MDR has been guided by youth voice since its inception when a focus group of 15-17 year olds told us they wanted college mentors to support them in navigating their media journey.
MDR has been at the forefront of social responsibility in media since 2007, originally as an advocacy campaign tackling misogynoir towards Black and Brown girls and women in music media. Years later, at the urging of youth advocates, we expanded our mission and our reach, addressing all forms of media at the intersections of social justice and mental health.
MDR helped normalize the concepts of critical media literacy and digital citizenship in youth culture. We’ve been leading the charge in youth-led, culturally responsive digital literacy and wellbeing since 2013 and are well positioned to address the current focus on AI in our most vulnerable populations.
As pioneers in this space, Media Done Responsibly has always put youth at the forefront, empowering them to drive the work from the start. Our peer and near-peer model ensures that young people are not only involved but are central to creating inclusive content and fostering social-emotional wellbeing in media creation and consumption.
MDR’s achievements are a testament to our commitment to empowering youth and creating inclusive spaces for learning and growth. Since 2015, we’ve served over 20,000 underrepresented youth in Southern California. Each year, we deliver evidence-informed media literacy training to more than 500 young people, from middle school through college. Our impact is clear: participant interviews, anonymous surveys, and program attendance reports show a 100% increase in strategies for anti-bullying, body positivity, consent conversations, and digital literacy.
A key accomplishment is the creation of our signature media justice advocacy program, the MDR Arthouse & Café, founded in 2020 in the wake of Asian hate during the Coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest following the execution of George Floyd. MDR’s ArtHouse is an online safe space designed to promote media literacy and facilitate empathetic, culturally rich dialogue. MDR hosts over a dozen conversations annually to strengthen digital wellbeing, as well as foster social connection via film screenings, spoken word, music, art exhibits, and cultural events such as Juneteenth. Check out what folks have to say about MDR Arthouse & Café Conversations!
In addition, the student-created MDR Film Festival is a part of our media production pillar and provides a platform for marginalized communities to share their stories and connect with industry professionals. Our 2021 festival included representatives from prominent organizations like Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, Young Entertainment Activists, and USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative.
This event is part of our classroom-to-career pipeline, which has helped over 500 diverse filmmakers gain valuable insights and connections in the entertainment industry over the past several years. Our strategic partnership with Paramount’s Entertainment Diversity and Inclusion division has provided executive training and internship opportunities for over 450 predominantly Latinx television and film majors at California State University, Los Angeles.
MDR’s efforts have earned us recognition, including the John Anson Ford Human Relations Award for LA County and commendation from former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for “developing young advocates for a better, more peaceful world.” Our founder, Shaunelle Curry, was named an Unsung Hero of Los Angeles County by the California Community Foundation and has represented us as a speaker and interviewee at the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK, and at the Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit in Saudi Arabia.