Living & Arts

Swarthmore senior uses film to enact wider change

In print | October 22, 2009

Swarthmore students are often amazed by the unique stories of their peers and their passion and drive to make a difference. One Swattie who evokes such amazement is Joslyn Young ’10.

Young is an educational studies and anthropology/sociology special major. She came to Swarthmore planning to major in mathematics and Spanish, subjects quite different from the ones she is studying now, but one thing remained constant: her desire to be a teacher. Young says that she took Introduction to Education during the fall of her first year and “just fell in love with the subject and department.”

As a Lang scholar, Young founded the organization Chester Voices for Change. This past summer, she led a six-week program with ten teenagers from Chester that taught them the basics of filmmaking and then “emphasized that the project was theirs” as the youths collaborated to produce a 45 minute film. The film addressed important issues affecting teenagers such as single-parent homes, peer pressure, drugs, sex and relationships, allowing the participants to explore some of the prevalent issues that they or their friends were facing or that they saw at school. While Young is careful not to overstress the therapeutic value of the exercise, she sees it as a constructive way for teenagers to engage in a meaningful discussion about difficult and often personal matters.

“I wanted to give these kids an opportunity to voice their stories, but also to think in terms of consequences and solutions. It’s not meant to be a how-to film. It just shows what is happening out there and that there are ways we can come together and stay positive,” Young said.

Like most Swatties, Young stays well occupied. In addition to running Chester Voices for Change, she also plays field hockey for Swarthmore and is a Writing Associate. Moreover, she has been involved with Learning for Life, a group which pairs Swarthmore students with Swarthmore staff members to engage in common activities. Since her first year, Young and her Learning for Life partner, an EVS technician, have been going to the gym, cooking and working on film and photography projects. Far from a simple activity, this is a relationship that Young treasures.

“It’s especially neat for me that he works in the education building since I spend so much time there,” Young said about the partnership.

Molly Weston, Young’s friend and a fellow Lang Scholar and Writing Associate, has seen how much Young dedicates herself to her projects. “She put in a tremendous amount of time and energy into making something unique and really amazing for her students [at Chester Voices for Change], all on top of playing a varsity sport, being a WA, working with Learning for Life and being a Swarthmore student,” Weston said.

Still, Young’s Lang Project remains a central part of her life. It is the culmination of her academic and personal endeavors and will serve as the research portion of her thesis in anthropology and education. According to Young, the thesis will focus on “how the Chester Voices for Change program affected its participants and how they see their identity in relationship to the wider community.”

Above all, Young’s Lang Project represents her faith in media as an instrument of social change and empowerment.

“For youth today, with new technology and media, film is a way to tell stories. One of my main goals and passions in life is to give people the tools to share their stories with a broader audience,” Young said.

Young is currently getting certified to teach middle and high school social sciences. However, she is also seeking opportunities to further her work with students outside academics. “My experiences at Swarthmore and with my Lang project have made me interested in teaching outside the classroom,” she said.

Young stands out as an inspiring example of how individual students at Swarthmore take their passion beyond academics to effect change in the greater community. As Young says, “The best thing about Swarthmore is being part of a community where students, professors and deans alike are interested in how different realms of life come together; where it is strongly encouraged to connect academics with practice, community and passion.”

Daniel Symond ’11, who previously worked with Young on her Lang Project, emphasized how Young’s strong commitment has made for a legitimate, undoubtedly long-lasting organization.
Symond said, “It is easy for well-meaning student initiatives to start and stumble because of the infinite difficulties of balancing the needs of many, all while trying to keep up with the pace of individual academic work.”

According to Young, the film produced by Chester Voices for Change will be shown at Swarthmore soon.