Northwest Institute for Social Change

Who attends?

All college undergraduates are eligible (including graduating seniors). Students are handpicked for their smarts, passion and optimism. The program is limited to 12 students. (For more details about the admissions process, please check out the application packet.)

A background in Political Science and/or Media Studies is helpful, but the program is open to all disciplines. The ideal candidate is someone who has worked with community projects and is interested in “making a difference.” Many of our students have never picked up a microphone or video camera before, yet they leave the summer with professional-grade skills for producing media projects and a strong knowledge about how to affect real social change. We are not necessarily looking for the A+ student who sits front-and-center, but are looking for students who have potential. We work hard to maintain a low tuition; the entire program is available for $750, a cost charged to offset production and some instructional fees. In addition, there are a limited number of scholarships available to help travel and living expenses. The Northwest Institute wants to make certain that there are no financial barriers to attendance.

Meet some of our former students—and check out some of their past projects.

What is the structure of the program, and where is it located?

The majority of the program takes place in St Paul, Minnesota with the exception of the first week when students live at a summer camp in the Twin Cities. This week is a remarkable opportunity for students to tune out the distractions of city life, immerse themselves in coursework, and meet each other. (Please check out a couple Audio Postcards that students have produced about their time at camp.) Students attend seminars on interview styles, learn to build engaging narratives, and still have time to swim, sail and chill out around nightly campfires.

The remaining four weeks of the program are spent in Madison, where students attend morning classes about radio history, social change and public policy impact; taught both by professors and practitioners, and, additionally, student-led seminars. In the afternoon, students will shift gears from the purely academic and apply their in-class lessons to real-life scenarios. They will attend hands-on interview skills and editing technique seminars before hitting the streets to work on their audio documentaries. Students have the option to live with homestays.

The Twin Cities are a remarkable setting—young, progressive and home to fine academic institutions like the University of Minnesota and Macalester College, where students attend classes. Separated by the Mississippi River, the Twin Cities of St Paul and Minneapolis are a dynamic mix of urbane and community neighborhoods and outdoor offerings. They are also home to some of the strongest public and community radio in the country. As well, it is home to some of the best, experimental “citizen journalism,” like MinnPost and The Daily Planet. The city and its resources serve as mentors and hands-on laboratories as students learn from many of the area’s leading media producers and about the city’s forward-thinking civic programs.

Week One: Basic Skills (@ “camp”)

Studying contemporary examples in interview styles (i.e., Terry Gross, “Fresh Air”) and completing an extensive worksheet that dissects various interviews and story narrative structures, students work on basic journalism skills. This week culminates with two projects: First, a character profile in which each student conducts a single interview within their immediate “universe” and, second, an “audio postcard” representing each student’s first week.

Week Two

Students spend their mornings in classroom seminars, in a survey course of radio history. While working with professionals from the field, students are introduced to daily challenges for radio journalists and tricks of the trade. In the afternoons, students begin work on their first radio documentary, applying interview skills and theories about narrative structure to the production of audio stories. Students are challenged to “step out of the way” and let subject-matters and interview subjects tell their own stories. Students also are instructed on methods and tools to construct settings and textures for their stories. Field trips.

Week Three

Following the same format—morning: classes, afternoon: production—students attend a series of morning seminars examining specific case-studies in which they consider moments of history when radio or music influenced social change (i.e., Pacifica Radio, Radio Free Europe, “We Are the World,” etc.). These seminars are led by students. Afternoon classes focus on editing and students complete Audio Documentary #1 (3-5 minute piece); due at the end of the week and reviewed by a panel of journalists and artists.

Week Four

Morning academics, Communication & The Public Interest, explore the interplay between the media and public policy decisions—the role that the media plays as a mediator, an influencer and a translator. Combining traditional lectures about “framing” and effective communication with elected officials as guest lecturers, these seminars provide a multitude of vantage points and seeks to contemplate issues such as, how do messages reach public policy decision-makers; how do elected officials communicate their decisions to constituents; what role can and does the media play in mediating the relationship between elected officials and their constituents. Students work to compile a “game plan” for distributing their documentaries to civic leaders. In the afternoons, students begin work on their second audio documentary.

Week Five

Audio Documentary #2 is due on Wednesday, and students use this final week to complete their project, distribute their pieces and host a public presentation. The program ends with a two-day retreat/debriefing, which includes “career mapping” sessions.

What do students leave the summer with?

Although the focus for the summer program is media and students spend time hands-on with projects, it should not be confused that the Northwest Institute is a trade school; it is hardcore academics, taught by top-notch professors and journalists. It is a liberal arts-styled program that demands and teaches critical thought. These are the cerebral skills necessary for students to pursue a political career in the media and arts.

Students also attend seminars on professional development, and work on their resumes, improving interview and presentation skills and, ultimately, create a five-year “career map” to help them navigate into their professional lives. And yes of course, students do fill up their portfolios: Working in pairs, students will produce two audio documentaries—one short format (3-5 minutes) and a second, longer piece (8-10 minutes). Each documentary examines a “local solution to a global issue”—first identifying an “issue” (whether that is public education, carbon emissions, homelessness, etc.) and then presenting a locally-based program or project as a potential “solution.” For each project, students will rotate partners so that they work with at least two students throughout the summer.