Many students feel powerless, believing adults won't listen to them, let alone act on their suggestions, just because they are teenagers. Student Power, the latest entry from the PBS series In the Mix, emphasizes how important it is at any age to speak up and fight for what one believes. Teaching young adults how to organize and join voices with their peers, the program looks at the structure and accomplishments of three very different youth organizations. Youth in Action, based in Providence, RI, carries considerable political clout, and performs peer education in public schools. Publicolor, located in New York City, gets students together to create a better learning space for themselves through redesigning and repainting school interiors. Finally, a Los Angeles high school group called United Students has successfully lobbied for and changed school policies through faculty-student alliances and media PR. Highlighting very different groups in different places, this video is an extremely practical, flexible primer on mobilizing for student action. Recommended, even though recent In the Mix programs have lowered their production standards to include lots of shaky or poorer-quality DV cam footage. Aud: H. (E. Gieschen)
Student Power: Organizing for School Reform
(2003) 30 min. VHS: $69.95. In the Mix. PPR. Volume 18, Issue 6
Student Power: Organizing for School Reform
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