High School Students Explore Future of Teen-Led Cultural Centers in Burlington
Photo: (In row, left to right) Educator Jason Raymond with students Isaac Dodge and Kate Lavanway, guests on 'Rocket Shop'. Download in high resolution.
Community mentors and the history of 242 Main inform new generation’s vision for a teen-led safe space
BURLINGTON VT October 5, 2021: High school students in Burlington wrapped-up a semester of exploring their vision for a modern teen-led cultural space with a radio broadcast about their work. ‘Indie Kingdom,’ a collaboration between Big Heavy World and the Digital Media Lab (DML) of Burlington Technical Center, guided students through reviewing the story of 242 Main — the city’s historic teen-led music venue — and conversations with leaders in fields related to creating safe performing spaces. Then, students interviewed their peers to gather a contemporary strategy for a teen-led cultural center that would meet the modern needs of their generation. Their research and conversations became a one-hour radio program that aired on 105.9FM The Radiator.
Throughout their spring semester, DML students were immersed in the concept of leading their own performing arts venue. Burlington is unique for having a historic teen-led live music venue, 242 Main, closed due to catastrophic deferred maintenance by the city. The value of a community resource like 242 Main — to young adults and society as a whole — was explored by the students. They reviewed footage from an upcoming documentary film about 242 Main, hearing first-hand from 242 Main artists and participants about the importance of having a safe peer-led space. Modern concepts relating to operating a music venue and creating a safe space were learned from community members who shared their experiences via Zoom during classes. Students learned to interview each other, creating content that would be edited into a one-hour radio program that captured the wisdom students earned all semester-long. The program was broadcast September 29 on 105.9FM The Radiator, a community radio station operated by Big Heavy World. It can be streamed at bigheavyworld.com.
Craig Mitchell co-hosted the Indie Kingdom project for Big Heavy World, producing and moderating presentations by knowledgeable community members including Urian Hackney of the band Rough Francis; Anne Gregg Rothwell, founder of Club Metronome; Taylor Small, Vermont State Representative; Dana Kaplan, Executive Director of Outright VT; Adam Rabin, 99.3FM WBTV-LP radio show host; and Shelagh Connor-Shapiro, radio host of ‘Write the Book: Conversations on Craft’ on 99.3FM WBTV-LP. Mitchell is an entertainer and community builder. He has been an on-air personality at 96.7 The Planet, 95 Triple-X, 105.9FM The Radiator; a station manager of WWPV at St. Michael’s College; provided voiceover talent for MTV and various national marketing campaigns; and performed as a DJ and singer from Jamaica to California. Mitchell is recognized in Vermont for his many successful efforts to raise awareness about equity and strengthen communities. Big Heavy World is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Vermont-made music. Its volunteer crew is staffed mostly by college and high school students, learning skills as they assist with projects that contribute to community and economic development or cultural preservation. The organization is recognized for its commitment to engaging and empowering young adults via the arts and related industries.
Jason Raymond, Kate Lavanway, and Isaac Dodge were guests on 105.9FM The Radiator to speak about their Indie Kingdom radio program which premiered after their Rocket Shop interview. Download in high resolution.
Mitchell said, “Having been a mentor to aspiring musicians, DJ's, singers, radio personality hopefuls or otherwise for many years, it warms my heart and inspires me in my own craft to be better. It lights a fire… creates a spark. Working with Jason and the students on the Indie Kingdom project was nothing short of amazing. I truly hope that as much as they have inspired me, it was equal to all of what myself, Jason and the guests could do to inspire them.”
The Digital Media Lab (DML) of Burlington Technical Center provides an introduction to digital media production with a focus on filmmaking, audio production (including beat making, working with digital audio workstation software, producing music), podcasting, photography, video effects, and emerging media. The classroom environment provides a mix of drama, art, music, and technology; it’s a project-based learning structure, where students work both independently and in groups on a variety of media projects. Indie Kingdom co-host, educator Jason Raymond, has been teaching the Digital Media Lab since 2015 and is a certified Career and Technical Education instructor. Raymond has masters degrees in education and advertising and bachelor degrees in creative writing, media arts, psychology and marketing. Raymond taught field and studio production at Tualatin Valley Community Access in Beaverton, Oregon. He also taught English and Broadcasting at Dunbar Middle School in Little Rock, Arkansas, where his students participated in the PBS Student Reporting Labs with schools from across the country. Jason also serves on the Media Factory board, and was the former film programmer for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
Raymond said, "This project has provided high school students in Chittenden County the opportunity to understand the importance of youth-led cultural institutions. The long-lasting effects of these institutions on the vibrancy of the community and the health of its youth is immeasurable. So many of my students are eager to continue the history of 242 Main and expand on its goals and accomplishments. I am hopeful that Digital Media Lab and other educational and cultural institutions will collaboratively work with the city and state of Vermont to make a youth performance/exhibition space in Burlington a priority in the coming years."
Indie Kingdom originated as a youth radio journalism curriculum created by WGDR at Goddard College and came to Chittenden County through a WGDR partnership with Big Heavy World. The program was made possible with funding from a 2021 Local Heritage Grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, a national heritage area including the interconnected waterways of Lake Champlain, Lake George, the Champlain Canal and portions of the Upper Hudson River in Vermont and New York.
The 242 Main stage door in October, 2021.
James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World, said, “Today’s young people are tomorrow’s leaders, whether they enter public service or simply set a positive example to others about civic responsibility and engagement. Teen-led cultural venues — like 242 Main or whatever our local teens create for themselves in the future — are the crucibles of creative, critically-thinking, community-minded members of society. These resources are crucial to our youth and our state.”
On September 29, Raymond and participating students Isaac Dodge and Kate Lavanway were interviewed on Big Heavy World’s weekly local music radio program, ‘Rocket Shop.’ They spoke about the Indie Kingdom program and the students’ own experiences as local musical artists, playing songs of their own during the broadcast. The recording of this episode is available as a podcast at https://bigheavyworld.com/rocket-shop-podcast.
The question of whether or not Burlington will have a teen-led cultural venue in the future is timely: In December, voters will decide whether to pass a general obligation bond to fund a capital investments budget that includes up to $10M for the potential repair of Memorial Auditorium — the location of the historic 242 Main space. In 2018, more than 2,500 residents responded to a survey by the city’s Community and Economic Development Office, with more than half of all respondents naming “Youth music space” and “Youth-led program space” as being important to them, and almost 90% of likely voters saying they’d support funding the restoration of the building. A petition to save 242 Main gathered more than 2,200 signatures. The perspective and needs of youth, responsibly informed and in their own words, has immediate value to elected leaders and voters.
About: Big Heavy World is an independent nonprofit music development office established to archive and promote the original music of Vermont. With a crew of volunteers it publishes information about Vermont’s music industry, archives thousands of Vermont-made recordings, photographs and artifacts, and operates 105.9FM, a radio station highlighting the region’s creative community. It hosts the weekly ‘Rocket Shop local music radio hour and podcast that has featured ~700 Vermont-based artists. In 2020 Big Heavy World was recognized as ‘Best Global Music Office’ by an international Music Cities jury. The organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. For more, visit bigheavyworld.com
High-resolution images are available at https://bigheavyworld.com/press-images
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