Listen Up!

Several of the short documentaries and PSA's on Listen Up! were really informative; one dealt with the use of the "n word" and another focused on a young girl's experience living with a polygamous father.
From exploring gender-related issues, to learning about one girl's journey on following the red path regardless of her father's alcoholism, there is an immense amount of information and experience being made available on this website. Voices are being heard here that would typially be ignored or marginalized elsewhere. I love examining how the teenagers use this control over the camera to direct their own ideas/stories/reflections. One piece of work that fascinated me most was a video discussing "manhood" done by teenage African-American boys who had some pretty nice ideas about masculinity. I was expecting them to express the opinions that they did but not as PASSIONATELY as they did; their enthusiasm and dedication to the topics at hand were really admirable. They didnt appear to be ashamed to say things like "Being a man means taking care of your family" or "Being a man means treating women with respect"....It was very well-done and exactly the type of work that more African-American male youth need to have available as a resource or support system.