Tincan Teen Center

WELCOME

The Virtual Teen Center is a place where teens can find a voice online. Whether it is sharing digital music, your story on video, or connecting to others with similar interests, the teen center exists to connect teens with technology, each other, and their community. Anyone can register and participate by uploading content. You can also find information about projects we are currently running and see what teens have done in them. Click here for extra info for parents, and downloadable forms.

Check out the Summer Video Journalism Institute Website!

Teen Center News

eMerge News

Tincan's eMerge News was featured in Monday's Spokesman-Review. If you missed it, you can read the online article by clicking the link below. There is also a great video accompanying the article. Check it out! Connect: Teens produce news broadcasts

You can also visit emerge news at http://www.emergenews.org where you'll find links to their MySpace and YouTube channels.

Spotlight on Nora Taylor

This is the first in what will be a regular series highlighting teens participating in Tincan's programs. Nora Taylor is a senior at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane. She has been a vibrant part of Tincan since the spring of 2006, when she joined the Circle Project. Her passion for community issues became evident as she and seven other teens researched the unusual topic of intended teen pregnancy. The project culminated in a short documentary film which won the Regional 2007 National Student Television Award for Documentary Film. Nora also joined the eMerge News program and excelled at producing stories that made complex issues intriguing to a young audience. Her work with the news soon earned her an internship with Tincan helping teach the program. Along with that and her other extra curricular activities, including serving on Planned Parenthood's Teen Advisory Board, Nora co- produced yet another documentary, "The Fourteen Green" about living green as a teenager. The film was well received at the 2007 Spokane Bioneers film festival. She is currently working on yet another documentary project, for her senior PICI class, in which she is exploring homelessness in Spokane. After graduation Nora plans to attend college or join AmeriCorps where she will undoubtedly continue to combine her video talents with her drive to serve her community.

SubVERSive Poetry Spreads the Word

Despite icy roads, there wasn't a chair to spare at the Starbucks on Sullivan the evening of December 5th. Teens, parents, friends and patrons crowded into the space to watch the four videos created in SubVERSive. The project, which was funded by the Starbucks Foundation, teamed teens from four groups who often experience prejudice with professional poets to learn to give voice to their own experience through poetry and video. Hannah Whitmore, Tincan's Media Integration Coordinator, noted that one of the goals of the SubVERSive program was "to produce videos that would create a powerful reaction in people, and challenge them to imagine the world from someone else's perspective." Another goal was to empower teens to find and use their voices to share messages that will tear down barriers of prejudice. Mixing poetry and video helped them be successful in both areas. You can see the videos online and learn more about the program at www.virtualteencenter.org/project_subversive. A DVD is also available for purchase for $10. Proceeds will go towards funding the next SubVERSive program.

BIZMIZ a Success

The BizMiz program completed a successful year of introducing girls to entrepreneurship. Funded by the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, BIZMIZ was designed to introduce girls to the business world by developing an eCommerce business. The program ran at the YWCA, Shaw and Chase Middle Schools and over 45 girls participated in the program to develop their own business. Participants formed their business idea, completed a business plan, designed their business website, developed a blog about their experience and wrote, directed and edited a web commercial to promote their company.

These creative girls developed businesses ranging from TMAD, a non-profit business for teens to make a difference in their communities, to Katty Kreations, a company that designs and sells interesting animal themed school supplies. Other business included a photographer, babysitting clubs, pet grooming and care, a new cereal brand, jewelry design, lawn care, clothing labels and stores, and a rock band.

While most students developed imagined businesses, one participant, Ciara Totton, even took her business live this year. Ciara is a thirteen year old photographer who has shown her work downtown at the INWBC Gallery, the Gallery of Thum and other locations. She also shows her work at local art shows and events. Through her participation in BIZMIZ, she now showcases and sells her work online at: http://www.ciaratottonphotography.com. For additional information and to view these the girls' work, please visit: http://www.virtualteencenter.org and click on BIZMIZ.