Social Documentation

Youth around the world are discovering the power of video and other digital media to tell stories about their world, their community, or lives.

Social documentation is the term used to describe how people tell their own stories and history. The UC Santa Cruz Community Studies Program offers a graduate degree in Social Documentation. They describe social documentation as a "social science approach to sociopolitical issues, prioritizing the graphic expression of people's lives and cultures, the conditions under which they work to sustain themselves, challenges to their survival, and strategies for improving their lives. Students learn how to translate various academic interpretations of social life into effective, accessible and professional quality products."

Here is a great example of social documentation produced by youth in Chicago called "Harvesting a City". The videos eloquently express youth perspectives about about their city, food, gentrification, environmental hazards, composting, and organic food.

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And here is Harvesting a City, Part II:

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And here is another great piece called "Destruction of South Central Farmers".

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