Using Media to Address Youth & Violence in Philadelphia

Encouraged by the positive feedback to and the dialogue-provoking power of Point Blank, a documentary about two recent gun shot victims created by our V-MEDIA members Aaron Kennedy and Earla Joseph, the UCCP has been using the film to start conversations with key stakeholders and the larger community around the culture of violence and its influence on Philadelphia youth.

Collaborating with Temple faculty, grad students, undergraduate interns and community leaders in the field, the UCCP hosted a screening of Point Blank and What's Your Story?, a PSA created by UCCP's POWER interns for the Temple community on October 29th, 2009. Dr. Sonja Peterson-Lewis moderated a panel of responders including Scott Charles, Trauma Outreach Coordinator at Temple Hospital and director of the Cradle-to-Grave program, Lieutenant Josey, a Philadelphia police officer actively involved in youth violence prevention, and Earl Joseph, a Temple Student, UCCP Leaders Corps member and a young Black male living in Philadelphia. The response from Temple students, community members and other faculty was overwhelming and the UCCP is planning to continue the conversation about this issue and its institutional and cultural causes and possible solutions with the Temple community.

In the meantime, we have been screening the film for a variety of selected groups , including a 7th and a 9th grade classes from Eastern University Academy Charter School, and a group of young men from Southwest and West Philadelphia. For requests to screen the film in your community, program or school, please contact Natalia Smirnov at nsmirnov (at) temple.edu.

We are very grateful to the Violence Discussion Group for contributing ideas, energy and creativity to this project : Dr. Jill Chonoody, Dr. Sonja Peterson-Lewis, Patricia Harner, Dr. Kay Harris, Nuala Cabral, Kathy Seizer, Courtney McNultey, Matt Gorman, Farhiya Tifow, Earla Joseph and Aaron Kennedy and other occasional and valued guests of the group.