Last weekend Adobe Youth Voices celebrated another great year at WNET’s Celebration of Teaching & Learning. During the conference, which brought together more than 10,000 educators and thought leaders, Adobe Youth Voices led six workshops: three each on the topics of creating music videos and portrait documentaries. Educators filled up the room for each session and gained hands-on experience with Essentials curriculum.

During the music video workshops, much attention was given to the use of rhythm and how to cut video segments to a musical beat. Teaching teams from elementary through high school levels discussed the opportunities for using music videos as a tool to explore social issues.

Participants who attended the portrait documentary workshops started the sessions by interviewing each other about why they became educators, and the interviews yielded many inspired stories. The workshops focused on providing clear-cut interview tips as well as recommendations for taking complex social issues and breaking them down into bite sized pieces, so that students can create projects with clear and concise messages.

The highlight of the conference for Adobe Youth Voices was the panel discussion moderated by Wes Moore, a New York Times best-selling author and host of the television program Beyond Belief. Wes Moore’s panel featured a discussion of educational opportunities and how they can make a difference in the lives of young people.

The panel included two Adobe Youth Voices students: Lorenzo Jackson, a senior in high school and a theater student in the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy at Urban Arts Partnership, as well as Najaya Royal, a freshman in high school who is an accomplished poet, writer and musician.

Lorenzo Jackson has been involved with Urban Arts Partnership for three years, where he has shined as a star student and actor extraordinaire. “Lorenzo is like a tornado,” says Armando Somoza, an educator who has worked with Lorenzo since he first enrolled in the program. Armando refers to the force of Lorenzo’s personality, and his refusal to be stopped by obstacles in his path.

Lorenzo overcame difficult family circumstances in his early teens to develop a keen talent for stage performance, ranging from traditional theater to stand-up comedy. Lorenzo has his eye on Fordham University’s theatre department, where he hopes to attend college next fall. “I made it this far,” says Lorenzo. “Why can’t I make it all the way?”

What is the secret of his success? “It takes faith, patience, and dedication to get anywhere,” explained Lorenzo during Saturday’s panel discussion. “Surround yourself with people who have good intentions.”

Najaya Royal, who just turned fifteen, is already making a name for herself among performing arts communities in New York City. She credits her success to the support and positive influence of her mother. “She’s a really strong person,” says Najaya. “She’s the best role model I could ask for.”

Najaya’s mother has encouraged her creative pursuits since a young age, when Najaya first expressed an interest in poetry. Since then, Najaya’s poetry has been included in five poetry anthologies, and has been set to opera music by the American Opera Project, who performed Najaya’s poetry at Carnegie Hall, as well as a public performance in Ft. Greene Park in Brooklyn as a part of the Walt Whitman Project.

Watch the performance of Najaya’s poem, Brooklyn Cinderella:

Najaya is also an accomplished violinist and saxophone player, and she wants to combine her love of music and her love of writing into a career as a music journalist. “I want to write about up and coming artists, to give light to unrecognized performers,” says Najaya of her plans for the future.

Najaya’s own experience with integrating disciplines gives her ideas about how the education system can be improved for students everywhere. “I think students need an outlet for expressing themselves,” says Najaya. “Teachers should have their students write down what’s important to them on the first day of class, and then teachers should help students use what they are passionate about to help them with the subjects they are struggling with.” Najaya puts this advice into practice in her own life, by setting her class notes to music when she studies for a test.

“Don’t be afraid to do something to help yourself,” says Najaya. During Saturday’s panel discussion, she explained, “We all have a dream. But it’s your choice to go after that dream.”

Guest Post by Peter French

So often it is just a matter of finding that moment, that perfect opportunity to totally engage with a student and give them the chance to really shine.

Matt Calvin had always been a good but fairly quiet, understated student in my digital design class in grades 11 and 12. Matt’s work has always been interesting, and as he progressed through the grade 12 projects, he showed more and more promise as an artist. However, it was when I announced the Adobe Youth Voices program and video and poster projects that he took off like a rocket.

Matt immediately came over to me and told me he had been suffering from serious depression, that he had been hurting himself but now was getting help, and that he wanted to make a video about his journey so he could help others who were going through the same horrible experience.

I was a little taken aback by hearing all of this, but I recall being very excited by this incredible prospect for a really meaningful film. I also recall recommending to him to proceed with caution. He had to be very careful about how much he revealed and the way he revealed it. All of this happened in a few brief minutes, but it led to something amazing.

Matt had lost a dear relative with whom he had been very close, and it had upset him more than he had realized. Unfortunately he had not found ways to communicate this to anyone else, and it had remained bottled up inside. The eventual outcome was a case of serious depression that was finally expressed through cutting himself. Ultimately he made a very deep cut that required him to be rushed to the hospital for several stitches. That was the tipping point which made his parents realize what had been going on and reach out for help. The support he found was rich and deep. I believe that he came out of this as well as he did because of the support he received, and because he is a very strong young man.

As Matt and I talked, I realized that there were several reasons for making this video and poster. Yes, it was a major class project but there were bigger issues here. It would be a part of his healing process – a cathartic release from the depths of this experience. And, it would allow him to turn this very negative experience into a strong healing film that could help others.

The poster and the video are fabulous. He scored a near perfect mark for each item. When I showed this video to my peers at the Adobe Education Leader’s Summer Institute in July 2011, they were very impressed and moved. It is so simple and yet so compelling:

This past December The Toronto Star, a major newspaper in Canada, featured a series about teen depression and suicide. I sent them Matt’s video and asked if they would like to publish it so other teens could see it and hopefully be helped. They did that, and more, ultimately publishing the video and a feature about Matt’s journey with depression and healing through creativity (click to view the article).

In conclusion, it has been an amazing process and a privilege to support Matt on his creative journey. Teachers dream of working with students at this level. The Adobe Youth Voices program not only allows it – it encourages it by creating the environment and opportunity for this type of work to start and then take off.

Peter French
Adobe Youth Voices Lead Educator

Marvin Bugarini is a young man with a plan.

A junior at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, he is on track to graduate early, possibly as early as this spring. In spite of the heavy academic load that comes along with completing high school in just three years, Marvin has had plenty of time to cultivate other talents.

A long standing participant at the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in Redwood City, Marvin has had his fingers in many creative pies: for example, he contributed ideas for the plot and scenes, props and costumes during the making of Angel In My Sky, the film which will be premiering next Thursday, November 10th at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City.

On the music side, Marvin participated in the 20/20 Vision project last year, starring in the music video  and eventually traveling to Washington, DC to perform at the Youth Listening Tour. Marvin also traveled to Florida over the summer to open for J. Cole at the Keystone Conference.

A film premiere, a music video, and two national performances would be enough to keep an average teenager busy, but Marvin’s eyes really light up when he starts to talk about his work with Photoshop!

“I do a little bit of everything, and I always master whatever I start to work on,” says Marvin about his artistic talents. He taught himself how to use Photoshop just by cracking open the program and letting his mind run wild. Now he is teaching other students at the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy how to use the program, showing them the tricks and techniques he developed.

Marvin is also making a name for himself in his community as the “go to” for anyone who needs an album cover or concert poster. Not just an amateur, Marvin is paid well for his sought after design work.

Marvin is dreaming of a chance to collaborate with his Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy classmates on something big, something that will stand out to the whole world. “We’ve got a lot of creative minds here,” says Marvin about the Academy. “There are many messages that we could send, like helping each other out, no more bullying, no more violence. You’ve got to get into people’s heads and make them think that education is the key to success.”

So what’s the key to Marvin’s successful future? He intends to enroll in a community college for two years after high school, after which point he will transfer to a four year school to earn his Bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a minor in music.

Look out for more great work from this outrageously talented and ambitious young man!

Diamante Horton has had a whirlwind year.

The excitement began with his participation in the groundbreaking 20/20 Vision music video project last fall, followed by an opportunity to perform at the Youth Listening Tour in Washington, DC in the spring. Topping it all off, Diamante performed onstage with the Black Eyed Peas during AYV Live!, the keystone event which wrapped up the Youth Media Summit in August.

After Diamante had the chance to catch his breath, he and his classmates at the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in Redwood City decided to put the finishing touches on Angel In My Sky, a film which the group wrote, filmed and produced over the course of a year and a half. Along with mentor Gabriel Lomeli, Diamante took a leading role in writing the script, as well as acting as the main character in the film.

Ruby Gonzalez, another member of the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in Redwood City, says she was “pretty much the only girl who helped” write and produce the film.

Ruby is no stranger to blazing trails as a girl. She has participated in the Boys & Girls Club in Redwood City since she was eight years old, and when she joined the club she went ahead and signed herself up for the boys street hockey team.

But it hasn’t been all rough and tumble for Ruby, who also spent her time at the Boys & Girls Club exploring her artistic side. Ruby danced in baile folklórico performances, as well as developed her talent for singing.

Ruby always wanted to be a singer growing up, and her parents captured many home videos of Ruby dancing and singing along to Selena albums. But as she got older, Ruby became shy of performing in front of other people.

The Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy gave her the opportunity to open back up again. “When I came here, everyone was signing and rapping, and I thought to myself, no one is going to think this is strange.”

The first time Ruby’s parents heard her sing since she was a young girl was at a Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy performance at the Crown Plaza in front of 400 people. “They were shocked,” says Ruby about her parents reaction. “Shocked and happy.”

Diamante has also been shaped by his experiences at the Academy. “I was not always comfortable in front of a camera,” says Diamante. “I was always shy. This Peapod Adobe Youth Voices program has allowed me to be another me. It’s allowed me to speak. Before coming to the Academy, I was always thoughtful but I never shared my thoughts. I was anti-social until this program, it helped me have a voice. It’s given me a huge insight on a lot of things.”

Both Diamante and Ruby, armed with their talent, are aiming high.

Ruby is a freshman at Notre Dame de Namur University, where she is majoring in sociology. Ruby also works part time at the Boys & Girls Club, where she is gaining experience she hopes to use in a future career as a social worker.

Diamante, who is a senior in high school, is working hard to keep his grades up while he applies to colleges such as St. John’s University in New York and American University in Washington, DC.

If you’ve seen any of the music videos produced by the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in Redwood City, chances are that you’ve seen Lalo Saavedra.

“Stand Up For Haiti was the first video I rapped in,” says Lalo, and then begins to list the other work on his impressive resume: No Hate, Keep Pushin’, I Am The Difference…

Always into music, Lalo started coming to the Boys & Girls Club just before the announcement that the Peapod Foundation & Adobe Youth Voices would be opening an Academy. “I was totally overwhelmed when I heard the news. It felt like I was just meant to be here.”

Lalo is currently attending Foothill College, where he is studying business and music production. With an eye towards moving closer to the Los Angeles music scene, Lalo plans to transfer to a four year university in Southern California, such as UC Santa Barbara. In the meantime, Lalo is already working to make a name for himself in the music world. “I’m collaborating with local artists, putting my name out there,” he says. “I’m networking with people, starting to introduce myself as a producer.”

PJ Poloai is also a talented musician, but he tends to ply his skills behind the scenes: “Audio engineering is my strength, and also writing lyrics.”

PJ believes his participation in the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy has set his life on a different course. “Music has pretty much saved my life. It has helped me find my passion, it gave me a way to keep busy and productive and stay off the streets. It gave me a way out. Instead of ‘taking it to the streets’ I could put it into a song. I wouldn’t be here without this. I’d be in jail or… I just wouldn’t be here.”

Just last spring, PJ graduated from high school as a Junior. He knows the relationship his teachers had with his Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy instructors helped to keep him on track. “If I did bad in school, or if I didn’t show up for class, my teachers would call the Academy and they wouldn’t let me into the studio.”

PJ plans to start college in the spring, with the intention of studying audio engineering and video editing, but right now he is taking a semester off of school and focusing on his music.

PJ & Lalo collaborated with several other Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy students on the album Raconteurs, a compilation of the songs they have produced at the Academy. The students are planning the release of this album in conjunction with the film screening of Angel In My Sky on November 10th at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, which will be a combined celebration of youth media. Admission is free and the celebration is open to the public.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is an evening you don’t want to miss – RSVP now and help PJ & Lalo spread the word! And if you don’t live in the area or you just can’t attend, be sure to check out this free download of Raconteurs, now available on SoundCloud.

Nick Tozzi and Chris Sterling are two more Adobe Youth Voices students getting ready to make the journey to California this August, where they will join students from around the globe for the 2011 Youth Media Summit.

Chris describes himself as extremely artistic, having a good sense of humor and very forgiving. He is always happy. His interests include making music on FL Studio, hanging out with his friends as often as possible and creating art like paintings and drawings. He hopes to incorporate his music and art into his videos for Adobe Youth Voices.

Nick is extremely outgoing, artistic/creative, and social. He is very involved in the drama department at Cypress Creek High School and the Thespian Society. His most recent role was in the school production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. Also in his spare time he likes to long board which is like surfing the streets. He also loves to create videos.

Nick & Chris each sent us a video to share their thoughts on participating in the Youth Media Summit – we invite you to watch their videos, and join us in welcoming them to the global community of artists!

Join us in welcoming Beatriz “Bia” Graciano and Lincoln Melo, two Adobe Youth Voices students from Brazil who will be attending the Youth Media Summit in August 2011.

Although she has an easygoing personality and usually wears a smile on her face, Bia describes herself as a determined person, someone who decides what she wants and then goes after it, working hard to accomplish her goals. She has a passion for recording and editing videos, something she has done as a personal pass time, creating films for family and friends, in addition to her participation in Adobe Youth Voices. She also loves technology and computers, and in her free time she enjoys watching films and televisions series.

Lincoln is a very talkative and social person, who enjoys going out with his friends. Speaking English is a hobby for Lincoln, who is very curious about other cultures. One aspect of attending the Adobe Youth Voices Summit that Lincoln is excited about, is the opportunity to meet teenagers from all over the globe, to learn more about how they see the world and how they experience life.

TV Globo in Brazil recently featured a news report about these two student filmmakers. We loved seeing more about Bia & Lincoln, their projects and scenes from their school, which were all featured in this report. Even if you don’t speak Portuguese, we think you’ll enjoy it, too!

You can also watch this video Bia & Lincoln sent to us, sharing some of their thoughts about what it means to them to be attending the Summit this summer.

Rachel Townsend is in her first year of the Adobe Youth Voices program in Seattle, where she created Technicolor Love, a stop animation film about two people who fall in love in a dream, and then embark on a search to find each other in waking life.

Although Technicolor Love is only 3 minutes long, the film required 18 hours of shooting, and several more hours of editing. “I was surprised at how long it took to make something that turned out to be really short. Three hours of work might translate into 20 seconds of video because you’re talking about 600 pictures to make up that 20 seconds of film. I found it both disappointing and awesome at the same time,” said Rachel about her filmmaking process.

“I have always loved stop motion films like Wallace and Gromet,” said Rachel. “Through Adobe Youth Voices, I found that the process is magical. One of the really fun things about stop motion is that you can animate almost everything. My piece uses clay, cut paper, Swedish goldfish, dog toy stuffing, a toy car, beads and a lot of sweat from my friends and me.”

Rachel’s parents say that they are not artistic people, and they wonder how their 16 year old daughter became so artistic. In addition to producing Technicolor Love this spring, Rachel also wrote a 50,000 word novella last fall, and recently created a comic book series about a female super hero named Midnight who controls the darkness. Rachel also loves acting and singing.

Said Rachel about her filmmaking experience in Adobe Youth Voices, “When I started, I felt like I was on a path where I couldn’t see where it would go, but knew that it was long and rocky. But when I finally reached the end, I found I’d reached a place where my video fulfilled my vision even more than I knew.”

After tonight’s Live! event in Seattle, we will be updating our Youth Media Gallery to include Technicolor Love and many other films created by Adobe Youth Voices students throughout our programs in the Northwest.

In celebration of Earth Day, we caught up with Diana Lopez, the young activist featured in the Adobe Youth Voices film “Image of Contamination”, a story about Diana’s discovery that toxic chemicals from nearby Kelly Air Force Base were causing serious health problems for residents in her community.

Diana made this discovery during a summer internship with the Southwest Workers Union, and after a summer of volunteering with the union, she decided to change her life plans in order to keep fighting for environmental justice in her community.

Adobe Youth Voices (AYV): Since the filming of “Image of Contamination”, what are some of your main accomplishments with the Southwest Workers Union in the neighborhoods around Kelly Air Force Base?

Diana Lopez (DL): One of the biggest accomplishments was convincing the city to put up signs around Leon Creek advising people of the health risks, telling people not to swim near the base. This is an accomplishment because not only will the signs help protect people, but they also mean that the city is acknowledging that there is a problem, they’re acknowledging that pollution is going off Kelly Air Force Base and affecting the community.

We were able to get the signs thanks to studies conducted by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality & by MetroHealth. These two organizations tested for a wider variety of chemicals than were being tested for by the government, and the independent studies both revealed dangerous levels of certain toxic chemicals.

AYV: What other projects have you been working on in the last few years?

DL: One major project has been around food sustainability and security. We have transformed a brown, abandoned lot into a community garden and sustainability center, where we teach the community sustainable gardening skills, such as rainwater harvesting, building a garden using recycled materials, and how to create an urban farm. Many of the people who first started organizing with us have gone back to their homes and started community gardens in their neighborhoods.

Diabetes and other obesity related diseases are a big problem in the San Antonio area, so we see our community garden as both an environmental and community health project. Not only do we teach community members how to garden, but we also teach them how to cook fresh and healthy meals with the vegetables they have grown.

One future plan is to create a farmer’s market with a trading system, so that community gardeners can sell their harvests or trade for other products.

AYV: Do you have any words of advice for young people who want to get involved with environmental activism?

DL: One thing I want young people to know is that it is important not to hold back any opinions or suggestions that you have around bettering your neighborhood. It is important to demand that young people be part of a struggle for environmental justice. Your opinions and ideas are important, because many times we get used to the same routine and when young people introduce new ideas into the space, it advances the movement.

There are many opportunities for summer internships for young people with the Southwest Workers Union. I invite any young people to apply with us, or to look for an internship in their area. It might just change your life!

* * * * *

Two weeks ago, students from the Adobe Youth Voices Peapod Academy in Redwood City, California participated in a virtual exchange with AYV & iEARN students in Pakistan. The event, one of the first in a campaign spearheaded by iEARN to connect classrooms around the globe, has had a lasting impact on students in California, whose ambitions and academic plans have been influenced by the experience.

PJ Poloai, pictured above interviewing US Undersecretary Judith McHale during the exchange, is one of five AYV Peapod students who have expressed an interest in participating in the YES Program, a unique exchange opportunity funded by the US Department of State with the mission of “building bridges of understanding” between Americans and the Muslim world.

Other AYV Peapod students who expressed an interest in participating in the YES Program include Jose Saavedra, Lilianna Moreno, Giovanni Flores, and Britney Mitchell. “Viewing someone else’s country through their own eyes, rather than hearing it from the news, it is a very unique and amazing concept,” said Britney. “This program and conference call with the teens [in Pakistan] has shown me that no matter where someone is in the world, you’ll always find you are more alike than expected.”

Jose Saavedra also had the opportunity to speak with Undersecretary McHale about his intentions to create awareness of child labor, a topic of discussion between students in California & Pakistan during the virtual exchange. “I would love to make a media piece about child labor to create awareness about this issue around the world,” said Jose. “Hopefully we can influence policy makers to make an positive impact on children not only in Pakistan but around the world.”

The impact of the virtual exchange was personal as well as global in scope. Alejandra Godinez, who is pictured above taking a front row seat to meet her peers in Pakistan, is a 17-year-old high school student who also takes courses at Cañada College. Alejandra said of her participation, “I would have never thought I would be part of something so great. This experience has encouraged me to continue college, which will make me the first one to graduate in my family.”

Undersecretary Judith McHale said that the AYV youth from the United States and Pakistan who attended the world’s first AYV / iEARN virtual exchange “could become the worlds future ambassadors in public diplomacy, truly creating global understanding, tolerance and acceptance of each other differences, focusing on common ground and how countries can work together to affect world wide issues.”

It was an honor for Adobe Youth Voices to partner with iEARN in this pilot exchange, and we look forward to working together to host future virtual exchanges, and to seeing where the seeds of inspiration take our AYV Peapod students!