Every student attending a Teen Tech Center has a deeply personal story to tell, and we wanted to honor that by showing the impact of the centers through the eyes of the students who rely on them every day.
"We really felt the kids should tell the story," said Bruce Bildsten, Best Buy executive creative director.
Bruce and his team chose to do that through the power of spoken word. Each of the three students wrote a poem about their own personal journey, then worked with Joe Davis — a nationally touring writer, speaker and performer based in Minneapolis — to refine it.
"All the kids wrote all of their own stuff, and it was definitely true to who they are," said J.T. Evans, who works closely with the students as coordinator of the Teen Tech Center at Hope Community Center. "It was similar to our process at the center. They'll get an idea and bounce it off me, but they create everything themselves."
Naje Wright, one of the teens profiled in the videos, wrote her poem about the internal struggles she faces in her life and how she hopes her story will inspire others to be true to who they are.
"I had never written a piece like that before," the 15-year-old said. "It was about me. I didn't sugarcoat anything, and it came out just like I wanted it to."
The project culminated with four days of filming at sites across Minneapolis, including inside each of the students' homes and the local Teen Tech Center. The videos include cameos from the teens' families, friends and mentors.
The videos were directed by A.V. Rockwell, an award-winning screenwriter and director from Queens, New York. They will be shared on social media and on the TVs in all Best Buy stores.