Girl Scouts Council. Margie Edberg, also from the Girl Scouts, has helped as well. MTN Youth Training expert J.C. Bagdadi and I have attended the Media Smart Youth sessions to help the youth think out, tape and put together media messages. In February, a TV Production crew from Washington, D.C. came to Minneapolis to tape the Media Smart Youth sessions at Marcy School, and to videotape the goings on at MTN. The tape they make will be distributed with the Media Smart Youth curriculum. Their visit to MTN will show youth nation-wide what a TV station is like, and how they can use TV to communicate their message. The Media Smart Youth program is an important Media Literacy initiative that will be used all around the country. It has been a great honor for MTN to be involved in the development of this program. You might have seen some of the youth-produced PSAs on the channel. Look out for more Media Smart Youth videos coming up on MTN. - John Akre

Spring is here, and so is digital quality. Never before have MTN's members had access to such high quality equipment. Additionally, it has never been easier to produce great programming for the Public Access channels. If you are a cable subscriber, or if you take a look at the TV screens out in the hallway of our facility at St. Anthony Main, you can see for yourself. I noticed it recently myself: better-looking images, even on our extended-play replay throughout the day. Audio and lighting looked better too. High commendations go out to the producers who make MTN's public face even brighter! Their persistence in learning the art of television production coupled with this new age of more affordable professional equipment has truly brought the power of media to the grass roots level: community television. Both of our in-house television studios have 3 professional cameras to capture your program ideas with the highest quality. Our beginning digital video production class equipment provides a look that will amaze your friends and family. Come take part in the revolution!