Participation increased at the second UND Digital Storytelling Summit, held from June 2 to June 6. The event offered high school students opportunities in writing and video education, with all participants staying in a UND residence hall.
The summit aims to teach students how to engage digitally with their communities by learning writing styles and video production. Students create promotional products for clients at UND and the Grand Forks community through field trips, lectures, and hands-on experiences.
“The camp was extremely successful,” said Emily Gibbens-Buteau, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication. She organized the event with Joonghwa Lee, chair of the department. “The students have not only learned a lot of skills in video editing and writing but also built their network and made friendships.”
On June 11, students presented their projects in the Henry Family Ballroom. Clients included Abigail’s Book & Gift Shop, Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, Northern Plains UAS Test Site, and UND departments of Biology and Chemistry.
Cayley Stansbery from Sheldon focused on positive aspects of uncrewed aircraft systems while working on her feature story. “I just had a blast, it was amazing,” she said.
Grand Forks native Caitlyn May-Ley appreciated returning to campus for this year’s summit. “This week, I had the opportunity to befriend a colorful group of future UND students,” she said.
Sixteen students attended this year’s event compared to twelve last year. Participants came from various North Dakota communities as well as East Grand Forks and Willmar in Minnesota.
Students visited WDAY-TV studio in Fargo for insights into broadcast skills and attended lectures on news writing, video editing, and multimedia storytelling.
A new addition this year was creating LinkedIn profiles for attendees to join the Digital Storytelling Summit Alumni Network. Gibbens-Buteau emphasized maintaining connections through this platform.
The summit concluded with certificates awarded by Lee and Gibbens-Buteau while parents captured photos of achievements.
Supported by UND Connect program funded by North Dakota Economic Diversification Research Grant Fund along with North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation like its inaugural year.
