We Met U When… Season 4
Through exploring the lives of people who were quoted in 2015 news stories, student producers found themselves looking inward and challenging themselves to grow not only as journalists but as humans.
Thanks to a Learning and Teaching Grant from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at TMU, students were empowered to produce stories about communities they are not from. We brought in community advisors and Steph Colbourn, founder and CEO of editaudio, a podcast company that amplifies marginalized voices. The goal: support students in producing ambitious stories and avoid causing harm.
This led to episodes about men’s mental health, the power of an Africentric education, misconceptions about disability, the role of non-Indigenous journalists in reconciliation and how harassment of journalists has some wondering if this career is even the right choice.
It’s been…a lot. In every way. And we’re proud of this work.
We’re also celebrating another big step – our own website and a fresh new logo design.
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Season 4 – Episode 1: Schooled by Sekou
Attending Toronto’s first Africentric Alternative School was a powerful experience for Sekou, who was quoted in a 2015 news story when he was in grade 7. As an adult, he remembers a lot of coverage that missed the mark. His mom doesn’t remember providing informed consent. This episode explores their experiences with journalists, consent and how Black stories are told.
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Season 4 – Episode 2: The Art of Moises
This story about graffiti artist Moises Frank, aka Luvsumone or Luvs, took a turn our producers didn’t see coming. While learning about Moises mentoring young people, they realized he was teaching them something too. A deep dive into this artist’s life revealed a journey through grief and healing that was transformative for him – and the three guys producing this episode.
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Season 4 – Episode 3: Maybe I Can’t Do This?
In 2015 many women journalists suddenly became part of the story while simply trying to do their jobs. Around the world, strangers were interrupting live news reports, shouting a vulgar and sexist phrase. As one We Met U When… producer started learning about this gender-based harassment, past and present, she too found herself becoming part of the story.
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Season 4 – Episode 4: Give Me 15 Minutes
As a DJ – and a competitive athlete – George Quarcoo, aka GQ Soundz, has been interviewed by multiple journalists. Many of them make the same mistake. We Met U When… producer Ariel Tozman set out to break that pattern. She introduces us to George and connects with another artist experiencing the same frustration, while also confronting her own assumptions.
