THE GREEN LINE
VIDEO STORY
A SUMMER AT THE GREEN LINE’S COMMUNITY NEWSROOM AND ENGAGEMENT OUTPOST
Our engagement editor Yara El Murr reflects on The Green Line’s Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Program.
On Aug. 29, 2024, The Green Line celebrated the participants who completed the Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Program.
yara el murr
Award-winning journalist with experience covering the environment, migration and labour. Lover of cats, crafts and kibbeh. Hailing from Lebanon, living in Moss Park.
September 17, 2024
Last week, The Green Line “graduated” its first-ever batch of local youth journalists trained in community consultation and video storytelling.
Amid awkward giggles and “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang playing in the background, we held an impromptu certificate ceremony in a Maple Leafs-themed youth lounge before heading to a celebratory dinner with the participants who completed our Alexandra Park Youth Journalism Program in collaboration with Scadding Court Community Centre.
Over the course of the past four months, we used an upcycled container — what we call our engagement outpost and community newsroom — in Market 707 to invite community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown to share their perspectives on the problems in their neighbourhoods and their information needs. Even though stopping strangers passing by was daunting at first, our youth journalists slowly built the confidence and skills to have insightful conversations. By the end of the program, they collected 250 community survey responses that will now inform how The Green Line covers the area.
A first step in this community-driven coverage is our YouTube series “Know Your Neighbour,” which profiles the people and places important to community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown. From profiles of local food vendors to interviews with workers at community centres and a food bank, all the stories were pitched, filmed and edited by our youth journalists who harnessed the video-production tools and interview skills we taught them to produce fun and informative videos with and for their communities.
Personally, as coach, I’ve learned as much as I’ve taught throughout this program. I can attest to the richness of conversations and stories that come out of spending time with and consistently showing up in a community, as well as inviting people who live and work in a place to produce information about it. That’s why I’m excited that one of our youth participants — Sebastian Tansi — is now Community Engagement Lead for The Green Line's upcoming Documenters program, which will continue the work of empowering the people of Alexandra Park, Chinatown and Kensington Market to access the information they need to survive and thrive in Toronto — our publication's mission.
Last but not least, I’m grateful to Scadding Court Community Centre and Market 707 for embracing The Green Line as one of their own. My favourite days spent at the outpost are probably those that overlapped with our launch and celebration parties, as well as the regular community BBQs and event pop-ups. There’s nothing like the joy of sharing space, food, music and good vibes with your neighbours.
Our engagement outpost will be open until the end of September, so if you missed out on the fun, or if you have suggestions on useful information you’d like us to provide, you’ll have time to come by and say hey to our team!
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