Documentary History Project for Youth Compilation Price:

Higher Education Institutions & Government Agency DVD | $139.00
K-12 & Public Libraries DVD | $79.00
Home Video DVD License – Restrictions Apply | $20.00

Scribe Video Center Program:

The Documentary History Project for Youth (DHPY) is an annual after-school, weekend and summertime digital media production workshop for middle and high school students. Each year, youth participants create short documentary films as a way to explore some aspect of the social, political and cultural history of Philadelphia. This series of short films about fairness and equality in our society explores issues including gun regulation, voter suppression, the efficacy of the foster care system, and the value of taxes. The compilation features 7 films.

Instructors: NaOme Richardson and Derrick Woodyard 

Films Included In The Compilation:

# To Be Taxed by Mark Spencer (West Philadelphia High School)

This short documentary is about what taxes are supposed to do for a community and the reality of what the taxes actually do for its community. The people interviewed in this film are asked multiple tax-related questions and express their opinions on a variety of topics, such as Philadelphia’s soda tax. The film debates whether the purchases made with tax money are truly justified or are being wasted (00:09:00). Read more

American Hope by Michael Hall (Delaware Valley Friends School) and Elias Reed (Richard Allen Preparatory Charter)

This film is about the American Dream, and how some people try to reach for it and they don’t always achieve the dream. However, there’s a push to expose more students to STEM, otherwise known as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM can help the youth by teaching them advanced learning skills which can help them in the future. The skills could help them get jobs that could assist them to achieve their American Dream (00:09:59). Read more

Details in Corruption by Frankie Murphy (Home School) and Jamilla Wilson (West Philadelphia High School)

The film, Details in Corruption is about the corruption in government and society in general. The filmmakers interview citizens from Venezuela and Philadelphia to provide insight on life in Venezuela and to compare it to life in the United States. They discuss some examples of corruption such as lack of social justice, police brutality, and racism within the government (00:12:49). Read more

The Heart of Foster Care Unlocked by Karissa Jung (William W. Bodine High School) and Altiliano Tyler-Newbill (Science Leadership Academy)

The Heart of Foster Care Unlocked features foster parents who speak on their experience with their foster child/children. The subjects of the documentary discuss how sometimes the foster homes that the children are placed in aren’t always caring and the foster care system’s mission isn’t applied to equitably to all the children in the system (00:10:27). Read more

To Be or Not to Be by Czar McMichael Bey (Martin Luther King High School) and Cameron Swann (Workshop School)

This documentary is about gun control and exploring the role of guns in our society and determining whether they’re necessary part of our culture or if they’re more of a burden that doesn’t fit. There’s a frightening graph highlighted in the film which illustrates how bad gun violence is in the United States compared to other countries. The film features activists who wants to effect gun violence in our society by fighting for gun control (00:10:25). Read more

Unexcused Absences by Josiah Scheidel (Home School) and Seth Antrom (Roxborough High School)

This film is mainly about the significance of voting. The following film spends most of the time accompanying two young men voting for the first time. As they go through the process, we learn that only 40% of the voting age population voted in the 2016 primary. The film explores the reason people should vote and what can happen when people don’t (00:13:19). Read more

Voting: Justice and Practice by Seth Antrom (Roxborough High School) and Josiah Scheidel (Home School)

This short documentary is a sequel to Unexcused Absences. It further points out the lack of voting in younger people in the United States and their disengagement in politics. Most of the youth just ignore politics and allow others to choose the lawmakers and those who enforce the law. The short documentary tries to influence people to start voting (00:09:07). Read more