Project Based Collaboration with BUSTED! PA

For ten weeks from December 2008 to March 2009 the UCCP worked with three youth from BUSTED! PA to develop media literacy and production skills. In the process, the youth in the program planned, shot and edited a short Anti-Smoking PSA titled "Stop and Think" that educates youth about the causes and effects of smoking.

The youth participants from the BUSTED! program used the knowledge and skills they developed through the collaboration to organize a workshop on media production for the BUSTED! Media Conference, which took place on May 9th at Temple University. The UCCP also facilitated a workshop on "Youth, Media and Identity" at the same conference, which focused on how media misrepresents young people and what impact it has in society.

Check out this video interview by Aaron Kennedy, a UCCP Leaders Corps member that worked on the BUSTED! project, for an inside look at the collaboration:

Special thanks to Aunnalea Grove from BUSTED! for supporting the partnership. For more info on how to bring a UCCP project based collaboration to your organization, contact Catalina Gonzalez at catalina.gonzalez@temple.edu.

Students Produce Media for Senior Projects at UCCP

Clockwise from left: seniors Khalia Brooks, Lori Burton, Malcolm Walton, Gregory Coney and Daveer Fincher.

Inspired by last year's success of two media-powered senior projects created with the support of UCCP, this year we partnered with Pennsylvania Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND) to provide a series of workshops for high school seniors focusing their projects on media, music or culture. As part of the series, from March 4 to April 15th, UCCP worked with 5 students from Parkway Northwest, South Philly, Parkway West and Simon Gratz High Schools whose senior project topics ranged from Hip-Hop to reality TV to media's influence on anorexia.

The students came to Temple University once a week for 6 weeks and learned concepts of media literacy and representation, talked about the challenges of making a documentary with Madea Gboyah and Ted Lacey - last year's UCCP Senior Project stars (now freshmen at Temple), developed skills in video production, went to a documentary screening at University of Pennsylvania, and collectively planned, shot and edited their own short film called "Making of a Video Vixen" that ties together the media critiques of everyone in the group.

In addition to fulfilling the required 15 hours of senior project fieldwork, all of the participants said that the UCCP workshops were "really helpful and relevant" to their topics, and each student was able to take away something from the experience, whether "how to convert YouTube videos" or how to view advertisements and movies with a more critical eye. The workshops were facilitated by Natalia Smirnov, UCCP's Media Productions and Communications Coordinator with support of Fritz Lubin, UCCP Leaders Corps member.

For more information, contact Natalia Smirnov at nsmirnov@temple.edu.

The Bridge to the Future: UCCP at the Youth Development Conference!

On December 11, 2008 the UCCP once again had a strong showing at the United Way Youth Development Conference. Members of the Leaders Corps facilitated two widely attended workshops, one on Youth, Media and Identity and the other on Spoken Word as a powerful tool for youth voice. In addition, the UCCP staff was in constant conversation with youth and adults who stopped by The Temple Youth VOCIES Information Table and members of V-Media rounded out the day's activities by interviewing youth for 'Feelin' the Cuts' and capturing the Mayor's address to Philadlephia youth on film.

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.

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.