“The youth can make a change, they are the future!” That’s what generation Z is marching for, their future. SheKnows Media took about a dozen kids from their Hatch program to have teens and tweens from their Hatch program report on the march through video interviews, photos and short-form written content.
SheKnows Media is a women’s lifestyle digital media company, which operates a family of leading media properties that include SheKnows.com. BlogHer.com. HelloFlo.com and STYLECASTER.com.
Hatch is a program which empowers kids to use media and technology to express themselves in productive and positive ways. Emphasizing media literacy, digital storytelling, and social issues, Hatch enables kids to create content that is responsible and represents their unique perspectives.
The video above was a result of their coverage and hard work.
Samantha Skey’s, the President and Chief Revenue Officer talked to DIVERGE about their work around the Women’s March on Washington.
Why was SheKnows Media present at the march?
We had editors in DC reporting on the content, composition and tenor of the march. We also had members of our influencer community all over the country at various march sites sending in their own perspectives.
Finally, for the first time, we had a dozen members of our Hatch program on site reporting. Hatch is a digital storytelling and media literacy community for Gen Z. The teens and tweens we work with were reporting on the march through video interviews, photos and short-form written content.
Why was it significant?
This was the first time we had Gen Z on the street reporting at a major demonstration. This was also significant because kids belonging to this generation turned out in significant numbers to demonstrate. Those born after 2000 have a unique point of view on this moment in our political landscape. We are seeing a new generation of activists emerge who have known a very different world than those who precede them.
Capturing this point of view through our 14-year-old producer, Declan Rexer, offered an authentic look at this generation’s perspective.
Why did you talk to children and what was the end result?
We had members of our Hatch community report because their point of view diverges in some meaningful ways from their parents without necessarily being in conflict. Some of them will emerge as first-time voters during this presidential administration.
What reactions have you gotten to the video?
Many reacted to how Gen Z is not focused solely on women’s rights explicitly, but those of all humans.
Are there additional plans/steps of action you plan to take?
We will be developing our Hatch Reports program based on ongoing interest from our audience and from the kids we serve in our program.
How important is diversity to she knows?
It is one of the core values our management focuses on and is exhibited through all aspects of our community programs, including BlogHer and Hatch. We believe women’s lifestyle media can be a force for normalizing diversity and engaging audiences in productive exchanges. In some ways, we have a greater opportunity to advance social issue impact more effectively than new and social platforms because we have a broad and receptive audience.
