In 2011-2012, VOICES worked in two groups that chose to call themselves "The Peoples VOICE" and "Ambitious VOICES." After several months of team building, issue identification and media training, the groups chose to focus on media influence and peer pressure as their topics. "The People’s
VOICE" created a short film titled Music Media Influences that displays a variety of techniques used by the
media to influence its viewers. The students acted out three skits to depict
how the media spins and misrepresents music celebrity culture. The skits explored the problem of showing celebrities
in the midst of all their success without addressing what it took to get there, using
celebrities to promote things that they themselves do not necessarily endorse
or believe in, and by using celebrities to set trends. "Ambitious VOICES" created
a mini docudrama Pressure focusing on sex and STD’s.
To demonstrate that teens encounter both positive and
negative forms of peer pressure when it comes to sexual behavior, the film follows a young couple who is
not only pressured into having sex but is also pressured into getting tested
and being responsible.
On May 12, 2012 over 30 students presented their final projects to
friends, family and the UCCP staff. The final event was planned and
facilitated by our current high school seniors as an extra leadership opportunity, and consisted of
icebreakers, a poem/spoken word performance, power point presentations and the
premiere of their films. The event served as a space for the
students to take what they had learned throughout the year and engage
others in conversations around the issues they chose that affect them most.
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 RightsPSA 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.
Lypheng Kim, sophomore at Mastery Charter (Thomas) leading a
"3 Corners" activity at the final Youth Action Scholars event.
This spring, our Youth Action Scholars
worked hard to put together an educational and interactive workshop on
inequality in our education system, an issue that feels especially timely given
the current state of public education here in Philadelphia. The project
was inspired by a field trip the Scholars took on the 23 bus, which stretches
the length of the city, starting on Oregon Ave in South Philadelphia and
ending at the top of Germantown Ave in Chestnut Hill. This look at the
vast differences (and inequities) that exist in communities that are so close
geographically, prompted them to examine the differences between two high
schools that sit along the 23 route. Their workshop
focused on the
differences in demographics and funding at Germantown High School and Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. They facilitated
their workshop for an audience of almost 50
people at their final event on Temple's campus on May 23. The five Youth Action Scholars who completed the year were articulate,
thoughtful, talented, and committed to raising awareness about how educational inequality affects young people in Philadelphia. We
are very proud of them!
On March 29th, 2012, UCCP's youth produced news show POPPYN was honored with the 2nd Annual PhillyCAM IMPACT Award for an
organizational member.
PhillyCAM's IMPACT Awards acknowledge the exceptional work of members
who create programs that inspire Philadelphians to improve the
quality of their communities.
The POPPYN team received the award at PhillyCAM's Annual Member Meeting at the Philadelphia History Museum. The crew is incredibly honored by PhillyCAM's recognition of our commitment to and evolution in creating an innovative, engaging
and authentic outlet for youth representation in Philadelphia. PhillyCAM
has been a tremendous supporter of the show for the past two years - through
consulting, distribution, training and hosting POPPYN
events. It's a
strong and wonderful partnership, and the IMPACT award is an official declaration of that mutual respect.
UCCP Executive Director, Dr. Barbara Ferman was a featured blogger on "The Education Optimists," one of the best education blogs of 2010 according to the Washington Post.
Dr. Ferman's post explains the principles and practices of Action Civics - "an iterative process of issue identification, research, constituency building, action, and reflection that is used to address real-world experiences that apply to the lives of students." UCCP is one of the founding members of the National Action Civics Collaborative (NACC).
The UCCP prepares and supports youth and young adults to become confident, effective leaders and collaborates with organizations to create cultures that value and integrate the contributions of youth, thereby building stronger communities.
On May 12, 2012 over 30 students presented their final projects to
friends, family and the UCCP staff. The final event was planned and
facilitated by our current high school seniors as an extra leadership opportunity, and consisted of
icebreakers, a poem/spoken word performance, power point presentations and the
premiere of their films. The event served as a space for the
students to take what they had learned throughout the year and engage
others in conversations around the issues they chose that affect them most. 
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