CTEP AmeriCorps members work at various nonprofits throughout the Twin Cities, helping bridge communities and local organizations! 💫
Today, we’re excited to highlight an SPNN-based CTEP member, Emma De Boer, in our very first CTEP Member Spotlight! 🎉
Come join us for our Annual Celebration next month!
We’re looking forward to gathering in community, celebrating media created by community members, and recognizing the staff whose hard work helped support it all. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone!
The first half of our celebration — the Open House, will take place from 5:00–6:30 PM.
The second half of our celebration, taking place from 6:30 PM, will be an opportunity to converse with local journalists and learn the stories behind their work!
Help us celebrate SPNN youth! Tonight from 4:30-7 stop by to see work created by our youth over the last year. There will be podcasts, photography, short films, and animation! A little something for everyone!
Stop in for a little bit or stay for the evening- it is up to you! We hope to see you tonight!
ーーーーーーSpanish Versionーーーーー
Desde el 31 de marzo, Conversaciones de Salud y SPNN iniciaron el taller de podcast “Letras Vivas”. Impartido por el equipo profesional de SPNN, este espacio tiene como objetivo brindar herramientas clave a jóvenes y miembros de la organización para crear y producir sus propios programas. Los participantes aprendieron desde la elección del tema, formulación de preguntas y creación de guiones, hasta aspectos técnicos avanzados como la configuración de mezcladores de sonido, manejo y posicionamiento de cámaras, transiciones y ajustes de imagen.
Todo esto es posible gracias a las instalaciones de primer nivel de SPNN, que cuenta con un área dedicada exclusivamente al podcasting. El estudio está equipado con tres cámaras de alta calidad, cinco micrófonos profesionales, mezcladores, amplificadores y el sistema Broadcast Pix, que permite configurar y alternar cámaras en tiempo real durante la grabación.
Uno de los pilares de esta colaboración es empoderar a los jóvenes, dándoles voz a través de un formato tan popular como el podcast. Se busca que desarrollen sus ideas, compartan su visión del mundo y, sobre todo, que reconozcan su valor personal, sintiéndose parte de algo más grande. Para SPNN es un honor impartir estos talleres, especialmente porque ahora se ofrecen totalmente en español, abriendo las puertas a la comunidad latina e hispanohablante que desea contar sus historias.
Este taller con Conversaciones de Salud ha generado nuevas oportunidades de producción, incluyendo un podcast especial para el 5 de mayo, el cual contará con diversos invitados y temas de interés.
Cabe recordar que SPNN está abierto al público. Para hacer uso de los equipos y las instalaciones, los interesados solo deben inscribirse y completar las clases de capacitación necesarias.
📣Come check out Lentra's journey at SPNN!
As a part of Conversaciones de Salud youth have been learning podcasting through the workshop "Letras Vivas" (Living Letters). Taught by SPNN’s CTEP AmeriCorps member Manuel, this workshop aims to provide youth and community members with the essential tools to create and produce their own podcasts. Participants learned everything from topic selection, interview techniques, and scriptwriting to advanced technical skills such as sound mixer configuration, camera positioning, transitions, and the settings required for high-quality audio and video.
All lessons took place in SPNN’s professional podcasting suite. The studio is equipped with three high-quality cameras, five professional microphones, sound mixers, amplifiers, and the Broadcast Pix system, which allows for seamless camera switching and tracking during recording.
A core mission of this partnership is to empower young people by giving them a voice through this popular medium. The goal is for them to develop their ideas, share their worldview, and, most importantly, recognize their own value—helping them feel that they belong to something much larger than themselves and that every story matters.
It is an honor for SPNN to host these workshops, especially as they are now offered entirely in Spanish, opening doors for the Latino and Spanish-speaking community to tell their stories. The success of this collaboration has opened new doors for future productions, including a special podcast scheduled for May 5th, which will feature various guests and diverse topics of discussion.
As a reminder, SPNN is open to the public. To use the equipment and facilities, interested individuals simply need to register and complete the required training classes
Have you always had a passion for media making?
Are you excited to collaborate and bring creative ideas to life as part of a team?
If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply for the Spotlight Shorts opportunity! 🎬
You’ll work alongside five other media creators to produce a documentary for a pre-decided nonprofit—gaining hands-on experience, building your portfolio, and turning stories into life through media making!
Submit your application by April 24, 2026 to be considered!
On Saturday March 14th, we hosted this year's Doc-U Showcase.
Doc-U is a 6-month documentary creation course where participants learn storytelling and filmmaking skills, and ultimately create a documentary that shares their own life story.
We had such a fun and meaningful afternoon watching and celebrating the incredible stories our participants brought to life over the past 16 weeks.
We’d love to express our gratitude to everyone who helped make this showcase possible, especially our McKnight Foundation-----we couldn’t have done it without you!
Congratulations to all of our Doc-U participants on their amazing short films!
We’ll be releasing each of our 10 participants’ videos on YouTube soon, so stay tuned!
Guess who joined us as a special guest? Swipe till the end to find out! 👀
Host Mark Hughes talks with KiloMarie Granda and Bridget Carter-Bertrand from the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, to find our about this years' legislative initiatives.
Co-Host Nick Wilke talks with guest from Highland Popcorn, a great Saint Paul business that employs people with disabilities.
/watch?v=i_1dRjAgDz4
Help us continue to ensure everyone has access to the tools and resources to tell their story! Our main funding source declined by $65,000 this year, we need your help to continue to offer low cost training and access to our gear and facilities to our community. If you value diverse storytelling, a community hub for media makers, and bridging the digital divide consider donating today! if five people step up to donate $100, Lucky will also donate $100.
/organization/Spnn
