If you’re a youth that lives in or goes to school in the Central District, we’re looking for your story. 

As part of efforts to make the Central District (CD) a safer place for people to walk and bike, Feet First is hosting a multimedia challenge to gather stories from youth about their experiences walking.  The CD Street Stories will be used as a form of civic engagement by sharing them with the community and adding to conversations about how to make a more walkable, safer CD.  The deadline for submissions is Monday November 30th, 2009.

“CD Street Stories: A Multimedia Challenge” combines the art of telling stories with a multimedia web tool, Yodio.  It invites youth to take pictures of the pedestrian and cycling environment in the Central District, upload them to a website, and call in to record voice captions to the pictures.  The outcome is a compelling combination of art, communication, advocacy, and expression. 

The videos will be showcased at a community forum at Central Cinema on Saturday 5th December, 1411 21st Avenue.  The top three entries will be announced at the forum and will each receive new Canon ELPH digital cameras.

The 23rd Avenue South Corridor stretches the spine of the Central District, which thousands of public and private students use as a major route to school.  In the 2008-2009 school-year alone, three Seattle Public School students were hit and injured by drivers on 23rd Avenue S.  Funded by a generous grant from the Central Region Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Care Council, Feet First responded by working directly with youth to find solutions to create a safer place to walk and bike in the Central District.

For more information or to get involved, visit the CD Youth Pedestrian Project blog at www.walkcdseattle.blogspot.com or contact Elaine Boyd at elaine@feetfirst.info or 206-652-2310.