East Van Television: creating a critical pedagogy to explore citizenship and community video

Community video production and the creation of a low-watt TV station is examined as a vehicle for youth to explore citizenship, democratic production, and community engagement. Using critical pedagogy as a theoretical framework, East Van Television (EVTV) brought together 10 youth and a researcher/ facilitator/ mentor. The project began with workshops on community media, visual mapping, and brainstorming sessions to explore neighbourhood stories and issues. Participants wrote a manifesto to position their ideas of community video and media democracy and created 10 short videos exploring their neighbourhood. After a community screening, the group built and erected a low watt TV transmitter and broadcast the pilot series. As a participatory, community based, critical media education project, EVTV provided an opportunity for youth to gain agency through the creation of a low watt station, and for the researcher to reflect on pedagogical practice and the role of technology within democratic media production.