Educational Media Reviews Online

Each of the six videos in this series is a brief portrayal of a young (up to age 30) leader who has overcome a seemingly overwhelming personal obstacle. Though they all had difficult starts in life, they are now successful, highly respected, and admired activists, working to better the lives of those in their communities. The six young leaders are from Canada, Thailand, India, Romania, Peru, and the United States.

Rena McLeod in Canada is the inspiring story of an indigenous mother of two in Winnipeg. As an adolescent she was very troubled, was a frequent runaway, was jailed in juvenile detention centers, and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. She is now a successful legal activist who works with native youth in their struggle for native justice.

Jongsada Suwanchondee in Thailand is about a young, determined woman in Bangkok who helps AIDS victims by establishing AIDS support-groups and by developing educational programs in her community. When she was a teenager she became addicted to heroin and later contracted the HIV virus.

Shankuntala Kazmi in India portrays a young, energetic woman in Delhi who has organized a women's association that fights for women's rights in a very traditional, male-dominated society. She was born into a low-caste family with very few opportunities for educational or social advancement.

Razvan Marcu in Romania chronicles the accomplishments of a dedicated, young environmentalist living in Bucharest. Marcu is the founder and leader of ECOSENS, an environment action group. He participated in the demonstrations that ultimately led to the fall of communist dictator Ceaucescu, and he now fights against private, capitalist corporations that profit from environmental degradation.

Ramiro Garcia in Peru is the story of a talented founder and leader of a theatrical and cultural arts troupe in Villa El Salvador, Peru. The troupe entertains, educates, and inspires young children who live in urban squalor. Garcia's concern for young children stems from his own childhood experience with family alcoholism and domestic violence.

Victor "Gotti" Cherry in New York tells the story of a former gang leader and drug pusher in Harlem, now an accomplished poet who works with troubled children and adolescents in his community.

Each of the videos makes use of taped interviews with the person being profiled and with other significant individuals. These interviews are interwoven with scenes of the individual at work, which often portray very emotional events (winning a legal battle, counseling an AIDS victim, inspiring a child, etc.). Additionally, each young leader recalls a life-changing event that is either dramatically reenacted or, in a couple of cases, depicted by archival footage of historical events.

Video and sound production are of the highest quality. English subtitles and voice-overs are used in several of the videos. In a couple of these cases, unfortunately, the voice was obviously that of an older person -- in these instances it would have been much more effective to have an obviously younger voice. The background music is exceptional and is appropriate for each depicted culture.

There is not much that can be considered academic in this series. We learn only obvious generalities about leadership development or about the social problems that are discussed. The primary intent here is not academic; its purpose is to inspire and to motivate young people (of high-school and college age) by showing that one person, a young person at that, can make an important and lasting societal contribution.

This series is highly recommended for libraries and media centers seeking to add this type of inspirational or motivational material, though some will balk at its high cost ($595 for the series; $195 each). If a more academic treatment of leadership development or social problems is needed, one should look elsewhere.