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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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