News
FSM Heads to Hamburg, Germany in an International Media Exchange
October 15, 2011
Rosie Martin works with German peers to film interviews
A group shot on the street in Hamburg
What happens when youth from two very different parts of the world start talking about how they see the future? This summer, Free Spirit Media explored that question when we sent six of our most outgoing youth on an international adventure to Hamburg, Germany for a media exchange, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Chicago.
Free Spirit Media has partnered with TIDE TV and Radio in Hamburg to produce a documentary film on the impact of economic class on society and youth viewpoints. Before the FSM youth traveled to Germany in August, participants used online digital media platforms such as Skype and blogging to start their conversation. Through their project blog, the FSM and German youth learned about each other and each other’s cultures, while also learning to use emerging tools to increase their technology skill-set and communicate internationally. The youth also used the blog to brainstorm about their topic and to plan the scenes they would film in Germany in August and in Chicago in October.
Despite cultural differences, the youth found a considerable amount of common ground. Youth not only discovered a shared love of media making, but also of good food, Facebook, and dancing. They discovered that teens around the world are still just teens, not to mention fellow human beings. Tim McBride, a senior at North Lawndale College Prep, said his favorite part of the trip was getting to know the German teens. “It taught me to not judge a book by its cover because you never know how creative the person standing in front of you is.”
During their week in Hamburg, FSM youth also developed a new international perspective by experiencing the rich German culture. Alongside their new friends from TIDE, the FSM youth met the mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, who held a press conference (featured on the evening news) honoring the kids and their international media exchange! The youth also had the opportunity to visit a traditional German carnival (Sommer Dom), where they rode the world’s largest indoor roller coaster. Free Spirit Media is excited to host the Hamburg students who will be visiting Chicago in mid-October. (Check out the FSM Facebook to see some fun pictures.)
