Dilemmas + Decisions presents real-life issues related to democracy and freedom as experienced and conceived by high school-aged media groups from across the nation.
The students of Evanston Township High School in Illinois respond to the fear of youth expressed through discriminatory anti-gang and anti-loitering laws in the Chicago area. Do the curfew laws infringe upon their freedom of assembly?
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION After you watch this video essay, we encourage you to engage others in a discussion using one or more of the questions included in the Viewer’s Guide. Download the pdf document by clicking on the icon on the top right side of this page.
Video Essay: Curfew Laws: Protecting Our Youth or Preventing Crime?
Students explore the right to freedom of assembly as they look critically at anti-gang laws in the Chicago area. Does constraining youth with curfews and anti-loitering laws protect their interests, or were the laws enacted to protect the community from a perceived potential menace?
This video essay documents the actions of teens that test and infringe on the ordinance, the reactions from staff at the local high school, and the mixed responses of the local youth.
Launch the Video Evanston Video Essay Running time: 6 minutes, 11 seconds File size: 5.35Mb
Students from the Evanston Township High School Youth for Social Action (YSA) talk about the history of the group and their reasons for becoming involved in Dilemmas + Decisions.
Launch the video Evanston Profile Running time: 1 minute, 48 seconds File size: 1.57Mb
Evanston Township High School Youth for Social Action: Evanston, IL
Youth for Social Action is a student-run group that was formed in 1999 in response to concerns about the lack of racial integration among students. The Media Group of YSA believes that effective use of electronic and digital media is an important way that youth can insert their voices and perspectives into decision-making policies and programs at Evanston Township High School as well as within the larger world.
