I Am a #Young Worker – Young Workers Animated for Change Workshop and Classroom Guide
By: Preeti Sharma, Janna Shadduck-Hernández, Saba Waheed
Young workers are an integral part of the U.S. economy, with one third of the national workforce between the ages of 18-34. They are concentrated in the service sector and are the faces that greet us in coffee shops, retail stores, restaurants, and grocery markets. Despite their visibility, there is a lack of understanding about who working youth really are.
This curriculum serves as a guide for the UCLA Labor Center’s animated short film, I am a #YoungWorker. The animated short film is a part of a larger multi-media project by the same name that uses data, stories, and images, including documentary filmmaking, a photograph gallery, and online stories. Specifically, the animated short film complements and stems from the 2015 groundbreaking I am a #YoungWorker report.
This curriculum is intended to facilitate interactive activities and group discussions in order to unpack the different themes within the I am a #YoungWorker animated short film. The curriculum is intended for teachers, organizers, trainers, and educators alike. Each activity walks you through goals, materials needed, an agenda, the activity steps, and relevant times of the animated short. At the end of the activity, you will find corresponding statistics and recommendations for reading from the I am a #YoungWorker Report.
