Armed with video cameras and new knowledge of documentary techniques, students and teachers from Pickens and Greenville counties embarked on an innovative journey this week.

Five teams, each with three high school students and one teacher, came to Clemson University's Youth Learning Institute for a program to immerse them in civic matters and build up young people as leaders, said Pam Bryant, communications director for the institute.

The program, called Media, Literacy and Civic Engagement Summer Institute, started Monday and ends today.

"They are learning how to become civic leaders, how to get engaged in generating interest and awareness around important community issues," Bryant said of the program, which is in its first year.

She said there was a team from Easley High School, one from the B.J. Skelton Career Center, two from Liberty High School and one from Greenville High School. The groups lived at the Youth Learning Institute for the week.

They were led by the Educational Video Center, based in New York, and also Betsy Newman, producer and Web site content developer with SCETV.

"So often in educational settings, things are decided for kids," Newman said. "This is an opportunity for kids to really address issues that they've chosen."

The program is an experiment of sorts, she said, because they usually don't work with teachers and students together.

"It can be a kind of back-and-forth thing, with teachers learning from the students and the students learning from the teachers," Newman said.

During the week, the group learned how to use video cameras, got training on documentary techniques and developed writing and interviewing skills. On Wednesday, they did man-on-the-street interviews at the Pickens Flea Market.

Then they edited the footage and finished their documentaries, to be shown today to parents and others at the institute.

Bryant said the student teams will also produce five video documentaries over the next school year.

"It's a great opportunity to work with my teacher and learn new things about computers," said Easley High student Jessica Westbrook.

For this 16-year-old, the hands-on time with filming and editing at the Youth Learning Institute has been a fun learning experience, particularly with her interest in a career in special effects.

"I've always loved movies," she said. "It's always what I've wanted to do."