VOICES Explore Teen Peer Pressures and Media Manipulation

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. 

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. 

Youth Action Scholars: Inequality in Education

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!