The Youth Infusion Media & Mentorship (M&M) Lab is an innovative, hands-on workforce-development and digital-skills opportunity that equips young people with the technical, creative, and entrepreneurial tools they need to thrive in today’s media-driven world.

Rather than a traditional classroom model, the M&M Lab supports youth as they integrate media, storytelling, and content creation into their service-learning projects, community initiatives, and leadership work. Students engage in real-world media experiences that align with their interests, passions, and the issues they care most about—using digital storytelling to elevate youth voice and community impact.

Participants may use the Lab to produce documentaries that bring awareness to their service-learning topics, conduct interviews with community leaders, or explore themes such as sustainability, environmental stewardship, and farm-to-table initiatives connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through guided mentorship, students learn how to plan, film, edit, and distribute high-quality media while documenting real experiences and meaningful community stories.

The M&M Lab also plays a key role in preparing youth to contribute to events such as the NEPA Youth-Led Leadership Conference, where students may support digital storytelling, on-site interviews, and media coverage—enhancing the conference experience while gaining professional, portfolio-ready experience.

Through professional mentorship and hands-on learning, participants develop transferable skills including communication, strategic thinking, project management, collaboration, and teamwork. The Lab prepares young people for real-world opportunities by combining career-aligned skill building, mentorship, and community-driven creative projects that support local nonprofits, businesses, and community causes.

• Hands-on experience in video production, editing, marketing, and digital storytelling 
• Mentorship from experienced media professionals and community entrepreneurs 
• Career readiness through real-world, project-based media initiatives 
• Entrepreneurship exploration, empowering youth to use creative skills in income-generating or mission-driven work 
• Community engagement, using media to uplift stories, promote local programs, and create positive social and environmental impact
   

Participants engage in the M&M Lab and gain:

• Marketable digital media and communications skills 
• Portfolio-ready media projects connected to real community work 
• Increased confidence, creativity, and youth leadership capacity 
• Awareness of career, entrepreneurial, and post-secondary pathways in media, marketing, and communications 
• A strong network of mentors, peers, and community partners 
• Practical experience using media as a tool for civic engagement, service, and long-term success