A Guide to Media Mentorship

The need for media mentorship is gaining urgency under three rapidly evolving and interrelated developments: The Digital Age has brought a deluge of new types of content and tools, from apps to social media networks to video streams. Becoming an informed citizen now demands new skills in filtering out disinformation, understanding how the media works, and learning new mindsets that advance media literacy. And the COVID-19 pandemic has required that more and more learning and exploration be mediated by digital media and technology, putting questions of digital equity front and center.

Media mentors can guide us in understanding and evaluating our media environment, and they can model ways to do that. They also provide a human connection that establishes trust and builds relationships with and among students, families, and community members. These mentors play a key role in addressing digital divides and inequities in educational opportunities, opening doors to resources and skill-building activities otherwise available only to those who already have the resources to participate in camps and afterschool programs. Media mentorship is part of building a more informed, discerning, and media-savvy citizenry, greater social cohesion in communities, and, ultimately, a stronger democracy.

Download the full guide here.