YOUTH TELL THE GOOD NEWS
IN MEDIA

Young people in Denver are discovering the Good News and making some of their own through a unique American Baptist-sponsored media training program led by two ABSW students.

New Life Youth Media participants include (from left) Makeda Garraway, Nic Vigil, Sache't Woolsfolk, and Malika Garraway.

The New Life Youth Media Project, a program of National Ministries of ABC-USA, was launched in March at Curtis Park Community Center. Nine students are learning the basics of digital storytelling, from scripting to shooting film to editing. In the process, the youth are exploring the Gospel and discovering that their angle on God's story is worth telling.

Daniel Pryfogle

"They are learning about the power of story to shape and transform our lives," says Daniel Pryfogle, who, along with fellow ABSW student Susan Criscione, designed the pilot program for National Ministries. "Above all, the students are discovering that they have a story to tell. Their story is part of God's ongoing story, and that's Good News that needs to be shared."

The three-month program combines theory with practice. Through twice-weekly sessions led by two Denver media professionals, the students are engaging in media criticism and learning the technical skills of interviewing, writing, filming, lighting, sound and editing. Once trained, they'll create their own video magazine about American Baptist-related ministries. These ministries are connected to New Life 2010, a national campaign to launch 1,010 churches and revitalize a multitude of caring ministries by the year 2010.

Susan Criscione

"This innovative program offers youth the opportunity to understand the myriad of possibilities involved through working in media," Criscione says. "This could be the beginning of a hobby or a career. It definitely will be a chance for youth to use their own power and creativity to create their own product telling the story of new and revitalized ministries in their hometown."

Pryfogle and Criscione will travel in June with the New Life Youth Media crew to Providence, R.I., where they will cover the American Baptist Biennial.

A former editor and reporter, Pryfogle is the president of Signal Hill, a consulting firm serving faith-based organizations and other nonprofits. A Signal Hill associate, Criscione has more than 12 years of youth ministry experience. The two have partnered on projects for the American Baptist Homes and Hospitals Association and ABSW. Pryfogle will complete his M.Div. this spring. Criscione will graduate in 2002 with an M.Div. and M.A. in religion and psychology.