POWER Interns take on Media Influences, Sex Ed and Legal Rights

This academic year we had two cycles of the POWER Internship.

18 students completed the Fall cycle, from November to March, representing six different schools: Franklin Learning Center, South Philadelphia High School, George Washington Carver, Freire Charter School, Parkway NW for Social Justice and Peace and Parkway West. Both groups focused on role of media in the lives of youth, creating two PSAs that deal with the issue: My Media Brain and Peer Pressure in the Media. (Click on the titles to see the video). My Media Brain interrogates stereotypes of young people in Philadelphia and affirming that young people are not who the media portrays them to be with the declaration “I am not my media brain.”  Peer Pressure in the Media addresses the negative messages that are sent to young people through the media and how this can impact their choices and lives. It also explores the role of friends and peers in encouraging behaviors presented in the media. Through their PSA the interns sought to engage their peers in conversations about resisting what the media (focusing on music and television) often defines as “cool.” The students designed workshops around their PSAs and presented to other students at Parkway NW High School for Peace and Social Justice and to UCCP’s VOICES after school program.

25 students from Freire Charter School, Bodine High School for International Affairs, Mariana Bracetti Charter School, Eastern University Academy Charter School, Mastery Charter School Lenfest campus, Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus, Mastery Charter School Thomas Campus, and Simon Gratz High School participated in the Spring cycle of the POWER Internship. They produced two PSAs, focusing on issues of sex education and community policing. House Party Problems depicts the consequences of parents not talking about sex with their children and the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools. They chose this topic because most of the students in the program do not receive sex education in school and free condoms are not available for students at most of their schools. The interns visited the Mazzoni Center and participated in a workshop on STIs, safer sex, reproduction and birth control.  They used some of the information they collected from the workshop to create their own workshop around their PSA. The Know Your Rights PSA was created to inform young people of their rights when confronted by the police and how to best handle such confrontations. The interns in this group chose this topic after engaging in discussions about the lack of positive relationships between the police and young people in Philadelphia. The interns presented their PSAs to their peers, family members and UCCP staff and facilitated an engaging dialogue about the issues raised in their projects.