Training Manual

“In Our Own Words”

Three Part Video Series:

By Youth - For Youth - About Youth

New School Video Outreach Project

“Life in the Barrios”

Outline:

1)Introduction

2)The Video Series “In Our Own Words”

3) How to implement the series: Classroom Presentation

4)The Group Discussion

5)Outreach and follow-up contact with New School

1) Introduction:

The video production series, “In Our Own Words”, was produced by the students at New School (High School) in Watsonville. This project is funded by a grant from the Santa Cruz County Drug and Alcohol / Youth Prevention Program. The project coordinator is David Gilbert, documentary videographer / director of Insight Multicultural Communication Inc. The program was under the supervision and guidance of New School Head Teacher, Don Eggleston.

New School places a very high priority on the process of recovery for their students. “In Our Own Words” interfaced with the school’s focus. Many of the students at New School struggle with gang involvement, drugs, and alcohol abuse. This program offered the youth hands-on video training. They created stories and re-enactments from their own life experiences. They also conducted interviews with one another exploring the hardship and difficulties their involvement with drugs, alcohol, stealing and gangs created for them in regards to: themselves, their family, friends, school, their community and the juvenile justice system. The programs in the series are graphic portrayals of their path to recovery.

The goal of this program is to provide a format in which New School youth can speak directly with the younger generation (middle school age youth) about the struggles and hardship they encountered as their lives got more deeply intertwined with drugs and gangs and substance abuse. It is the hope of the young people that contributed to this program that the next generation of middle school youth could take a moment to learn from their stories and perhaps make a different decision if they ever face similar situations.

Statements from the youth involved in “New School Video Outreach Project”:

“My name is Lupe. I started using drugs when I was in 9th grade. I was using crank and heroin. Now I don’t hang out with the same people. I quit using drugs. I’ve been in this program for 12 months. We are trying to improve kids life’s so they can be better and not have to go through the things we have gone through.”

Lupe (Age 16)

“We’re trying to open the eyes of kids, to try to help them not get involved in gangs and drugs.” Tina, Age 17

“This is like a biography about us, what was going on in our lives. If I can share my story … we don’t want kids to pass through all that we passed through.”

Louis, Age 16

“ This is to talk to them about what happened in our lives, it’s not fiction – it really happened to us. It’s not somebody just talking to them – somebody who didn’t even live through it. And to tell them facts – everything that happens like when you’re on drugs you could get raped. Drugs kill your brain cells. They hurt your lungs.”

Victoria, Age 15

“We are trying to make them think – everything you do affects your family, not just you.” Tina, Age 17

“Where I live there is drug dealing and gang banging, ever since I was a little kid. I started using when I was in the 6th grade. I don’t use drugs or sell drugs or gang bang anymore.” Jose, Age 15

This training manual offers youth leaders, teachers and counselors a procedural guide to help with implementing the videotape series as an outreach prevention program for drug and gang involvement. The outreach program is designed for classroom and small group presentations with a follow-up group discussion. The students involved in New School Video Outreach Program are available to come to your school, present the program, and assist with facilitating the discussion with the students. Please contact New School to schedule an outreach presentation (831 761 6140).

2) The Video Series “In Our Own Words”

The following is a brief description of the three programs included in the series: 1) The Party That Didn’t End, 2) Life In The Gang, 3) Youth To Youth - Statements For Prevention

Tape 1: “The Party That Didn’t End”

This program portrays the initial seduction of drugs, “The Party”, and where the path can lead. The introductory scene is a re-enactment by the youth in the Video Outreach Program. The youth involved in this program all had the initial introduction to “The Party” but for many of them, the party just continued and their involvement with drugs escalated into addictive relationships with harder substances. After the initial scene from their lives the young people go into graphic and moving stories about their struggle with drugs and alcohol and the journey from addiction to recovery. In this program they offer the younger generation an inside glimpse of where the path can lead and the difficulties that it has created in their lives with their family, friends, school, and the juvenile justice system. Total Running Time 14 Min

Tape 2: “Life In The Gang”

This program portrays the consequences of being involved with gangs. The piece consists of scenes from a live-re-enactment by the youth in the Video Outreach Program working in collaboration with the Watsonville Police Department. The program consists of personal interviews in which youth talk in detail about their involvement with gangs and drugs and the negative consequences it created in their lives. They also discuss how their involvement with gangs impacted their relationships with their family members, their self-respect, their performance in school, and how friends and family died as a result of gang involvement. It is interwoven with statements by a police officer talking candidly to the youth involved in this program about the consequences juvenile offenders face with the justice system for violent gang banging offenses, and the impact that can have on the whole community. Total Running Time 14 Min

Tape 3: “Youth To Youth - Statements For Prevention”

This program was shot on location at the annual statewide “California Prevention Summit 2003”. The young people interviewed in this program are from a diverse array of communities and inner cities throughout California. They reflect the broad ethnic diversity of California’s multicultural landscape. They speak out about the problems of drugs in their communities, what they and other young people are doing to address the issue, and give messages to middle school youth about the problems and struggles drug involvement could create in their lives. This program was made possible thanks to the cooperation of Friday Night Live and the “California Prevention Summit 2003” organizing committee. Total Running Time: 14 Min

The students involved in the New School Video Outreach Project shot, acted, and conducted live interviews for all of the above programs.

3) How to Implement the series: Classroom Presentation

These tapes are intended to be presented to Middle School students by High School students from New School Video Outreach Project / Life in the Barrios. After viewing each tape students will tell their recovery stories and lead small group discussions. Each of the three videotapes has a specific targeted message for the youth. You can choose to present these consecutively or you can utilize the following methodology and leave time for a discussion after each tape. These tapes can be presented to a classrooms or large group presentations or to a targeted focus group.

Methodology For Outreach presentations:

1) Presentation of the Video

The video series is designed to with three specific focuses; Tape 1: “The Party That Didn’t End”, Tape 2: “Life In The Gang” and Tape 3: “Youth To Youth –Statements For Prevention”. We recommend that you work with either Tape 1 or Tape 2 first to establish the initial focus on either drugs or gangs. In reality these two worlds cross over, as the youth have expressed in the productions. After the presentation of the first two tapes you can conclude the series with the final tape, which is composed of young people’s statements on prevention. The series is designed to be presented as three individual outreach presentations, each presentation followed up with either a larger group discussion / question and answer session or by breaking up into small groups for focused discussions circles.

Stages for the outreach program:

A)Introduction for the program: Utilize the above description of the chosen program to read of paraphrase to the youth.

B)Present the video

C)Follow up the presentation with a questions and answer session.

D)The discussion

4) The Group Discussion

The following are discussion questions and topics that the youth in this program developed to help create a dialogue with the kids they worked with in the middle schools.

Junior’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs

A)Making my family cry and suffer.

B) Losing friends and making enemies.

C)Starting to use drugs to feel better.

D)Can no longer walk on the streets.

E)Lost the trust of my family.

F)Not going to school and getting dropped for cutting.

G)I thought it was going to be cool and fun but once I got into it I realized that it was sad.

Lupe’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs

  1. What do you think about weed?
  2. What do you think about gang banging?
  3. Do you know what you are getting into?
  4. What these little decisions now will mean in the future?

Juan’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs

  1. How do you say no?
  2. What else could you do such as; sports, movies, after-school club, do homework…
  3. The limitations of being in a gang: you have to watch your back, you can’t go places, you could go to prison, you cause your parents pain, and you could get killed.
  4. Drugs - they create stress for you and they affect your memory

Jose’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs

  1. It all seems like fun in middle school but it’s an illusion.
  2. It hurts your parents and causes them pain.
  3. You get alienated from your parents.
  4. You get enemies.
  5. The cops know you.
  6. It’s a bad example for your little brother and sister.

Mr. Casey Obrien, Assistant Principle, EA Hall Middle School,

Discussion topics: Gangs and Drugs

  1. How to say no to the cool dudes.
  2. How can you not get involved?
  3. What other activities could you do?

5) Outreach and follow-up contact with New School

Telephone Contact Number (New School): 831- 761-6140

New School Outreach Speakers:

After previewing these tapes if you would like New School students to come to show them and speak with your students, please call us at N.S. They can follow up the presentation with “personal testimonials” in which they talk with the youth directly about the negative impact drugs and gangs have had on their lives. They are available to assist with the group discussions with the youth. They have conducted presentations at: EA Hall Middle School and UCSC.

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