Author - carlsettles

MCC 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program Mentor Job Description

Do you have experience and/or an interest in working in the fields of Education, Business, Science & Technology, Math, Media or the Arts? Do you have any experience working with middle school students? Can you see yourself inspiring students and helping them work towards their dreams? If the answer is yes to one or more of these questions, them the Media Communications Council (MCC) wants YOU to be Mentor in its 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program!

MCC was established in 2008 as a way to use the real world excitement of media creation and production to address the leadership and academic gap that many students in Austin area public middle schools are faced with on a daily basis. Formed out of the Texas Diversity Council, MCC uses media as a tool to help students to discover, own and be accountable for achieving the dreams they have in their life. The primary learning model used in MCC was developed from the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

MENTOR Job Responsibilities:

• Lead a group of 4 – 6 middle school students throughout the five day program, with a focus in one of the four major disciplines of Media Communications, (STEM) Science/Technology/Engineering/Math, Business or the Arts
• Work with a team of 3 other Pre Grad or Graduate mentors to plan and execute a series of three 5 day camps.
• Work alongside an assistant that will document your activities through video and blogging tools as you develop and complete your group’s project for presentation during each week’s Capstone Ceremony.
• Supervise your students during two off-campus field trips
• Attend a two-day training during the beginning of June.
• Attend daily morning check-ins and end of day staff meetings.

The 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program will last throughout the month of June and will consist of three weekly summer camps to be held in Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) sites in the North, East and South sections of Austin. The financial compensation for MENTORS is $500.00 per week.

Interested applicants should send a Resume/Vita, Cover Letter with Major Area of Study included as well as preference of discipline (Business, STEM, Media Communications, or the Arts) to mentor@mediacommunicationscouncil.org.
All applicants must be able to pass a background check.

Last Thursday we took the same group of high schoolers we took to McGarrah-Jessee to a different advertising agency, AMS Pictures. If you’ve seen one ad agency you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong! Ad agencies are kind of like snow flakes; no two are ever the same.So, the students were taken on a comprehensive tour of the facilities. AMS’ office is much smaller than McG-J’s office, but it’s packed to the brim with objects of interest. Even though all of the places we tour are often very interesting places, AMS is probably one of the most interesting.
The students were shown around the offices and studios of the facility. Along the way our hosts explained all of the equipment as well as the important roles each and every one of their employees play. It’s important that students learn now that teamwork is one of the most important aspects of a business.
We ended off the tour by sitting down with our old pal, Peter Murner. Peter showed a reel of AMS’s work and then began taking questions. Eventually the questioning led to inquiries about employment. Which is great; it’s nice to see students already thinking about their careers after high school.

Modern-day poet, Joseph Utsler, once asked the world how magnets worked. That’s a good question; how do magnets work? After today, our students would most certainly be able to answer Mr. Utsler’s question.

Today Albert showed the students how to assemble an electro magnetic motor. He did this in order to convey to the students a deeper understanding of the nature of magnetism. The procedure was as much comprehensive as it was fun for the students.

The experiment began with wrapping zinc wire around a nail. After that, they taped a battery to the nail. By doing this the nail became electrically magnetized. Finally, Albert showed the students how to make a functioning motor out of multiple magnets.

Afterwards the students occupied themselves by using their newly made magnets to pick up and move objects as they saw fit. It’s always most rewarding to see the students enjoy things they create. Hopefully these kinds of experiences will inspire them to do experiments like these on their own.