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”
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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:
Introduction for the program: Utilize the above description of the chosen program to
read of paraphrase to the youth.
Present the video
Follow up the presentation with a questions and answer session.
The discussion
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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
A. What do you think about weed?
B. What do you think about gang banging?
C. Do you know what you are getting into?
D. What these little decisions now will mean in the future?
Juan’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs
A. How do you say no?
B. What else could you do such as; sports, movies, after-school club, do
homework…
C. 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.
D. Drugs - they create stress for you and they affect your memory
Jose’s Discussion Topics: Gangs and Drugs
A. It all seems like fun in middle school but it’s an illusion.
B. It hurts your parents and causes them pain.
C. You get alienated from your parents.
D. You get enemies.
E. The cops know you.
F. 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
A. How to say no to the cool dudes.
B. How can you not get involved?
C. What other activities could you do?
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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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