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Young people and instructors at Street Level have been busy since summer working towards the new iteration of Mildsauce, a webzine curated by young people in Street Level’s Editor’s Club. Mildsauce has been around for years, but thanks to their renewed emphasis on journalism and multimedia storytelling, Street Level opted to give the site a new vibe and a fresh look.

Every week, Street Level interns (about 10 of them at any given time) work with journalist Resita Cox and WordPress developer Rainn Darring II to develop content – both written and multimedia – and learn the ins and outs of maintaining a WordPress site. So far, the Editor’s Club has published #0: The Music Issue and #1: The Neighborhoods Issue. #0 contains pieces covering everything from K-pop to hip hop and headphone reviews, while #1 dives into complex topics ranging from homelessness to community profiles. Coming up soon is Issue #2, all about young people and civic engagement.

Scroll down for thoughts from a youth journalist and from Resita and Rainn about the hard work they’ve all dedicated to this project – and of course, head on over to Mildsauce to digest some incredible content from innovative young people!

Jabril, age 20 – Mildsauce Editor/Contributor

“I thought [Mildsauce] was a great opportunity for me as an individual to voice and express myself on a platform that’s open to young people just like me. It gives youth a voice.

I worked on a video, I learned how to use Adobe Premier – I’d never used it before and it was a great learning experience. I’m a musical artist and I want to be a recording artist; I’m working towards that now. If I’m able to shoot and edit my own videos it’ll be easier for me to navigate [the music/recording industry].”

Resita Cox – Journalist & Mildsauce Instructor

“I try to set up the classroom at Street Level like a real newsroom. We have editorial meetings at the top of class where students pitch stories of interest and everyone weighs in on the best way to execute those stories. When we are reviewing content, everyone give feedback – three things they like and three things they’d change. Through these processes, students learn how to work collaboratively and get an understanding of what a true newsroom feels like.

Young people need an outlet for their thoughts, feelings and understanding of things going on in our world, just as older people do. Unfortunately, most outlets only target an older audience. Mildsauce is an outlet and an avenue for young people to feel validated in that same way, and for them to be included in the conversation.

It is important for young people to learn media skills so they can tell their own stories, and pass these skills on to other people. In doing this, we give them authority over their own narratives, which ultimately eliminates stereotypes and replaces them with full truths and understanding. I am committed to creating space, and giving students the tools to tell their own stories creates space and opportunities for them, which is why I am excited to be involved with this initiative.”

Rainn Darring II – WordPress Developer & Mildsauce Instructor

“The relaunch process was great seeing as I was given the freedom to develop a curriculum and learning process on my own accord. I was able to help [the Editor’s Club] understand the basics of blogging, using meta tags, SEO optimization and how to best format their articles to receive the highest ratings.

Being able to help people learn how to do for themselves [excites me about this project]. I was at a point in life where I didn’t want to pay a web developer $600+ to build a website for my services so I went out to learn it. My favorite quote is, ‘You bring a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.'”

Check out Mildsauce >>

#0: The Music Issue >>

#1: The Neighborhoods Issue >>

Thanks to these funders for their generous support of Mildsauce!