Graduating students in the Carleton journalism program’s Bachelor of Media Production and Design showed off their work in a remarkable capstone event on April 9, showcasing nine innovative student projects.
Student projects with community partners used media production and design tools to address such topics as civic and youth engagement, Indigenous storytelling and sovereignty, community third spaces, municipal and provincial policies and governance and community empowerment. The annual capstone event was this year dubbed “Real Designs – Taking Flight.”
Students from the Arrival Initiative project explain their work with the Arnprior Museum.
“We are at our core storytellers,’’ said Prof. Stéfy McKnight, the interim program director in media production and design and leader of the project.
“We’re also acknowledging the folks who have been the longest and the original storytellers here in Ottawa, the Algonquin nation. We’re very fortunate to have been able to work with various Indigenous partners throughout this year.”
Prof. Stéfy McKnight is the interim program director in media production and design.
McKnight noted that much of the capstone work was the result of deep engagement with community partners in Ottawa, who also have a stake in the storytelling.
This is McKnight’s fifth year supervising and teaching the MPAD Capstone Projects course.
Students created documentaries, websites, social media campaigns and strategies, as well as workshop and event plans. And the entire exhibition was supported by student fundraising.
The capstone exhibit showcased nine student projects with community partners:
- 613Sounds is a podcast series that highlights Ottawa’s local music scene, exploring how the city’s musical environment fosters a sense of community and belonging. Across genres, a range of interviews spotlight independent local artists.
- Crow’s Path/Aandeg Miikana produced a number of deliverables for Indigenous youth in Thunder Bay, including a documentary Where the Crows Gather, highlighting youth resilience and countering negative portrayals.
- The Arrival Initiative partnered with Emily Stovel, curator and manager of culture for the District of Arnprior Museum. Students developed a workshop to support a project to train local participants to collect interviews with people who migrated to Arnprior in the last 50 years.
- Future Voices partnered with the Institute for Collaborative Innovation Canada to help youth engage with Canadian civic matters. An interactive website takes audiences on a train journey through a fictional representation of Canada’s future.
- Little Sips was the result of a student partnership with the City of Ottawa’s Infrastructure and Water Services Department to educate city residents about how to protect the city’s water systems. A four-part informational video series will be part of the city’s educational initiatives.
- The Withering Trillium produced a short film and social media series to highlight Bill 5, a piece of provincial legislation that many contend poses risks to the environment. Students partnered with Prof. Chris Russill, academic director at Re.Climate, a centre of climate communication and public engagement.
- The Zine Project, in partnership with the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, created an online presence to encourage the creation of zines to boost Indigenous youth mental health. The project promotes zines and zine-making workshops.
- City Studio Ottawa translated the complex data of Ottawa’s City Transportation Asset Management Plan by using an animated video to provide clearer and more accessible material on how the city evaluates the state of its infrastructure.
- Unedited Women developed a social media campaign, website and video testimonials to create a new branding palette to help Osa Natalie Fraser’s program reach a wider audience.
To raise funds for the capstone project, students hosted a live show at the Ollies campus bar in January. And local realtor Team Makan Real Estate also supported the capstone event.
Thursday, April 9, 2026 in General, Journalism News, News
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