Educate. Reform/Reflect.

Its official! June 3rd the POWER interns wrapped up the Spring 2009 POWER Internship with two OUTSTANDING events.

As part of their social change project at the POWER internship, high school juniors and seniors planned, organized and facilitated workshops on community issues of their choice.

The "Why Youth Homelessness?" event held at St. John's Hospice and Shelter was a great success. The interns presented a PSA on youth homelessness that they shot and edited to the staff and the men staying at the shelter. Following the PSA, the interns led a discussion about the invisibility of youth homelessness compared to the homelessness of adults. The staff and residents were very receptive and had lots of great questions. One of our interns, who is a homeless youth, gave a testimony and told her story about her life and what it is like to be homeless at such a young age. Overall the staff and residents were wowed by the interns' PSA and message about youth homelessness and all the interns did a a great job facilitating their activities and dialogue.

The "Can You Hear Us?" event held at Temple University with the Caring People's Alliance parenting group, from R.W. Brown community center, was also a success. The interns prepared a workshop for parents and teens to understand the importance of communication, and suggested strategies to build a healthy, communicative relationship. The interns led original activities such as Trading Places, in which the parents played the child and the child played the parent. They acted out scenarios and both parties had a chance to experience the others' perspective. The parents were reminded about how powerless a child can feel and the students realized what a huge responsibility raising a child is. The interns received several requests from the parents to come out to other community centers and facilitate the same workshop for other parents! The facilitation and leadership in this workshop was phenomenal and each intern really stepped up and felt they impacted the lives of the workshop participants.

Congratulations Spring 2009 POWER Interns! The UCCP is delighted to welcome several of the POWER graduates to our summer Leadership Development Institute to receive training as future Action Scholars and Leaders Corps members: Janay Eleazer (Sp 2008), Christiana Sanders (Fall 08), Brianna Jenkins (Fall 08), Terrell Merrill (Fall 08), Daniel Nunez (Sp 09), Chalisa Morrison (Sp 09), Roy Fearon (Sp 09), Stafford McCrea (Sp 09), Lyesha Fleming (Sp 09) and Bianca Cruz (Sp 09).

P.O.W.E.R. Breakfast for School Partners

above: Ashley Stanley-Hopson, a P.O.W.E.R. Intern from Parkway Northwest shares her experience in the Internship with principals, teachers and community leaders.

On Thursday, May 7^th UCCP hosted the P.O.W.E.R. Internship Breakfast for eight of its current and future high school partners including Mariana Bracetti Academy, West Philly High, Parkway Northwest, Science Leadership Academy, Delaware Valley Charter High School, George Washington Carver, Roxborough High School, YouthBuild Charter and representatives from the Kid Zone Network. At the meeting, the guests had a chance to learn the nuts and bolts of what interns gain at the P.O.W.E.R. Internship, from leadership and media skills to exposure to social movements in Philadelphia. They also shared stories about the development they've seen in the current P.O.W.E.R. interns and heard a live testimonial from Ashley Stanley-Hopson, a senior at Parkway Northwest, who updated everyone about her P.O.W.E.R. internship project addressing Homeless Youth.

Part of the goal for the meeting was to inform the guests about the many opportunities UCCP has to offer to its partner schools, youth organizations and youth and students involved in them, including the credit-bearing POWER Internship for juniors and seniors, the VOICES after-school for youth 14-21, study abroad opportunities through the Experiment in International Living, senior project assistance, and a collection of workshops for youth practitioners, decision makers and young people themselves that provide tools and strategies to develop authentic youth leaders.

It was a privilege to sit at the table with so many incredible schools and organizations, and plant several seeds for powerful future collaborations. This meeting was just the beginning of all the great ideas that come about when dedicated educators (in the classroom and out) get together.

Click here to learn more about the P.O.W.E.R. Internship. To become a school or organizational partner or get updated about similar events in the future, contact Alie Huxta at alisonhuxta@yahoo.com.

Youth and Violence Forum

On May 21, the UCCP held the Youth and Violence Forum. At the event, youth from various organizations including the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative, The Norris Square Neighborhood Project and the Temple Youth P.O.W.E.R Internship presented their anti violence initiatives. Jamira Burley, Business Major at Temple University, presented her Peace Core initiative and Hamid Floyd, a Telecommunications Major, also at Temple University, screened his video "What is Violence". Representatives from Motivos magazine, Change X magazine, the Philadelphia Fund for Children and Professors at Temple University also participated at the event.

Hip-Hop and the Community

On May 14, UCCP hosted a film screening and discussion on Hip-Hop and the community, presented by three Philadelphia youth who focused on Hip-Hop as the topic of their high school senior projects. Ted Lacey and Madea Gboyah's documentary "Hip-Hop Effects" explores the effects of the negative messages of the genre through interviews with peers and adults. Tyrone Jones's "Lyrical Controversy" delves into the historical development of Hip-Hop music, addressing cultural and economic factors that influenced the genre's changing messages. Jones, a VOICES participant from Spring 2007 and Lacey and Gboyah, current VOICES P.O.W.E.R. Interns, used UCCP resources, including camera, editing equipment and post-production assistance to make their films. The screening was followed by a lively discussion and debate between youth, parents and community members in attendance.