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After School | In School | Out-of-School | Summer | Community
Teen Streets
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Created during the 2006-2007 school year by students at Northeast High School and Girard College, this documentary examines the problem of teen homelessness in the city of Philadelphia, where roughly 1,000 teens sleep in shelters each night. The filmmakers, teens themselves, spoke with teens who have been homeless, as well as the professionals who battle the problem every day.
 Street Music
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This experimental short combines original poetry, the music of street musicians, and images of Philly's Center Square to paint a vivid picture of our city during evening rush hour. It was produced in the 2006-2007 school year by students from CAPA and Masterman, as well as one student who was homeschooled.
 Interracial Relationships
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This documentary explores the current level of acceptance of interracial friendships and relationships at one Philadelphia public high school. It was produced over the 2006-2007 school year by students at Roxborough High School.
 Ghosts. Do They Exist?
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In this exploratory piece, a group of teens from Central High School and Parkway Center City High School interviewed members of the public to gauge levels of belief in the paranormal and to see if they could hear some good ghost stories. The video was created during the 2006-2007 school year.
 Drive
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Over the '05-'06 school year, a group of Philadelphia teens gathered twice a week at the WHYY studios to create "Drive: 5 movies on young Philly artists." The collection of short documentaries follows five groups of performers as they struggle to define success.
 Growing Up Philly
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Twelve teens from Audenreid High School collaborated on this short documentary during Spring 2005. Watch as they reveal what it's really like to grow up in their corner of the city.
Truancy Videos
Between January and May of 2004, 12 Philadelphia teens met twice a week at Houston Community Center in South Philadelphia to create two short documentaries through WHYY's Afterschool program. A collaboration between WHYY and United Communities Southeast Philadelphia.
The teens produced two short documentaries tackling the topic of truancy. The first, "School Ain't Cool When You're Stressin'," examines the link between personal stress and truancy. The second, "School's Out," focuses on school environment as the cause.
The Learning Lab has partnered with several community service organizations to create programs for out-of-school youth. These programs, housed in job-training centers, offer video production skills to students earning GEDs and looking to join the workforce.
The E3 Newsroom
In fall and summer 2007, students at the E3 Center--Girard Branch worked with the Learning Lab at WHYY and Temple's Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab (MURL) to create news stories about their neighborhoods. Topics included election day events, a local farmers market, the local library, and the Mural Arts Program.
 Turning Apathy into the 3 E's
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In Summer 2006, a group of students at the Girard Branch E3 center explored the role of apathy as an obstacle to success in the lives of many teens. Through interviews with teens enrolled in the center's summer programs and their adult instructors, the filmmakers highlight many factors leading to a culture of apathy and try to uncover what centers like the E3 can do to help teens achieve success.
 Abandoned Parks, Abandoned Dreams
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In the spring of 2006, nine out-of-school youth, earning their GEDs at the Girard Branch E3 center, decided to explore the state of their local parks and recreation facilities through digital video. Under the guidance of the Learning Lab at WHYY and the Temple Youth Voices program, these students created a critical and thought-provoking documentary that explores the causes, and more importantly the effects, of poorly maintained parks in Philly neighborhoods. Aprox. 9 min.
 SEAMAAC: Cooking with Culture
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In 2006, students working to earn their GED at Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition worked with the Learning Lab at WHYY to create "Cooking with Culture," a short documentary on food and cultural sharing.
The Motion Picture
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This short film uses green screen technology to tell the story of a young gallery worker who develops a special relationship with one of the paintings. Starring Miasha Walters and Jackson Buttery and shot on location at F.U.E.L. gallery in Old City.
Shame
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This short mockumentary is a classic case of turning lemons into lemonade. When the production of short film about a superhero named No-Shame Man became fraught with problems, the students making the movie decided to make a mockumentary about a film production fraught with problems. "Shame" is the result.
School District of Philadelphia Documentary Camp
In summer 2007, twelve rising 8th- and 9th-graders attended a video production camp, jointly run by WHYY and the School District of Philadelphia. Over three weeks, the students created three short documentaries on a wide range of topics.
Color
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A seven-minute documentary, which draws on person-on-the-street interviews, "Color" examines current attitudes toward interracial relationships and biracial children. Produced by student filmmakers Jasmine Hardy, Daryl Hill, Briana Roberts, Tashayana Grant, and Lisa Fisher.
The Solitary Years
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Eastern State Penitentiary is America's most historic prison and one of Philadelphia's most fascinating tourist attractions. "The Solitary Years" looks at the prison's origins, its strict policy of solitude, and how that policy changed over the years. Produced by student filmmakers Chima Nwakpuda, Courtney Bryant, and Chris Collins.
The Disposal Project
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What do you do with your old computers and other electronics when they become obsolete? "The Disposal Project" focuses on the proper way to dispose of electronic trash and the people who are working behind the scenes to make sure our old computers aren't harming our environment. Produced by Manny Vazquez, Basheer Lewis, and Huizhong Wu.
WHYY Film Academy 2007 -- a Partnership with Julian Krinsky Camps and Programs
In the Summer of 2007, the Learning Lab kicked off a partnership with Julian Krinksy Camps and Programs. The three-week WHYY Film Academy taught six teenagers to produce narrative short films. The first week was devoted primarily to instruction, covering topics such as continuity editing, framing shots, lighting, sound, and acting. The final two weeks saw the teens on the streets of Philadelphia producing their own movies from scripts they had written. These six teens served as actors, writers, directors, sound and lighting technicians, musicians, and editors, and completed their films from script to DVD in just 10 working days. We hope you enjoy their final products.
 The Yellow Shoes
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A love story between a boy and his new shoes, this short film uses music and color to follow the path of a romance from its exciting beginning to its heart-breaking conclusion. Produced by Brett Anders, Claire Bouvard, and Matt Whitman.
 Trouble on Bread Street
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This 9-minute short, plays on the conventions of the classic Western, bringing cowboys and outlaws to the modern city. Produced by Sam Austin, Kim Burwash and Kim Klein.
Partnering public and private education, as well as area non-profits, the Learning Lab offers over 60 weekly hours of summer video instruction. During this time, students develop production skills through project-based, hands-on learning. Partners in 2006 summer programs were Friends Select School, Congreso Latinos Unidos, the School District of Phildelphia, and the Urban Nutrition Initiative.
Phanatic! A Phanumentary
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Teens enrolled in the Learning Lab's Summer 2006 program trace the history and cultural importance of the Philadelphia Phillies' baseball club mascot, Phillie Phanatic. See him in action and listen to interviews with various Phillies personalities, including veteran announcer, Harry Kalas.
 School District Partnership: The Truth About Bullying
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During Summer 2006, five incoming 9th graders produced a short documentary on the harmful effects of bullying. Listen to personalexperiences as experts discuss preventative measures.
 Inked Out in Philly
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Also in Summer 2006, four teens ventured from tattoo parlors on South Street to the Penn Museum, discovering the history and cultural phenomenon of tattooing. Watch to find out how someone gets "ink" as you see it live.
 Friends Select Summer Documentary Workshop
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In Summer 2005, three 14-year-old students enrolled in WHYY's Documentary Workshop created a half-hour movie about the history, controversy, and public reaction surrounding the skating ban in iconic Love Park.
The initial screening of Skaters in LOVE drew over 200 people, and the documentary has a been a popular Learning Lab favorite ever since.
 WHYY's 50th Anniversary
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See WHYY's 50th birthday celebration through the lens of students from the Learning Lab. These teens served as camera operators, editors, and roving reporters, interviewing WHYY staff and guests as they enjoyed the day's festivities.
 The Haddonfield Symphony: Classroom Symphony
The Haddonfield Symphony, led by Music Director Rossen Milanov, is a premier professional training orchestra. The Symphony prepares musicians and conductors from prestigious conservatories and universities on the cusp of world-class careers through concert performances, educational outreach and professional development programs.
The Learning Lab at WHYY, has partnered with the Haddonfield Symphony to capture Classroom Symphony, a component of The Symphony's award-winning Music Matters! educational program led by Assistant Conductor, Benjamin Loeb. The program introduces the four instrument families of the orchestra to students of all abilities in grades K-4. Incorporating both music and children's literature into the core curriculum standards through multi-disciplinary workshops based on a thematic selection of literature, these interactive workshops bring music to life. The Symphony provides a Study Guide to assist teachers in preparing their students for the workshop.
Strings for Schools: Music Residency
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Strings for Schools aims to inspire a lifelong involvement in music in students through live, interactive, and educational music enrichment programs. Strings for Schools' professional musicians offer over 40 different types of classical, jazz, popular, and multi-cultural music offerings, including cross-curricular residency programs that provide in-depth learning experiences for smaller groups of students. All residency programs culminate in performances where the workshop students perform with the Strings for Schools' ensemble.
With training and equipment provided by WHYY, Strings for Schools produced this 10-minute video, documenting the John Blake Jazz Quartet's "African American History Through Music" residency program at George Thomas Middle School in Philadelphia.
Blue Sky: First Person Festival of Memoir in the Arts
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Blue Sky is a Philadelphia-based arts organization that produces the annual First Person Festival of Memoir in the Arts. Appearing in locations throughout Philadelphia, 2003's First Person Festival featured writers, performers, and visual artists whose work reflected their own true stories.
Using the Local Access Unit, Blue Sky recorded various First Person Festival events and edited them into the promotional piece streamed here.
Bucks County PEG Channel(s) Access Corporation: Big Brothers Big Sisters
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Dismayed by the uninspired use of Bucks County's local access channels, Bucks County PEG Channel(s) Access Corporation (BCPEG), decided to enrich the airwaves with a Local Access Unit production. The group chose as their subject the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters and enlisted two Bensalem High School juniors as cameramen/editors. BCPEG plans to expand the resulting seven-minute video into a half-hour program for local access cable.
Art Sanctuary: Cutumba!
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Based in North Philadelphia's historic Church of the Advocate, Art Sanctuary is an arts and letters organization that brings prominent cultural figures to inner-city audiences. In November 2002, Art Sanctuary hosted Cuba's Ballet Folklorico Cutumba, an internationally renowned music ensemble and dance troupe, for a weeklong series of performances. Cutumba performed a spectacular array of traditional and religious dances from Cuba's Oriente region, whose culture is flavored with the elements from West Africa, Haiti, Spain, and France.
With training from WHYY, Art Sanctuary used the Local Access Unit to record a performance at the Church of the Advocate, a portion of which is streamed here.
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