Are Millennials Iffy on Free Speech?
Are young people not so hot on free speech these days? Maybe. But it's not a new thing, and it's not just young people.
Truly Free Speech Protects Kids From Bullying
Photo by rosipaw on Flicrk This week, Stephanie Mencimer at MotherJones.com reported on horrifying cases of harassment and suicides in the Anoka-Hennepin schools of Minnesota, in Rep. Michelle Bachman’s district. The article, published within days of a suit filed against the district by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has further mobilized advocates calling for expanded anti-bullying policies and [...]
Hazelwood: A Student’s Perspective
Two years ago I sat upon the graduation stage to receive a diploma that would end my 13-year relationship with the public school I attended since kindergarten. As a member of a class of 125 students, this day symbolized endless shared memories and a common identity between us. Out of the five speeches given, the three student speakers [...]
Future Social Media Policy (and policy)
In his article "The Challenge of Developing Effective Public Policy on the Use of Social Media," John Palfrey, co-director of Harvard Law's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, discusses the problems that American youth face in the wake of increased online social media presence in his article. One of Palfrey's concerns is balancing the desire to encourage “...digital-era youth media practices (for instance, [...]
Can They Do That? Saggy Pants Edition
Perhaps you heard that the Arkansas State Legislature has banned students from wearing "clothing that exposes underwear, buttocks, or the breast of a female" at all school-related functions. So: Can they do that? Fire up the Free Speech Wayback Machine to 1969. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Supreme Court ruled that school authorities could not [...]
Censorship and International Women’s Day
Censorship is about who has permission to speak about what in public. Women, both as speakers and subject, have often been marginalized or stricken from the public sphere, and so we'd like to provide some choice selections from NCAC's work on censorship as it specifically impacts women.
Announcing the 2010 YFEP film contest semifinalists!
This year we received more than 70 film contest submissions from youth all over the country in response to this year's theme: "I'm All For Free Speech, BUT..." After viewing all the entries, we chose the top ten films -- some personal, some provocative, some profound, some just plain fun! We congratulate the semifinalists and all our applicants for their [...]
Avoiding Controversy in Rowlett (AKA: Censorship)
Listening to: La Vie Boheme On December 12, the Dallas Morning News reported that Rowlett High School had canceled a production of the musical Rent after protest from some parents in the community. According to the article, the school’s theatre director made the decision in the interest of the students involved: “In light of everything that has happened, I need [...]
Teens Discuss Gay Marriage
Shelbi Kepler - this year's 2nd place film contest winner - takes on our challenge to one more video response to this dramatic election. Here's her video on gay marriage: