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UU Faith Works Summer/Fall 2003 Administration
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Videos for Youth Groups
Jesse C. Jaeger
Youth Programs Director, UUA
Boston, MAHere are descriptions and reviews of two videos that are available through the Lifespan Faith Development loan library. Both of these videos come recommended from the UUA Youth Office and have study guides that can be downloaded from the Internet. They would both make ideal youth group activities.
Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity
Produced by: Jackson Katz
Description:
While the social construction of femininity has been widely examined, the dominant role of masculinity has until recently remained largely invisible. Tough Guise is the first educational video geared toward college and high school students to systematically examine the relationship between pop-cultural imagery and the social construction of masculine identities in the U.S. at the dawn of the 21st century.
In this innovative and wide-ranging analysis, Jackson Katz argues that widespread violence in American society, including the tragic school shootings in Littleton, Colorado; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and elsewhere, needs to be understood as part of an ongoing crisis in masculinity.
This exciting new media literacy tool—utilizing racially diverse subject matter and examples—will enlighten and provoke students (both males and females) to evaluate their own participation in the culture of contemporary masculinity.
Review and Suggested Uses:
This is a wonderful video that combines footage from contemporary media and analysis from Jackson Katz to explore issues of masculinity. Katz gives a clear look at how men in our society internalize superiority through pressure from across society and how that translates into higher levels of violence perpetrated by men. However, it is not all bad news for Katz. He spends time at the end of this documentary exploring ways to break the cycle.
Youth should find it engaging and discussion provoking. There is a study guide available online ( http://www.mediaed.org/videos/MediaGenderAndDiversity/ToughGuise/studyguide/ToughGuise.pdf ) that can help shape the conversation if you like, but Unitarian Universalist youth will find much to talk about after viewing this video.
This video could be used in a larger discussion about gender roles and power or as a linked oppression piece to an anti-racism training. Our Whole Lives teachers could also use it as supplemental programming in the gender-role portions of the curriculum.
What Do You Believe?
Produced by: Sarah Fienbloom
Descriptions:
The What Do You Believe? Project was conceived in 1998 in order to promote tolerance and understanding among American teenagers from different religious and spiritual backgrounds. 200 teenagers have been interviewed for this project, and their beliefs and experiences are incorporated in a unique 50-minute educational documentary.
The interviewees include Muslim, Pagan, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Agnostic, Native American, Mormon, Jewish, Catholic, Baptist, Christian, Latino, Black, White and Asian American youth. By weaving six teenagers' in-depth stories with commentary from 20 diverse teens, this documentary paints a broad picture of religious and spiritual lives of teenagers in America and delves deeply into the issues that are at the heart of being human. What Do You Believe? does not promote one specific religion or belief. It does promote tolerance and cross-cultural dialogue.
Review and Suggested Use:
What Do You Believe? is a great documentary that looks at religious pluralism among American youth. Fienbloom has done a good job of bringing together youth from diverse backgrounds to share how they experience their faith and how their faith interacts with the society around them. It is clear that Fienbloom's goal is to teach religious understanding, and she does well in meeting this goal. The film becomes useful to Unitarian Universalist youth by showing just how much religious diversity exists in their school communities.
Like Tough Guise , What Do You Believe? will make for great youth group programming. It also comes with a study guide that can be downloaded from the web ( www.whatdoyoubelieve.org ) that will help shape the discussion. However, a great conversation will probably emerge without needing the study guide. Congregations following Neighboring Faiths could also use this video to supplement that curriculum. The film is accessible to junior high as well senior high youth.
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