My World With Peace

With the help of mini-grant funding from Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition under the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia initiative, the University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia sought to strengthen the existing relationship between the UCCP’s Temple Youth VOICES Project and the Skills for Life (SFL) Program at the Vare Beacon center in South Philadelphia. A total of 18 students between the ages of 14 and 18 in grades 9- 12 participated in the project. Their hope was to create a local campaign for peace that put youth as the centerpiece of violence reduction efforts.

This was an opportunity for the high school students in the SFL program to gain hands-on workshop planning, development and facilitation skills while sharing knowledge with younger children. Over the course of eight sessions, for two hours every Wednesday beginning April 8, 2009 until May 27, 2009 the students researched activities and prepared icebreakers and discussion questions to engage other youth around violence, peer influence and assertive communication. These activities were planned for the culminating all-day Saturday workshop to follow.

The Youth Leaders for Peace Conference (YLPC) took place on Saturday May 30, 2009 at Temple University. Twenty-eight (28) youth between the ages of 8-12 accompanied by 5 adults participated from the community surrounding E.H. Vare Middle School in South Philadelphia. The conference activities included a sharing circle, interactive problem-solving simulations, an art activity to help us envision a world with peace and reflection journaling.

On June 18th the UCCP staff hosted a Community Recognition Dinner to honor both the SFL and conference participants and their families. Everyone received a completion certificates and many shared excerpts from their reflection papers. One Skills for Life Instructors commented that she “could not miss the opportunity to see her kids get recognized for something so great.”

VOICES 2.0

UCCP and the Temple Youth VOICES Project often has had many young people stay involved in our programming over several years. Some have joined the Leaders Corps and are now instructors to new youth. For those, however, who are too young to become Leaders Corps members but want to continue developing their personal, professional and social change skills, this year we launched VOICES 2.0... The NEXT Level. At VOICES 2.0, youth have have gone through a year of VOICES 1.0 programs can take a project they began and turn it into a real CAMPAIGN, with measurable objectives, a strategic plan and grant applications!

So what are those youth up to?
Currently, we have two VOICES 2.0 Campaigns, both stemming from projects that have had re-occuring themes with VOICES participants:

1. How young people are portrayed in the media and what effects that has (Youth & Media)
   
2. Violence - it's causes, effects, and ways to prevent it. (Youth Action 4 Peace)
   

How are they taking it to the next level?

Youth & Media is currently visiting local media power players to learn more about decision making in the industry. On November 25, 2008, a group of Y&M youth and some representatives of V-Media (our own media production crew) visited the Daily News headquarters to sit in on the front page meeting and learn how editors choose the most important headline of the day.

Youth Action 4 Peace is building up from their successful carwash fundraiser in the summer to develop a traveling workshop encouraging young people to get involved in the programs available to them instead of turning to violence. In case you haven't seen it, check out this inspiring PSA created by POWER interns last spring, which started the conversation:

Stay tuned for more 2.0 Updates!

Summer Academy 2008

WHAT IS YOUR VICTORY? This was the question posed of the 2008 Temple Youth VOICES Summer Academy participants. Over 60 youth and young adults from across the city of Philadelphia spent six weeks challenging themselves and each other to work on achieving small every day victories, thus laying the groundwork for realizing larger, collective victories. Some of their victories included a lively blog discussion of media literacy and youth representation, a car wash that raised $500 to support a new ‘for youth, from youth’ scholarship program for Philadelphia high school students, numerous youth driven community workshops and special events, a magazine of youth writing on leadership development, and a premier of Buggin’ Out News, a youth-created satirical newscast showing how stereotypes are constructed in the media.

Wash Away Violence Carwash

Youth Action 4 Peace, a youth led action team that is part of the Temple Youth VOICES Project, is seeking to create peaceful communities by providing youth with real opportunities to fulfill their dreams. They have embarked on a project to raise scholarship money for youth in Philadelphia. In their first foray, a car wash at Our Mother of Sorrows in West Philly, they raised $500 dollars.

VOICES Invite Parents and Family to Get Involved

On July 8th, the Temple Youth VOICES Summer program hosted a parent night. At the event, parents from youth involved in the program came to Temple University for a few hours of fun and conversation about social issues and their role in making positive social change.

Genisha Wallace and Bo Nicholson, two UCCP Leaders Corps members, organized the agenda. Youth participating in the summer program presented on the projects which are currently in progress among their groups. The groups include the Youth and Media Project, Youth Action 4 Peace and the Leadership Development Institute.