Media Training Labs
We offer hands-on workshops in audio storytelling, video production, and digital journalism. Youth participants build technical skills, deepen their media literacy, and learn how storytelling can spark meaningful change.
Summer Documentary Institute
This intensive summer program equips youth with skills in film, photography, and audio production. Through immersive training and mentorship, participants produce original documentaries rooted in their communities and driven by social change.
Where I Come From
A signature youth storytelling initiative, this project guides young people through writing, recording, and reflection. The result: original narratives that express identity, place, and lived experience in coastal North Carolina.
Community Through Photography
Participants use cameras to explore and document their world—capturing daily life, community, and personal perspective. The project blends visual storytelling with dialogue and critical reflection, fostering empathy and connection.
Next Wave
Next Wave is our youth-led podcast training program. Through workshops in interviewing, audio editing, and production, participants create original podcast episodes that elevate their voices and highlight issues that matter to them.
Listen to Our Most Recent Podcasts.
- Coastal Connections
What do fishing piers, barber shops, tea rooms, and libraries have in common?They’re all third places: spaces outside home and work that help us build relationships, feel a sense of belonging, and stay connected.This summer, a team of young people from Carteret County came together to explore these vital spaces, interviewing local business owners, librarians, artists, and each other. The result is Coastal Connections, a moving, often funny, and inspiring podcast episode on community, connection, and what it means to belong.Learn more about getting involved with Coastal Youth Media at www.coastalyouthmedia.org Support the show
- Get Involved with Coastal Youth Media
Get involved with Coastal Youth Media. Learn how at www.shoresides.orgLearn more about getting involved with Coastal Youth Media at www.coastalyouthmedia.org Support the show
- As Loud As I Want | Carteret County: Part 4
Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the traditions of young people in Carteret County, North Carolina. We use spoken word and sound to share the community and personal rituals that are meaningful to us. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, we share our final As Loud As I Want spoken word stories.This workshop and podcast is a project of Coastal Youth Media. This series is funded in part by a grant from the Carteret County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council with additional funding from North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. Support the show
- As Loud As I Want | Carteret County: Part 3
Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the traditions of young people in Carteret County, North Carolina. We documented our process, and today we're hosting Eastern North Carolina spoken word poet Israel Sorenson. Sorenson will perform and give us tips for our own writing. We'll also recite and discuss former United States Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's piece 'Call Us'.This workshop and podcast is a project of Coastal Youth Media. This series is funded in part by a grant from the Carteret County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council with additional funding from North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. Support the show
- As Loud As I Want | Carteret County: Part 2
Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the traditions of young people in Carteret County, North Carolina. We use spoken word and sound to share the community and personal rituals that are meaningful to us. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. We documented our process, and today we're sharing the memories that remind us of where we come from.This workshop and podcast is a project of Coastal Youth Media. This series is funded in part by a grant from the Carteret County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council with additional funding from North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. Support the show
- As Loud As I Want | Carteret County: Part 1
Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the traditions of young people in Carteret County, North Carolina. We use spoken word and sound to share the community and personal rituals that are meaningful to us. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. We documented our process, and we're starting off by sharing a little bit about the customs we cherish.This workshop and podcast is a project of Coastal Youth Media. This series is funded in part by a grant from the Carteret County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council with additional funding from North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. Support the show