Thursday, October 14, 2010

Popular Culture, Youth and Education

- Popular culture and children in the globalized societies of the English speaking countries discussed

- Comparisons between popular culture in Sweden and nations of the Commonwealth

- The Internet and popular culture

- Using popular culture in the classroom

Popular Culture and Youth

Surfing

Blue Water High
"The advent of Professional Surfing in the 1970's saw a string of new Australian surf heros that were international stars such as Michael Peterson, "The Bronzed Aussies", Mark Richards and others (Brown 1997). This changed the nature of surf culture is causing a rift between the soul surfers and the new clean cut money oriented surfers promoted by business interests to sell more clothing and equipment especially in urban areas. This has produced surfing mega stars such as American Kelly Slater who has been mobbed in Australian Shopping centres by fans (Brown 1997). "Back in the 1960's they say, the surfing ideal was a fluid and graceful attempt to match the flow of the wave. But today professional surfers use shorter and quicker boards in an aggressive, thrashing, teeth gritting display of advanced technique. . The jargon is telling: they "slash" and "rip" the wave or get "hammered" trying." (The economist 1995)"


Puberty Blues is a 1981 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford. The film is based on the 1979 novel Puberty Blues, by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, which is a proto-feminist teen novel about two 13 year-old girls from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, Australia. The girls attempt to create a popular social status by integrating themselves with the "Greenhill gang" of surfers.


Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water
The Bra Boys are an Australian gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police. The Bra Boys achieved national and international attention in 2007 with the release of a feature-length documentary Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water that was written and directed by members of the gang.

Watch more Jeffrey's Bay videos at tripfilms.com

Internet

Australian Youth parliament

Mobile Phones
Today's mobile phone is a pervasive tool. It has become such an important aspect of a user's daily life that it has moved from being a mere 'technological object' to a key 'social object'. This paper explores the societal and human implications of advances in mobile technology, and notably the increasingly personalized nature of the mobile device. It argues that human and identity and social interaction have not been untouched by the mobile phenomenon. India, Australia, South Africa and Sweden each have a vibrant youth culture centered on mobile phones.


ABSTRACT
After 60 years of freedom, while India races towards super power status; its children are trapped in a maze of imbalance that deprives, excludes and exploits.

We are all proud of India's unprecedented economic growth. More Indians than ever before own mobile phones, computers, cars, household and personal durables, travel within India and overseas. Most cities today have more flyovers, more malls, more coffee shops. Middle class consumers have more brands to choose from than ever before. IT, financial services, bio-tech and retail employ many more young Indians at ever-increasing salaries. Indian corporates are making more overseas acquisitions and alliances.

What is often not known is that 60 years after independence, in the worlds largest democracy, millions of Indian children continue to have their very survival threatened on a daily basis -- malnutrition, illiteracy, child labor, preventable diseases, abuse and exploitation. India is home to 400 million children. 46% of Indian children are underweight. We have 17 million child laborers. 88,000 schools (nearly 8%) still do not have a blackboard in their classes.

These figures are shocking. But can this situation change?

CRY -- Child Rights and You America Inc has proven that it can...

community.america.cry.org/bayarea

Mission:
To enable people to take responsibility for the situation of underprivileged children, especially Indian, and so motivate them to confront the situation through collective action thereby giving the child and themselves an opportunity to realize their full potential.
VISION:
To enable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived child especially Indian and so motivate them to confront the situation through collective action thereby giving the child and themselves an opportunity to realise their full potential.


Salaam Bombay


Slumdog Millionaire

The child actors’ parents have accused the hit film’s producers of exploiting and underpaying the eight-year-olds, disclosing that both face uncertain futures in one of Mumbai’s most squalid slums. Slumdog



Rubina Ali, Slumdog star, evicted by Mumbai police
A second actor in the film "Slumdog Millionaire" has lost her home in a slum clearance drive by the Mumbai authorities.

Rural Youth


The Year My Voice Broke

District 9

a Sf film, but also an analogy for discrimination, media, otherness, and immigration.

Empowering The Girl Child in South Africa

HmMTV Pilot: Empowering The Girl Child from Sarah Van Borek on Vimeo.



Eastern Cape Province on School and Education


Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports from Matjiesfontein, where only those whose parents can afford the bus fare will get to high school.


This fast-paced documentary series follows a remarkable year in two contrasting schools in Pune, one of the world's fastest growing cities.
Cyber Genius is the 3rd episode in this series.

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