The WASC Youth Media Program is the result of a partnership with The Fuse Factory Electronic and Digital Arts Lab, a new and emerging initiative based in Columbus, OH. WASC and The Fuse Factory have worked together to develop a curriculum in which WASC students are engaged in weekly hands-on workshops where they are introduced to topics such as keyboarding, word processing, digital image manipulation, digital storytelling, typography, and video. They are also given opportunities to think critically about forms of popular media such as advertising. The current program will run from January 2008 to June 2008. This program is made possible from grants from the Fairfield County Foundation and the Gannett Foundation.
The West After School Center, located in Lancaster, OH, has been serving students from West Elementary School since 1998. WASC began as a tutoring program in the basement of the neighboring Sixth Avenue United Methodist Church, serving 20 students from West Elementary. Since then, the program has grown to serve 100 students each year, with over 100 volunteers. In 2003 a new facility was built, where WASC is currently housed; in 2004, WASC became a 21st Century Community Learning Center. WASC enjoys tremendous community support and has received grants from the Ohio Department of Education, United Way, and the federal government.
