POPPYN: Youth, Politics and The 2012 Election

Check out our newest episode: Youth and Politics!

This episode screened on Wednesday, Jan 23 in the Mayors Reception Room at City Hall in Philadelphia. The screening was followed by a panel of young leaders from various local youth organizations who responded to the issues raised in the episode.

On October 11, POPPYN hosted a panel discussion on youth and politics at Temple University. At the event, young leaders from various political affiliations (and one member of the Philadelphia Youth Commission) spoke about the election, the youth vote and personal experiences with civic engagement.

The audience shared the following feedback & questions with panelists and POPPYN:

"The diversity of the panel was great. They had great answers and interesting points of view."

"All of the panelists really focused on discussing the issues in a very non-partisan way, which helped keep the discussion moving forward well."

"I liked the open dialogue and the panel was informed and diverse."

"I enjoyed how the entire panel stressed the very important point that in order to implement your opinion, one should VOTE for what they strongly believe."

How do we break tensions between the parties?

Which came first – apathy or the perceived lack of political voice?

Do you feel you have good sources of information about candidates and their positions, especially races for congress and state/local offices? Where do you look for such info?

Why has the presidential election become a two-man race? What happened to the spirit of compromise in government? How can we bring it back?

POPPYN Ep #8: How Philly Gets Phit!

      In this episode, POPPYN covers the ways that young people get and stay fit around Philly. This episode highlights local programs including SquashSmarts at the Lenfest Center, Students Run Philly, Neighborhood Bike Works, the Interboro High School Football Team, PUFFA and Jumping Jems.

Special thanks to PhillyCAM!

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods

POPPYN takes it to the street to find what youth in Philly think about healthy and unhealthy foods.

Shout Out: Teens 4 Good

A spotlight on a local youth business that turns abandoned lots into healthy profit!

What's in Energy Drinks?

POPPYN crew investigates youth opinions of energy drinks and delivers some surprising facts about their effects.

Philly Swag!

swag (noun): appearance, style or the way one carries him/herself. (source: urbandictionary.com)

philly swag: the swag particular to the residents of Philadelphia, USA.

In this segment of POPPYN, Saeed learns how to rock the Philly Swag with the help of well-dressed youth of Philadelphia. What's YOUR swag??

Philly Youth Poetry Movement : Part 1 - The Workshop

Philly Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) is an organization that empowers youth from all over Philly express themselves through writing and performance. POPPYN joined PYPM on April 30th at their weekly workshop at Science Leadership Academy to give you a taste of how the magic happens. Stay tuned for part 2 of our coverage of PYPM - the Slam Poetry Finals (coming next week!).

PUSHED OUT : Youth United for Change on the Drop Out Crisis

Students are often blamed for dropping out of schools. But Youth United for Change - a youth organizing group from Kensington, Philadelphia, is turning the tables around to show how schools are responsible for the drop out crisis. Their report - PUSHED OUT - cites issues like boredom, lack of student teacher relationships, and overcrowded classrooms as major reasons that students leave schools. Read the entire report at http://youthunitedforchange.org.

Breakin' It Down: Flash Mobs

Fund Our Schools Not Prisons!

"NO EDUCATION, NO WHAT? NO EDUCATION, NO LIFE!" That was just one of many chants youth from all over the city yelled as they headed down Broad st. toward The School District of Philadelphia. On March 30th, the Philadelphia Student Union, along with dozens of other organizers, rallied at 13th Filbert and Temple University, before meeting to protest and speak out against Gov. Corbett's proposal to cut funding from our area's schools by 50 percent, while raising funding for prisons by at least 11 percent. Check out what the people who came out had to say.

Zero Tolerance Policy

POPPYN interviews Youth United for Change about their report on the impacts of the Zero Tolerance Policy in school.

Youth Of The Year

Everyday, youth in our community do great things in school, out of school, at home, and even at their local church. In this week's segment, Pinn Memorial Baptist Church decided to recognize a few youth who have gone above and beyond what is asked and expected of them.