POPPYN

POPPYN is an award-winning social justice media program for high school students in Philadelphia.

Since 2011, POPPYN has aimed to alter the landscape of local media by highlighting the missing perspectives, contributions and concerns of young people. Through our after-school and summer programs, youth produce short films, journalistic segments and episodes where they’ve explored a range of issues– from youth homelessness and environmental justice to the foster care system. POPPYN is facilitate

d by trained college students who study journalism, media and film. We have shared our work at Philadelphia’s City Hall, the South African embassy, and numerous film festivals, conferences, community centers and classrooms across our city and beyond. Our program meets on Mondays and Wednesdays after-school at Temple University. We also offer paid positions for high school students in our six-week summer program in partnership with WorkReady. POPPYN airs every Thursday at 5:30pm EST on Philadelphia’s Public Access Channel: PhillyCAM (Comcast 66/Verizon 29). For more information, please contact POPPYN at 215-204-6185 or [email protected]. Episodes, documentaries and segments are also available online: https://www.youtube.com/user/whatsPOPPYN/featured

06/03/2026

Last Friday we had a chance to collaborate with to discuss the role of archival work and movement building. We learned about Movement Alliance Project’s documentation of early campaigns. It also felt really energizing to hear from the media coordinator at learn about how they are finding innovative ways to use media to connect with their members. This event served as a celebration of where we’ve been and where we’re going—

It’s also worth noting that our friend at PM made the choice bring out a photo to honor Gretjen Clausing who recently passsd. Gretjen was of beloved community media champion and has been a huge supporter of POPPYN/UCC since day 1! May her fierce energy for justice continue to inspire and ignite change in our communities 🕊️💜

05/25/2026

We had so much fun at showcase! Our students and ._yk will be releasing their powerful short documentary “Dear Naim” soon!

05/01/2026

Yesterday the Philadelphia School board approved a plan to close 17 schools. Our POPPYN youth producers were at the School district documenting the real emotions and immediate impacts of this decision. What stood out to us was the passion and pride students (and educators) had for their school community.

It was clear students, families, educators, policymakers and organizers will continue to fight for justice and equity within our School District! Stay tuned for our upcoming segment on this topic!

& Special thanks to and for taking the time to speak with our students!

04/30/2026

Throughout the filmmaking process, we heard organizers repeat the chant, “When we fight, we win!”

No Arena: Making a Movement exhibition is a powerful testament to those words.

We are honored that our youth producers had the opportunity to share their film and speak on the importance of Black & Asian solidarity alongside other powerful creators and storytellers. Thank you to our partners at for inviting us into this meaningful space and conversation!

04/09/2026

We’re thrilled to announce we will be participating in No Arena: Making A Movement Exhibition!

On April 19th 1-4pm, join us for a screening of our powerful youth produced film “Hands off Our Communities: Resistance to Gentrification”

We are honored to be screening alongside two other amazing films “The Townhomes Story” and “Uncle Sam’s Legacy” by Wei Chen Lou! Learn more

And thank you to our community partners at and for making this film and collaboration possible!

03/23/2026

Last week, POPPYN participants were revving up to tackle their community-based projects! Each group created a presentation and pitched their ideas to the larger group, but who knows what this week will hold?
-
Stay tuned for more.

01/14/2026

Did ya’ll know Poppyn is BACK on PhillyCam? Well, now you know! We’ll be airing some of our past student projects, so don’t miss out.
-
Catch us on Xfinity 66/966HD | Fios29/30 | Roku | Apple TV and of course, PhillyCam TV!

05/30/2025

Join us on June 9th to celebrate our 2025 POPPYN cohort at the Friends & Family showcase! There will be a screening with a Q & A, and light refreshments. RSVP via the QR code. See you there!

04/30/2025

We’re so excited to be joining for ConsentFest on Saturday 5/3, 12-4pm, in Clark Park!

ConsentFest is an outdoors, all-ages celebration of consent in all its forms! There will be activities, vendors, massages, animals to pet, community organizations, Lil Pop Shop popsicles, and more! We will work together to dream up a world where consent and bodily autonomy are revered. Come dream with us!

04/28/2025

Congrats to our LC Israel for receiving the Chancellor’s Award for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement at Rutgers! We’re grateful to have you at POPPYN and keep up the great work!

Address

Philadelphia, PA
19122

Telephone

+12152046185

Website

http://uccollab.org/program/poppyn/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when POPPYN posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to POPPYN:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Philadelphia?