Empowering Twin Cities Youth: Hmong and Native American Teens Learn Filmmaking with Spencer Nakasako

Discover the power of storytelling as Emmy-winning filmmaker Spencer Nakasako mentors teens from the Twin Cities' Hmong and Native-American communities in a weeklong digital-video workshop. Held at Powderhorn Park and supported by Walker Art Center’s Walker on Wheels program, this initiative empowers youth to document their stories through film, fostering creativity and cultural expression. Learn more about the impact of youth media access and production!

Empowering Youth Voices: Hmong and Native American Teens in Filmmaking Workshop

In the summer of 2001, Emmy-winning filmmaker Spencer Nakasako brought his visionary approach to the Twin Cities through a weeklong digital-video workshop for Hmong and Native American teens. Held at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis, this initiative aimed to empower youth with tools to document their unique stories through the medium of video. Under Nakasako's direction, participants explored filmmaking fundamentals, from shooting to editing, fostering their creativity and amplifying their voices.

A Visionary Mentor

Spencer Nakasako, known for his groundbreaking works such as a.k.a. Don Bonus and Kelly Loves Tony, has long believed in the transformative power of media access. Over the years, he has mentored Southeast Asian youth in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, helping them share their personal narratives. As a Walker Art Center artist-in-residence, Nakasako expanded his impact by working with diverse ethnic communities in the Twin Cities, including Hmong and Native American teens.

The Workshop: Bridging Communities

The digital-video workshop brought together teens from different cultural backgrounds to learn storytelling through film. Participants collaborated on creating short films, discovering their shared experiences while celebrating their unique cultural identities. This hands-on experience not only introduced them to technical skills like editing and filming but also gave them a platform to preserve and share their heritage.

Youth Media Access: A Path to Representation

Nakasako's project highlights the importance of media access for underrepresented communities. By teaching young people to create their own content, initiatives like this challenge mainstream narratives and promote diversity in storytelling. As these teens documented their stories, they not only gained technical expertise but also a sense of pride in their heritage and the power to influence their communities.

Building on Success

This workshop was part of the Walker on Wheels (WoW) program, a traveling media lab that brings digital tools to local communities. Through collaborations with organizations like Asian Media Access, The Circle, Hmong Cultural Center Inc., and Listen Up, the program sought to increase opportunities for youth to tell their stories. Nakasako's efforts exemplify the power of art and technology to inspire change and build bridges across cultures.

Discover More

To learn more about youth media initiatives and the Twin Cities' Hmong and Native American communities, visit:

• Asian Media Access
• The Circle
• Hmong Cultural Center Inc.
• Listen Up

Through programs like this, storytelling becomes a tool for empowerment, connection, and transformation. Spencer Nakasako’s vision reminds us of the impact of giving youth a voice and the resources to tell their own stories.

References and Further Reading

• June 15-22, 2001 Spencer Nakasako Artist-In-Residence | Believing that everyone should have access to the media of video and television to tell their stories, California-based filmmaker Spencer Nakasako became the artist mentor for a youth video program in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. For more than a decade, Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian youths have produced short videos based on their personal memories and experiences. As a Walker artist-in-residence, Nakasako will conduct two workshops with groups consisting of 8 to 10 young people, each from a different ethnic community in the Twin Cities. | Www.Walkerart.Org | Under his direction, a group of teens from the Twin Cities' Hmong and Native-American communities will shoot and edit short films during a weeklong digital-video workshop designed to give participants the tools to document their own stories.