YOUmedia

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 8 claims (7 for, 1 mixed) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 8 claims rest on one study

Description

YOUmedia Chicago is a teen digital-media learning-space programme operated by the Chicago Public Library at the Harold Washington Library, supported by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, that combines technology access, informal learning space, and staff mentorship.

Components

• YOUmedia Chicago: a teen digital media learning space at the Harold Washington Library: YOUmedia Chicago, opened in the fall of 2009, is a learning center for teens at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. It "attempts to capitalize on teens' interest in technology to motivate them to create, innovate and become active learners by providing them access to digital media, a safe, inviting space and staff members who serve as mentors." The space encourages teens to follow interests in digital media toward substantive learning while also allowing them to hang out, study, or socialize. Thirty learning centers across the country have been modeled on it, funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (Teens et al. (2013))

Claims

• YOUmedia attracts between 350 and 500 teens weekly, with African American males the largest single demographic group [+W]
• Majorities of teens report YOUmedia helped with school work and understanding post-high-school opportunities [+W]
• A majority of YOUmedia participants report improved digital media skills due to the program [+W]
• Participation at YOUmedia differs substantially across teens, spanning creation, homework, varied media use, and socializing [+W]
• YOUmedia cultivates a sense of community among participating teens that drives engagement with digital media [+W]
• YOUmedia staff struggled at times to balance teen choice of activities with structured learning activities [~W]
• YOUmedia registration increased steadily across Year 1, reaching 1,593 registered teens by August 2010 [+W]
• Most teens at any given time chose the hanging out space, though staff reported a substantial number also engaged in geeking out activities [+W]

Related Products and Programmes

-

Key Sources

• Teens, Digital Media, and the Chicago Public Library. (2013). University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/teens-digital-media-and-chicago-public-library

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	youmedia
title	YOUmedia
description	YOUmedia Chicago is a teen digital-media learning-space programme operated by the Chicago Public Library at the Harold Washington Library, supported by the MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, that combines technology access, informal learning space, and staff mento
status	review
moved_from	element/youmedia-chicago-teen-digital-media-learning-space
product_kind	programme
generated	by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — teens-2013

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.