AjA Youth Media Project: Reshaping Perceptions of City Heights
The Power of Stories is an archive of projects submitted every year to Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Statewide Convening. It showcases work created throughout California highlighting the power of individual and collective efforts to promote health and demonstrates how stories have the power to re-imagine and transform our communities. Produced in partnership with the California Endowment.
Project Submitted by: AjA's Youth Media Project
Project Summary: Students produce stories that inspire and mobilize cooperation, pride and a vision toward a healthy community.
BHC Site: City Heights
AjA's Youth Media Project encourages young people to use the power of media to tell the untold stories that are often overlooked by mainstream media. Stories of spirit and resilience, that re-define and re-shape perception about City Heights. Through their stories students reveal the individuals and efforts who are making a real difference. Stories that inspire and mobilize cooperation, pride and a vision toward a healthy community. Some of the topics explored include:
- Health and wellness- Students will explore health issues affecting their communities as well as identify solutions for change.
- Community engagement- Students will examine the ways in which local stakeholders are impacting their communities.
- Trauma, violence and resiliency- Students will examine a range of issues related to the impact of trauma and the role of resiliency in affecting individual and community-level change.
Engaging the youth voice in shaping and creating public narrative can transform communities. We assert that the power of self-representation is key to disrupting false narratives that can often perpetuate cycles of thought and behavior, at the individual and societal level.
