This is my “Why YMG?” —share yours with us!

By Hermes Falcon

Youthcast Media Group®

My journey with YMG started in the fall of 2020 when I joined Youthcast Media Group’s surviving trauma reporting workshop. I was in my senior year of high school, finishing my last year at home due to the lockdown, and hoping to find something meaningful to do with all this extra time I was suddenly handed. I was part of the journalism program on campus, but felt like I lost my connection with the yearbook and the newspaper. Being at home does that. I wanted something that would reassure me of my writing skills and help me pursue a future in journalism. 

That’s when my journalism teacher sent our class an email letting us know that YMG (known as Urban Health Media Project at the time) was accepting applicants for their fall 2020 workshop.

I was one of the lucky participants who got selected, and ever since then, I’ve been hard to get rid of. I’m even hoping to stay on full-time after I graduate from Bradley University in May. 

Being able to write about topics that mattered to me—self-acceptance, overcoming trauma, queer struggles—AND getting paid for it was an irresistible combination that kept on pulling me back to YMG. And soon, I joined the team as a college intern. 

Now my focus areas expand far beyond writing articles. I’m one of our most prolific social media creators. I am learning the role of programs assistant editor this year, and I create the newsletter—yes, the one you’re reading right now.

Working as an intern at YMG has opened up doors for me that I felt were held under lock and key. It’s prepared me for my journalism classes, earned me research opportunities and helped me refine my existing skills and discover new ones.

And it’s not just me who feels this way.

Angely, a fellow intern AND former classmate at Miami Lakes Educational Center, told me a little bit more about her experience so far at YMG.

“One of my favorite things about working with YMG is the impact the work I do has. I'm able to put voices to voiceless communities and tell stories not everyone has stopped to think about or even hear,” she said.

Angely kickstarted our Why YMG series, where we both shared our stories with YMG. She got the idea for the series after an inspiring conversation with one of our co-workers.

“As I reflected on how long I’d been working with the organization, the question came to mind, not in a bad way, but rather in a ‘how could I encourage others to do the same and continue with YMG’. I came to the conclusion that if no one knows why we love YMG or why YMG is so great, they wouldn't be as compelled to join and venture the wonderful opportunities YMG has to offer,” said Angely.

“YMG provides a platform that adds voices to otherwise voiceless communities. We are a supportive environment that helps foster growth, every single person at YMG wants to see students succeed, and it's no coincidence that all our alums are off doing great things. YMG is a pivotal stepping stone that can help unlock or enhance dreams in students that are unsure about their career paths or majors, like I was, and encourages members and students to learn from each other and grow together,” she said.

The ability to grow and unlock a future—a genuine future—in journalism is why we stuck with YMG. And now we want to hear your Why YMG, too!

YMG 2020 alums Dionna Duncan, Pam Rentz, Krystal Li, Don McClain, Heaven Pete and Reggie Payne have been featured on our social media platforms and have shown us how YMG has helped prepare them for exciting and promising opportunities. 

Do you have a story you want to share with us? Reach out to me through email at hfalcon@youthcastmediagroup.org or our social media manager, Sophie Beney, at sbeney@youthcastmediagroup.org. We’d love to hear your stories, have you featured on our social media platforms and maybe do a story about you in this newsletter!

And if you aren’t an alum and are curious about what we have to offer, keep an eye out for future workshops and boot camps. You might just see your name in the newspaper.