SJN Spotlight: Youth Video Challenge (United States)

SJN is offering grants of $5,000 to support video storytelling that centers the experiences and perspectives of young people grappling with mental health issues and finding sustainable responses to this widespread phenomena. The hope is that these projects will inspire a conversation in your newsroom or your community about the things that are making a difference and helping this age group that is reporting significant mental health challenges. Videos should ideally be connected to additional reporting that delves into the potential solutions to the issues raised in the videos.

Here are a few ideas:

• Young people talking about what would help them in their school, followed by reporting on how other communities have implemented similar programs
• A series of videos that feature peer mentors talking about their training and experience supporting other people their age
• Videos by young people that provide information on how to access local resources and mental health support, followed by reporting on those local programs

SJN knows video is a powerful tool to reach all audiences now, and especially younger generations. That’s why they are trying something new and offering challenge grants to support 5-10 videos, designed for social media like TikTok and Instagram, that complement reporting on local responses that address the mental health needs of young people.

Eligibility Criteria

• Newsrooms and individual journalists are welcome to apply. Collaborations between community organizations and local newsrooms are also encouraged.
• What they’re looking for in proposals:
  • Clearly defined projects that show how the videos will be connected to additional reporting that does include the four pillars of solutions journalism:
    • A focus on the response instead of just the problem
    • Evidence that the response is working, beyond just good intentions
    • Limitations of the response
    • Insights that others can use to learn from this response
  • Center the experiences and perspective of young people between the of ages 14-24, not health care providers or other experts in the field.
  • Your project should aim for 5-10 short videos (2 minutes or less) that are designed for distribution on social media. The videos can be shot on phones and don’t have to be heavily produced, but your proposal should share how you will allocate the funding.

For more information, visit Solutions Journalism Network.