VMC Cohort 2 Visiting the Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s downtown office

VMC 2026 Recap, VOX ATL’s Summer Program!

By: Willah-Sinclair Johnson

July 9, 2026

As June ends, so does VOX ATL’s summer journalism camp, VOX Media Cafe (VMC), a two-week-long program where Metro Atlanta teens can learn and participate in hands-on multimedia production.

VMC is open to teenagers ages 13-19 who are interested in creating a video, podcast, article, or photo essay. Participants spend time acquiring journalism skills through on-the-ground reporting, practicing public speaking through interviews, and learning how to edit video and podcasts, among other skills, in a professional newsroom environment.

6 of the 7 VMC Interns From Left to Right: Skye Wilson, T. J. Deich, Tatum Akers, Willah-Sinclair Johnson, Justin Chen, and Reagan Hudson

The program is facilitated by a team of VOXers, including Teen Interns, college-aged Near-Peer Interns, and Adult Staff members, all of whom possess knowledge of and a passion for journalism.

“VMC is great for journalism experience for teens because it shows them a little bit of everything of what journalism can look like,” said 16-year-old T.J. Deich, one of this year’s Teen Interns.

Kevin Scott, 15, is a returning VMCer this year; his first introduction to VOX was through VMC in 2025. Initially, Scott had no passion for journalism, thinking the field was uninteresting, but after his first VMC, he realized that it was something he might want to pursue.

“I really enjoyed the environment and just learning new things. It’s just a welcoming environment,” Scott said when asked why he applied to VMC for a second time.

During his two-week stint, Scott produced a podcast exploring why Atlanta teenagers are drawn to gang life and how it affects the community.

Intern Justin Chen helping Kevin Scott edit his podcast

VMCers are further immersed in journalism through immersive field trips across the city to media-making institutions such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Warner Bros. Studios/CNN, and Bloomberg. Through these field trips, participants can connect with current journalists and learn what it takes to work in the news industry.

Scott explained how his favorite trip was to Bloomberg, a global news network specializing in finance. There, he had the opportunity to sit down in their newsroom and pitch his story idea to a panel of journalists, who then gave constructive feedback on how to elevate it.

Deo Deocampo, 16, was a VMC session one member who spent his two weeks producing an article investigating why jazz is less popular than other music genres among Atlanta teenagers. Deocampo credits VMC with introducing him to the possible next steps in his academic career.

Cohort 1 visiting Bloomberg’s Bureau in downtown Atlanta

“I’m going into my senior year of high school, so I’ve been looking for what to do in college. I still don’t really know what I want to major in, but I feel like I might want to major in journalism now, because I found that it’s such an enjoyable thing for me.”

One of VOX ATL’s philosophies is prioritizing teen voices, so allowing teenagers to lead and facilitate as interns is important.

Reagan Hudson, 18, embodies that philosophy as a Teen Intern. Specializing in video production, mentoring, and maintaining a positive attitude, Hudson fostered a welcoming work environment for participants.

“I find that I help a lot with lightening the mood and calming people down. I’ve been good with helping people refocus on their work. And I think because I’m closer to their age, they take in feedback differently from me,” said Hudson.

Last summer, Justin Chen, 16, began as a VMC participant, producing a podcast about environmental problems in Atlanta, but this summer worked as a Teen Intern.

Chen said this about his first internship, “My expectations were sort of blown out of the water. It went really well. I was able to make a lot of connections with both the interns and the teens. It was just very fun going around seeing them build their stories as each day goes by.”