Media Literacy community award winner
Pam Steager‘s 30-year career in the education and human service fields included directing prevention and cultural competence programs in school systems, prisons, and communities in RI and MA, which led to her interest in media literacy. After completing the Media Literacy Felton Scholars program with Renee Hobbs in 1999, she conducted media literacy presentations to educators throughout Texas and from 2000-2003, directed the Media SmART! Project in the Providence, RI Public School System. Since then, she has trained thousands of students, educators, parents, librarians, journalists, and community members throughout the US and internationally. She has written articles, created curricula, and presented workshops and keynote addresses at conferences and institutes.
Pam is also a media creator. She authored a newspaper column for 15 years, produced videos and community access television programs, contributed to blogs and podcasts, and has performed as an actress, storyteller, and stand-up comedian, infusing media literacy principles wherever she could. In 2017, she helped media literacy legislation pass the RI General Assembly and get signed into law and has served as the RI state coordinator of Media Literacy Now since then. With co-authors Renee Hobbs and Liz Deslauriers, she wrote The Library Screen Scene, a book on film and media programs in school and public libraries. In 2021, she co-led a statewide survey on media literacy in RI schools. This spring, as part of an effort to improve police-community relations and police training, Pam co-facilitated an initial phase of media literacy training for Austin Police Academy instructors.