Educational Media Reviews Online

Youth to Youth is a half-hour long documentary which, as the title indicates, focuses on young people speaking with an audience of other young people in mind. The film’s featured speakers, who are identified in the PR materials as eighth graders, speak eloquently and freely on a short list of topical subjects including racism, war, rape, and police brutality. Along with these young speakers, a few adults also weigh in to share their experiences with these subjects. The participants present a diverse range of experiences and perspectives. The design of this film is simple and effective and seems likely to stimulate thought and invite discussion amongst viewers. Since it was completed over thirty years ago, in 1992, it cannot address topics and events that have arisen more recently, but its underlying themes and messages remain relevant while also providing a good starting point for discussion of more recent events.

In Youth to Youth the filmmakers mix real-time conversations with interview footage and archival imagery, allowing the participants to speak on the main topics individually, and also explore them in small groups. Their discussions feel extemporaneous and authentic. Some speakers provide and discuss personal examples, while others respond or hypothesize about what they might do or have done in similar circumstances. In analyzing situations and actions, the participants consider not only their own biases and opinions, but also the stated perspectives of their peers, as well as people who live/d in different places, times, or cultures.

While this film clearly documents the negative impacts of various forms of violence, bias, and discrimination, it is not overtly instructional, and no single perspective or conclusion on the material is directly prescribed as the “right” one; instead, the featured speakers consider and discuss the subjects presented so that viewers may draw their own conclusions. The intention of the filmmakers seems to include the stimulation of thought and discussion, with the ultimate goals of increasing the understanding of and dedication to reducing bias and violence in viewers’ communities.

Youth to Youth is an engaging and effective short film, most suitable for audiences from grades six through twelfth grade, with additional potential applications in college classrooms and workplace settings. Potential viewers should note that this film features the conversational use of slurs, along with descriptions and photographic images of prejudice, discrimination, and real-world violence, including rape and genocide. It is likely to be of greatest interest to those in the fields of Sociology, Communication Studies, and Diversity.

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