Fourth Observer is a journalism, media literacy, and civic-writing program built for Black and Brown boys and young men who have something to say about their schools, neighborhoods, families, identities, and communities.

Participants learn how to research a topic, ask stronger questions, conduct interviews, write clearly, and shape their ideas for a real audience. Depending on the project, that work may become an article, op-ed, zine, or podcast episode.

The program starts from a simple belief: young people should not only be written about. They should have the tools and the opportunity to report, explain, and publish what they see for themselves.

Fourth Observer treats participants as reporters and analysts from the beginning. The goal is not just to learn about media, but to create something real with your own voice and your own byline.

Fourth Observer is working toward a space where Black and Brown boys and young men can build the skills and confidence to tell their own stories in public.

Participants learn how to move from an idea or concern to something they can investigate, question, write about, record, and publish. The goal is to help them become stronger researchers, interviewers, writers, and media creators while learning how to think critically about the information they see and share.

Just as important, Fourth Observer is designed to help participants see their own experiences and observations as worth examining and worth publishing. By the end of the program, each participant should have created something real that carries their own voice and their own byline.

Fourth Observer is designed to help Black and Brown boys and young men strengthen the skills they need to tell their own stories with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Participants build experience with researching topics, asking thoughtful questions, conducting interviews, writing for an audience, and thinking critically about the information they see and share. They also practice shaping their ideas into work that can be published, whether as an article, op-ed, zine, or podcast episode.

Just as important, the program helps participants grow more confident in their own voices and perspectives. The goal is for each young person to leave knowing that what they observe, question, and experience is worth examining—and that they have the tools to communicate it to others.

Fourth Observer is for Black and Brown boys and young men who want to better understand the world around them and learn how to tell their own stories through journalism and media.

The program is especially for participants who are curious about what is happening in their schools, neighborhoods, families, and communities and want to learn how to ask questions, investigate issues, interview people, and turn what they discover into something they can share with others.

You do not need previous journalism, writing, or podcasting experience. Fourth Observer is built for young people who are ready to learn, speak up, and develop their own voice as a reporter, writer, and media creator.