What would happen if young women took sexual health education into their own hands with a peer-to-peer multimedia approach? When Tani Ikeda, young cinematographer and community organizer, was asked that question by her university’s film department, part of her answer was the inception of ImMEDIAte Justice, a program that trains young women in media literacy and empowers them to spark their own dialogue about sexual health. After mobilizing her community and receiving a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, Ikeda launched the second year of ImMEDIAte Justice.
Thirty high school students and mentors gathered in Los Angeles to write, direct, and edit a series of PSAs based on their experiences with sexuality, learning how to operate the latest film equipment. ImMEDIAte Justice has a growing reel of original and video content, like the My Body, My Message series, and Mariposa, a documentary made by 16 year-old Espie Hernandez about coming out to her very traditional parents right around the time of her Quinceañera.
Tani Ikeda was recently named one of Utne’s 25 Visionaries who are Transforming the World, lauded for reorienting sex-ed from an awkward science class curriculum into an opportunity for empowerment and personal growth.
What parts of your education were in need of a serious makeover? How can you help shift the dialogue on sexual health so that future generations aren’t left just blushing in the back of the classroom?
