Pixeldust filmed Ashoka's Young Changemakers event and Lead Young storytelling initiative in Washington, D.C.
What does it take to change the world at 17? Ashoka’s Lead Young initiative answers with real stories: young people who saw a problem, built a team and did something about it. They are part of the Ashoka Young Changemakers, a carefully selected network of young people who have found their power to create change for the good of all, and who engage their peers and communities in building a world where everyone is a changemaker.
Pixeldust’s nonprofit production team has told these stories for years, producing more than 30 Lead Young profiles and dozens of social media videos, along with event coverage and a sponsored film for General Motors.
Stories of young changemakers
Lead Young is Ashoka’s storytelling initiative about a simple, powerful idea: a young person spots a problem, forms and leads a team, and creates a solution. Each profile is made for young storytellers and movement builders, to inspire others to become changemakers through the power of stories.
Joshua Williams, a 17-year-old from Florida, tells how a single meeting with a homeless man sparked a basic urge to help. That first interaction led him to create Joshua’s Heart Foundation.
Katie Eder discovered her power to change things in fourth grade, when she petitioned for boys and girls to play together in gym class. She learned that “just because something is how it is, that does not mean it has to stay that way,” and went on to create the Future Coalition, so youth activists are no longer isolated and can bring their voices together for change at a larger scale.
Ashoka and General Motors brought Pixeldust in to produce a sponsored profile about changemaking and STEM, two powerful forces young people are harnessing in the 21st century. Like every Lead Young story, it shines a light on the parents, teachers and peers who help young people begin their changemaking journey, and on the empathy, teamwork and new leadership that follow.
Whether you are a company, an NGO or an institution, your audience lives online, and an NGO that wants to reach people has to get its content right. Pixeldust produced a dozen social media videos that capture the unfiltered, authentic voices of young changemakers, short pieces designed to inspire others to start their own journey.
For two consecutive years, Pixeldust covered Ashoka’s U.S. Young Changemakers Event at its headquarters in Washington D.C. In two to three days, the team interviewed each selected changemaker and produced their profile, covered the workshops and panel presentations, and interviewed panelists and Ashoka members for videos that present their programs and goals. The films now power Ashoka’s marketing, fundraising and social media, and changemakers use their profiles to grow their own ventures.
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