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Exploring Issues through Digital Art
Project Dates/Times:
Youth and Violence Discussion (Videoconference)
Friday, February 29, 2008
8:30 a.m. ET - 10:00 a.m. ET
Read more about this event !
Exploring Digital Film Making (Videoconference)
Friday, April 4, 2008
8:30 a.m. ET - 10:00 a.m. ET
Read more about this event!Youth Violence Awareness Digital Projects
February 29 -May 9, 2008
Read more about Student Digital Projects
Digital Project Virtual Festival (Videoconference)
Friday, May 9, 2008
8:30 a.m. ET - 10:00 a.m. ET
Prepare for this event!
Target Grade Levels: 9-12
Requirements for Participation:
US Participants (3 spots): Must have H.323 videoconferencing capabilities and be on the MAGPI network.
This workshop will culimate in the creation of original youth violence awareness commercials. Therefore students must have access to a digital camera or digital video camera and PowerPoint, iMovie, or other video software.
Description:
Youth violence is a social problem that effects many different countries and cultures around the world. The root causes of youth violence, such as poverty, domestic and sexual abuse, war and other contributing factors like drug use and predjudicial beliefs vary from country to country. However, the resulting symptoms of youth violence are universal - feelings of alienation, frustration, and hopelessness are experienced to some extent by both youth offenders and victims regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality or sexual orientation.
This workshop will identify the risk factors and symptoms of youth violence and then explore, in more depth, various forms that youth violence takes worldwide. Workshop participants will examine how these events effect all young people and ways to break the cycle of violence.
Students and teachers will work together to create a Youth Violence Awareness ad, using various modes of technology. Each classroom will compile original photography and/or video, art, and text to produce a 2-5 minute video or automated Powerpoint commercial, driven by an original message of tolerance and youth violence awareness. The completed student commericals will be featured in a virtual "film festival" and "broadcasted" online to share with an international audience.
Teacher's will be able to download a Teacher's Guide that will provide them with pre- and post-videoconference lesson plans. All preparation activities listed in the guide are required in order for students to take part in this project.
This project is made possible through partnership with MYX: Multicultural Youth Exchange.Resources
The following websites offer various facts and forums which you can share with your students if they wish to learn more about a specific aspect of youth violence, or how to actively combat it within your school or community:
- Students Against Violence Everywhere (Facts & student forum)
- YouthNOISE (Youth activism)
- Videotips for Dummies (From YouthNOISE)
- Stop Cyber Bullying (Students learn what “Cyber Bullying” is and take a quiz to determine if they are Cyber Bullies)
- Do Something: School Violence (Youth website devoted to major issues for teens today with project ideas)
Youth and Violence Discussion Videoconference
Friday, February 29, 2008
During the first session each site will have the opportunity to share the work they completed prior to the workshop, discussing the risk factors and effects of youth violence that are most relevant to their school environment. Next, each site will create their own World News Broadcast to be presented during the session, based on articles related to different forms of youth violence globally. To prepare for this videoconference, students will:
- Read a Youth Violence Fact Sheet and Article (provided by MYX). Each site will be assigned ONE of the following articles, which focuses on a given country. Your class need only review your assigned article:
- Participate in a discussion about Risk Factors and Symptoms
- Download the Global Youth Violence Fact worksheet
- Make a classroom list of 5 major risk factors common to your students discussed during this exercise and be prepared to share during the 1st workshop session.
- Complete a Collaborative Drawing Project
Summary: Each student will have the opportunity to work on a set of 4 drawings and present the completed works to the class by interpreting the symbols and images they see. These drawings will be a brain-storming excercise to help express students thoughts and feelings about youth violence.
Supplies needed: 4 pieces of craft paper (white or light color) each 8 feet long, colored markers.Instructions:
- Pre-draw the silhouette of a young male on 2 of the sheets and a female on 2 of the sheets.
- Explain the activity (3 minutes): Students will begin conceptualizing how to visually express the facts about youth violence. Discuss: Why is art a good way to communicate with other people? (Self-expression, international language, conveys emotions).
- Place the craft paper on the floor or on tables. Divide students into 4 groups and have each group gather around one piece of paper.
- Assign each group one of the following four categories of Risk Factors: Peer, Family, Community, and Individual.
- Student Illustrations (7 minutes): Student will illustrate risk factors around the exterior of the silhouette using images, symbols and words.
- Rotate Groups (7 minutes): Have students rotate clockwise to the next group's drawing. In the lower half of the silhouette, students will illustrate the symptoms of violence that the external risk factors may cause. Examples: depression, loneliness, isolation, frustration, fear, anger
- Rotate Groups Second Time (7 minutes). Students rotate clockwise again. In the upper half of the silhouette, they will illustrate positive examples of ways to deal with both the external risk factors and internal symptoms.
- Rotate Groups Third Time (7 minutes). Students rotate clockwise for a final time, to the drawing they have not yet worked on. Students finalize the drawing by adding more color and images.
- Class Presentations (10 minutes). Each group will present the final drawing to the class for 2-3 minutes, explaining the risk factors, how they cause the symptoms, and how the positive actions could effectively prevent violence from occuring. Teachers should encourage students to respond to each presentation: What do they see in the image? What could be added? Which issues seem most relevant to them? Does this happen in your school? Why or why not?
- DOWNLOAD the OUTLINE for this Videoconference
Exploring Digital Film Making Videoconference
Friday, April 4, 2008
The second session will focus on the art form of short videos (as seen on YouTube, MySpace, etc.) as a mode of contemporary communication. Students will discuss the video shorts they screened prior to the session, and gain tips and inspiration from guest speaker videographers Leslie and Rich. Their homework assignment will be to create 5 1-minute videos per class in teams focused on youth violence awareness and prevention. To prepare for this videoconference, students will:
- View and critique sample youth violence awareness videos online (Teachers will receive links to sample videos online 1 week prior to the videoconference)
- Be prepared to discuss/present their critiques as part of the videoconference event
Youth Violence Awareness Digital Projects
February 2008 - May 2008
This workshop will culimate in the creation of original youth violence awareness commercials. Therefore students must have access to a digital camera or digital video camera and PowerPoint, iMovie, or other video software - - as well as time to complete their projects. During this project, students are required to post questions, comments and short summaries about their progress on the project blog every other week.
Digital Project Virtual Festival (Videoconference)
Friday, May 9, 2008
The final session will be the world debut of each classroom’s videos. After screening the shorts from each site students will respond to the messages presented – were they effective, was the video creative and engaging? Following a concluding discussion the videos will be posted online at www.theoneminutesjr.org, a site supported by UNICEF that provides an international forum for youth to express their feelings through film about the social issues most relevant to their lives.
About MYX: Multicultural Youth Exchange
MYX: Multicultural Youth eXchange is a Philadelphia-based, nonprofit organization, which uses the arts to educate young people about diverse cultures in order to promote global tolerance.
In a shrinking world with expanding cultural biases, violence and war, it is essential to dispel ignorance about different cultures and increase sensitivity toward diverse peoples. Because art is present in all cultures and communicates universal feelings and interpretations of the physical world we all share, MYX uses it in a central way to enlighten young minds to the fundamental common interests that all humans share.
MYX was founded in direct response to the tragedies of September 11, 2001. It is our belief that culturally-sensitive youth are the hope for a future society free of intolerance.
Special Thanks to:
Special thanks to guest speakers, Leslie Birch and Ricahrd Gretzinger of HUMAN+NATURE