The Youth Media Advocacy Project (YMAP) empowers teens to express their own voices, particularly on education reform and the school environment, through the media.

The Youth Media Advocacy Project (YMAP) takes place each school year in middle and high school classrooms across Pittsburgh. The program empowers teens to express their own voices, particularly on education reform and improving the school environment, through the identification and analysis of problems and the creation and distribution of media to advocate for change. YMAP links youth organizing, pedagogy, and media advocacy to support youth to create positive change in their schools and communities.

Media advocacy is a powerful tool for focusing public and institutional attention on problems and potential solutions. Through the YMAP program, students network with community leaders and professionals, research problems, create powerful media content and distribute through social media and news sources. Most importantly, they create changes in their schools and communities.