ABOUT  US

OUR HISTORY

ACTION YOUTH MEDIA believes that systemic change is rooted in who has the power to tell the story and which issues are brought to the forefront of public consciousness. We want a society where the informed perspectives of youth are an indispensable part of the civic process. ACTION YOUTH MEDIA’S "voice" is the collective output of students who have the tools to uncover truth and communicate it with such clarity that systemic change becomes the only logical path forward.

Richard Jaeggi understood the power of media and knew it was the means by which youth could make a real difference. In 2005, he founded the organization with the belief that teaching young people media skills would give them a voice, develop the next generation of leaders and shape social consciousness in the process.

It was a bold idea, but there was just one problem - Richard had no media experience.

Still that didn't stop him - he went out and found a local company to donate camera equipment. Then he convinced friends with experience in the media industry to come teach the group how to use it. And with that, Richard's dream became a reality. In 2014, Richard left us far too soon, but his legacy lives on.

Stylized camera clipart with a translucent star overlayed to represent camera shutter.

OUR VISION

Seven people sitting in a classroom, facing the camera. From left to right, one lays on a grey beanbag, one is on a white chair, four are on a brown couch, and one is on a red beanbag. The third person from the left is facing to her right.
Simplified clipart of a film clapper.

Youth leaders realizing their inner and collective power to drive community change.

OUR MISSION

To create an inclusive space where young people develop the necessary leadership skills and tools for self-expression as they pursue a successful future.

Two people in the woods taking photos of a fallen tree with their phones.

OUR VALUES

Youth leadership: Listening to youth voices, lifting up youth voices, & promoting young leaders.

Community: Coming together, sharing stories, listening to others’ stories, and healing and growing  together.

Healthy Earth, Healthy Humans: Protecting our natural world, urban green space, & healthy lifestyles. 

Visual, Performing, and Media Arts: Powering youth to express their experiences and to build empathy.

Stylized clipart of a megaphone.

WE BELIEVE…..

… in the fair and equitable distribution of resources, opportunities, and privileges within a society, ensuring that individuals' rights are protected, including:

  • Valuing and supporting Black people, people of the global majority, those who identify as LGBTQ+, the unhoused and all who are vulnerable in our community, so that they can live powerfully, abundantly and beautifully in healthy, self-determined communities free of social, economic and ideological violence;

  • Ensuring a platform for the voices of those who live at the intersection of systems of oppression such as race, class and gender identity.

  • Supporting families regardless of their legal or economic status;

  • Ending generations of dehumanizing immigrants and refugees; 

  • Achieving and protecting rights of all regardless of physical or mental ability;

  • Fighting policies that don’t embrace people of all; and

  • Acknowledging that we do not know what we do not know. We are always learning.