Our Media Camps provide opportunities for Southern lesbian, gay, bi, trans, same gender loving and questioning young people of color ages 18 – 30 to design, develop, and create their own media resources. By providing queer and trans youth of color with hands on experience working with various media forms, we hope to encourage and inspire them to critique mass media by reclaiming their own histories and lived experiences and allow them the opportunity to build new relationships with other Southern queer youth. The resources produced from these camps showcase solutions, strategies, tips, and tools around a variety of topics relevant to Southern queer and trans youth of color.
Participants in our 2010 FYRE Media Camp produced 3 short films focused around the topics of sex and sexual health, coming out, and bullying and power. These films were screened throughout Atlanta and served as the foundation for a workshop at the 2011 Allied Media Conference focusing on queer and trans youth creating their own media.
Participants in our 2011 IGNITE Media Camp, under the banner of “Exploring Intimacy: Using Our Stories to Build Power”, examined the connections between intimacy, art, and activism and how art, specifically photography, could be used as a catalyst for social change.
2016’s FYRE Media Camp was held at the University Commons of Georgia State University under the theme of “Paint As Resistance.” We hosted 9 LGBTQ youth of color, comprising of 7 campers and 2 peer leaders, from across the Southeast with attendees traveling from as far as Texas.
Click here to learn more about the upcoming 2017 Media Camp!