The College in the community

Lights! Camera! Action! VCU works with Richmond teens to create documentary films

“Peep This” participants learn how to conduct an interview for a documentary film.

“Peep This” allows teens to express themselves through film and get exposure to VCU

Richmond’s East End is a long way from Hollywood, but visitors and residents of the community may come face to face with teenage film crews as part of “Peep This,” a VCU Department of African American Studies program designed to engage African American male adolescents through the practice of documentary filmmaking.

>> Read more about the “Peep This” film project.

Redemption through writing

VCU assistant professor David Coogan stepped outside the lecture hall to teach creative writing to inmates of the Richmond City Jail. Writing their own stories forced his students to take a hard look at their past actions and gain new perspective about life after prison. Coogan was featured on the radio program “With Good Reason” on 88.9 WCVE-FM, in Richmond.

For more information, visit the “With Good Reason” Web site or preview the program.