Objective
The Community Spirit Teen Video Project provides media arts and leadership training for young people throughout communities in New Jersey. We prepare youth with the knowledge, tools, decision-making skills and the peer-to-peer and adult relationship building skills needed to create powerful, thought-provoking media on community issues that concern them—distributing the media as a catalyst for dialogue and social change.
Community Spirit Teen Video Project Overview
Young people today have broad access to a diversity of information sources as a result of political, economic and technological developments. The most significant development of the last decade has been the growing role and importance of electronic media, particularly TV and the Internet for young people and adults alike. With the ever-increasing popularity of the cell phone, mp3 players and PDAs, and with new technolgies being developed every day, the opportunity abounds to create and distribute positive media messages across multiple platforms.
The Community Spirit Teen Video Project:
• Offers Leadership Skills
• Facilitates Relationships Between Youth and the Community
• Offers Involvement in Real World Issues
• Builds Organizing Skills
• Develops Community and Civic Skills
• Engages Youth from Different Cultures and Backgrounds
• Creates Sound Youth-Adult Partnerships
Through the Voices of Hope Community Spirit Teen Video Project, young documentary filmmakers and storytellers develop the skills to not only express their point of view, but they produce media that can make a positive impact in their communities. They have the opportunity to build extraordinary relationships with adults and peers from different neighborhoods, backgrounds and cultures.
The Community Spirit Teen Video Project uses media-based youth organizing as a vehicle to promote learning and social change. We put digital cameras in the hands of young people, allowing them to learn a craft, tell a story, and communicate better with each other, their parents, teachers and society as a whole. The Community Spirit Youth Project empowers young people to get involved locally, yet through Internet distribution of streaming video it allows viewers globally to see and hear the authentic voice of American teenagers.
The Community Spirit Teen Video Project offers teens the opportunity to work peer-to-peer, engaging youth from affluent and urban communities like Asbury Park and Rumson, Newark and Summit and Princeton and Trenton to work in youth citizenship teams. The program aims at inspiring teens to make healthy and safe decisions, think and behave differently, offer societal solutions and maintain respect and tolerance for each other—all through open dialogue and a healthy, focused outlet to express their ideas and opinions. Combining education and mentorship, they are empowered to make positive contributions to society—developing experiences and relationships to last a lifetime.
Youth Media is watching and listening...
If I Ruled the Neighborhood
If I ruled the neighborhood there would be a Damn good living
There would be no violence, no fighting, no killing, no blood spilling
There would be no Gangs in the streets
No guns firing, and no war beats
Everybody would be rich as Hell
There would be legal things to sell
They say no to love and say yes to hate
These people will not discriminate
Team: Felix, Chino, Marcus, Reggie, and Mat
VISIT THE VOICES OF HOPE BLOG, |THE EYE| to get the latest info on films, events, workshops and all-things media and pop culture with a socio-political point of view.
YOUR MISSION IS OUR MISSION.
Partner with Voices of Hope Productions to market your message, develop your documentary video story, or advocate for your cause. You can be assured we will work with you to raise awareness of your organization, and build resources to bring about positive and lasting change-one story at a time. VIEW DOCUMENTARIES
"The first thing to keep in mind, is that your objective is not to make a 'TV show' or a 'show' of any kind. You are collecting evidence; you are encouraging witness; you are emboldening ordinary people to 'go public.'"
George Stoney from forward in Turn on the Power! Using Media for
Social Change
