Event Summary (May 2, 2025) – At the AIRG Symposium hosted by McGill University, Distinguished Professor Claudia Mitchell (McGill) and Dr. Max Schleser (Swinburne University, Australia) delivered a joint keynote on their project Transform: Engaging Young People for Social Change. The two award‑winning scholars explored cellphilming—the practice of creating short, self‑shot mobile films—as a powerful tool that enables young people to re‑imagine, reframe, and narrate their own worlds. Beyond simple video production, they argued, cellphilming functions as a medium for civic dialogue: it lets participants communicate directly with communities and policy‑makers while simultaneously cultivating the next generation of leaders. The session drew particular interest given both presenters’ international reputations and long‑standing influence in youth‑focused participatory media.
