PEN America and LA County Library are excited to announce our Digital Futures and AI Frontiers Student Summit at San Fernando Library for U.S. Media Literacy Week 2024! In this convening, high school students will be welcomed to engage with each other and youth advocacy leaders from PEN America in a series of workshops analyzing emerging opportunities and threats to freedom of expression online including the rise of artificial intelligence.
Join us in person at San Fernando Library on Saturday, October 19 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm for our youth activism workshops and catered lunch. At our Summit, attendees will explore the intersections of technology, free expression, and ethics in the digital age. Students will engage with key topics such as the impact of artificial intelligence on privacy, misinformation, and human rights, as well as the role of digital platforms in shaping public discourse.
Our special guests include Shaunelle Curry and Anaïs Maria Maseda from Media Done Responsibly, and the Digital Truths Initiative, a youth-led group of media literacy trainers and advocates from Southern California who will discuss ways that students can get involved in disinformation defense work locally.
This event is open to all high school students and is free to attend. Lunch will be provided. Capacity is limited so please register as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
Itinerary
| Activity | Starts | Ends |
| Welcome and Ice Breaker Activity | 11:00am | 11:30am |
| PEN America and Free Expression Frontiers Online | 11:30am | 12:30pm |
| Lunch | 12:30pm | 1pm |
| Youth Advocacy Workshop (featuring the Digital Truths Initiative) | 1pm | 1:50pm |
| Special Guests: Media Done Responsibly | 1:50pm | 2:50pm |
| Closing, Survey, and Group Photo | 2:50pm | 3pm |
Partners
Founded in 1912, LA County Library is one of the largest and most innovative library systems in the US. It provides culturally responsive and dynamic collections, programs, and services to meet the literacy, information, personal enrichment, and entertainment needs of all residents across Los Angeles County.
Media Done Responsibly is a 501(c)(3) media education charity that develops strategic partnerships with schools and media professionals to educate and empower the next generation of media creators and consumers. MDR trains this incoming generation of media makers, producers, directors, journalists and content creators. When they complete training through MDR, they have clear, strategic tools to use their influence and power to disrupt the status quo of racism, misogyny, rape culture, cyber bullying, and the criminalization of Black and brown youth. In an environment where Muslims, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and communities of color are being victimized by an upsurge in hate crimes, safe spaces that expound the power and value of diverse human life are a necessity.
Digital Truths Initiative is a student-built initiative actively working to spread awareness in young populations about misinformation and disinformation in the digital sphere.
Sponsors
Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath represents the 3rd supervisorial district of Los Angeles County which is home to more than two million people. The district covers 446.08 square miles and stretches from the Ventura County line to West Hollywood and the city of San Fernando, including portions of 10 cities, 26 unincorporated communities and 49 neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles.
LA County Library Foundation, founded in 1982, raises funds and creates partnerships to support LA County Library and the millions of children, teens, and adults whose lives it enriches with free programs, services, and resources. The Library is a dynamic and unifying force for Los Angeles County, with the Library Foundation a vital partner.
