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[VIRTUAL] NAMLE presents: Be Heard. Be Smart. Your Voice Matters.

"Be Heard. Be Smart. Your Voice Matters." Media Literacy Week image, black and magenta with spotlights in background

The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and Facebook will bring together a panel of first-time voters to discuss issues relevant to them and the importance of being civically engaged. We will also highlight the work of some organizations in combating misinformation in advance of the presidential election, including PEN America, Mediawise, News Co/Lab, BridgeUSA, and the Rep Us Project with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University.

Please confirm your registration at the Zoom link below. For more information, contact Kyle Plantz at NAMLE at [email protected].

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First-Time voter panelists

Heaven Taylor-Wynn headshotHeaven Taylor-Wynn (Multimedia Reporter, MediaWise) is a digital journalist who joined MediaWise in 2019 shortly after graduating from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. The MediaWise project teaches teenagers media literacy skills that help them tell the difference between reliable and unreliable information on social media as well as throughout the internet. Since joining the team, Taylor-Wynn has traveled the country to teach hundreds of middle school, high school, and college students how to tell fact from fiction online at MediaWise training events. Taylor-Wynn is passionate about finding creative ways to tell stories about misinformation across platforms and discovering new ways to connect with younger audiences online. As the team’s social media lead, she oversees the execution of social content and recommends methods to improve our reach across platforms. Taylor-Wynn also leads the MediaWise Ambassadors program. She identifies, recruits, and onboards content creators, prominent journalists, and celebrities to support and share MediaWise’s message with their audiences. She has contributed to podcasts, video series, and educational materials about misinformation and media literacy.

Raven Johnson headshotRaven Johnson (Student, Hendrix College) is 19 years old and from Tulsa, OK, but she is currently attending Hendrix College in Conway, AR. Johnson plans to double major in political science and economics with the intention to go to graduate school to study development economics or urban planning. She is impassioned by local governance and its crucial role that it plays in society. Johnson is a former 22×20 fellow; during her time as a fellow, she organized a roundtable discussion with a few state legislators and high school students. The event was a pivotal moment in developing her future interests of study and passions for a career. In 2019, during the summer, she had the opportunity to take part in the ACLU’s Advanced Advocacy program in DC. Johnson is devoted to public service and is quite excited to see where life takes her!

Jackson Carter headshotJackson Carter (CEO, Politicized News) is a high school senior with an unrivaled love for his country. This love has pushed him to pursue a career in law and politics. Since 2016, Carter has been heavily involved in politics at all levels, even working on two United States’ Senate campaigns and a gubernatorial campaign in his home state of Tennessee. As a first-time voter in this upcoming election, Carter is more excited than ever to finally be able to make his voice heard at the ballot box. When he’s not working on school or political work, Carter is busy running the Politicized News media platform. Carter serves as the owner and CEO of Politicized News and has an extensive staff of youth writers and editors which are dedicated to providing unbiased, fact-based news. When Carter graduates high school, he will attend the University of Alabama, where he plans to double major in economics and communication studies before pursuing a Juris Doctorate degree and practicing law.

Makenzie Tyson (National Community Building, BridgeUSA). BridgeUSA is developing the next generation of engaged, informed, and constructive citizens. Our movement catalyzes the passion of the next generation to invest in the future of democracy. The BridgeMindset defines our work. We champion ideological diversity, promote a solution-oriented political culture, and teach constructive engagement in order to develop a generation of political leaders that value empathy and common purpose.

Workshop leaders

Kyah Probst headshotKyah Probst (Campus Correspondent, MediaWise Voter Project) is a junior at UW-Milwaukee majoring in community engagement & education. She is a campus correspondent for the MediaWise Voter Project, where she delivers collegiate trainings on fact-checking and media literacy for first-time voters.

Nora Benavidez headshotNora Benavidez is the director of PEN America’s U.S. Free Expression Programs, where she guides the organization’s national advocacy agenda on First Amendment and free expression issues. She also manages PEN America’s media literacy and disinformation defense program, which works with communities and newsrooms to equip online users with tools to better combat the spread of disinformation. Benavidez is a lawyer by training, and prior to joining PEN America, she worked in private practice and at the ACLU of Georgia as a civil and human rights litigator.

Kristy Roschke headshotKristy Roschke, Ph.D., is the managing director of the News Co/Lab, an Arizona State University Cronkite School initiative aimed at helping people find new ways of understanding and interacting with news and information. She researches and teaches media literacy courses for adults of all ages in formal and informal educational settings. She previously served as executive director of KJZZ – SPOT 127 Youth Media Center, a community initiative of the Phoenix NPR member station that mentors the next-generation of digital storytellers. Roschke has taught journalism at the high school and university level for 17 years.

Moderators/hosts

Michelle Ciulla Lipkin headshotMichelle Ciulla Lipkin is the executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). As executive deirector, Ciulla Lipkin has helped NAMLE grow to be the preeminent media literacy education association in the U.S. She launched the first-ever Media Literacy Week in the United States, developed strategic partnerships with companies such as Trend Micro, Nickelodeon, and Twitter, and restructured both the governance and membership of the organization. Since she began her tenure as executive director, NAMLE has grown from 300 members to almost 6,000. She has overseen four national conferences and done countless appearances at conferences and in the media regarding the importance of media literacy education.

Dave Sommer headshotBased in Washington, D.C., Dave Sommer works on the politics, government and civic engagement team at Instagram, focused on helping civic organizations and voters around the world participate in democracy online. Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, he joined Instagram after serving as head of digital in the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Prior to working in politics, Sommer was a radio and television reporter and producer at various outlets in Montreal and Toronto.

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