10 Arts and Entertainment _

October 12, 2005-+ Over the Edge

EARSON GIBSON
Tyson Purdy-Smith plays for the crowd at Coffee Night, a music and spoken
word event hosted by UNBC’s Women's Centre and Wellness Centre.

Helping Canadians Through
Puberty for 25 Years

RUTH SWANSON
INTERROBANG
(FANSHAWE COLLEGE)

LONDON, ON. (CUP) - “Wake
up in the mornin, gotta get up early,
gotta face a day at school...”

As a confused adolescent grow-
ing up in the cultural vacuum that
was the late 80s and early 90s, many
kids struggled to find their identities,
make friends, fight peer pressure and
social limitations and stillkeep it to-
gether enough to graduate from high
school.

But no group of kids overcame di-
versity as well, or as often, as the kids
of Degrassi Street. It was at Degrassi
High that thousands of Canadian
youngsters. and teens learned about
a full spectrum of issues from sui-
cide and drug abuse, to HIV/AIDS
and abortion. It came at a pinnacle
point in television history; without
Degrassi, kids would have been left
with only their parents and the wat-
ered-down lessons learned on Saved
by the Bell to get them through the
tough times.

Degrassi was, and still is, a pretty
risqué series in the US; Degrassi: the
Next Generation is actually filmed in
such a way that the scandalous parts
can be edited out. But here in Can-
ada people understand that unlike
its Saved by the Bell counterpart, it's
okay if a problem isn't solved in half
an hour with a cheesy elevator tune
and a hug. Canadian kids want heavy
social commentary, and we dont al-
ways want a happy ending.

 In-the episode “Showtime Part 1’,
Claude commits suicide in the boy's
bathroom, and Snake finds the body.
In “Bad Blood’, Joey has an AIDS
scare when he gets in a fight with
the infected bully, Duane, Would
Kelly and Zack ever deal with abor-

tion? Taking acid and walking off
a bridge? No way — the worst thing-
that ever happens at Bayside is John-
ny the famous guy pressuring Kelly to
smoke pot at a party their senior year.
Puh-lease.

By grade 12, Wheels was an alco-
holic, Erica had an abortion, Spike
had~a baby and got thrown out of
school, and Tess had gotten her ass
kicked by an abusive boyfriend. I
wonder how Mr. Belding would have
handled Slater giving Jesse Spano a
black eye. Not as well as Mr. Raditch,
that's for sure.

September 20 marked the official
25th anniversary of Degrassi High,
and while there is a huge spatial gap
between the Degrassi movie School's
Out, and the newest generation of
students attending the Toronto high
school on Degrassi: the Next Genera-
tion, the show has never actually been
off the air, and has been in fact thriv-
ing as a cult classic series with a huge
underground following.

Kids are still rushing home from
school all over the country to see what
Clutch, Joey, BLT, Lucy and the rest
of the gang are going to have to deal
with this week. There are likely even a
few over 20-somethings that are still
secretly TiVo-ing episodes to watch
after class, and an enormous group of
kids watching the Next Generation
as religiously as their older brother
watched the original.

Every Canadian in the 20-35 age
demographic probably owes at least
some of their balanced upbringing
to Degrassi, and in another 10 years,
when the Next Generation viewers
are doctors and teachers instead of
crack addicts and 30-year-old squee-
gee kids, we can thank Degrassi for
raising yet another era of fine Canad-
ian citizens.

Getting the Kids to Give a Damn

Students film Kenyan slums to inspire students to take action

JACQUELINE NUNES
THE EYEOPENER
(RYERSON UNIVERSITY)

TORONTO, ON. (CUP) — Ryer-
son graduate Ahmed Arshi has spent
the last year asking himself a question
that he believes many people, especially
youth, ask themselves; “Why should I
care?” Now Arshi is ready to answer the

question.
In association with AIESEC Ryer-
son, an international student-run

leadership organization, Arshi and fel-
low Ryerson graduate Alex Punzalan
travelled to Kenya to collect images for
a film they believe will call attention to
the problems that plague the African
country and will incite youth to act.

The film, Why Should I Care: The
Reality Behind Youth, focuses primar-
ily on the Kibera slum in Kenya, the
largest slum in Central East Africa and
home to 700,000 people. Arshi and
Punzalans cameras show the poverty
of this area alongside short interviews
with representatives from community
organizations, volunteers, commun-
ity members and youth. They all have
different views about the problems the
country faces, but share one common
idea: believing in the power of youth to
change the future.

“{Generally, society] is not encour-
aging youth,’ said Arshi, who directed
the film. “But we should be. We want

‘ to raise global awareness of what youth

can do.’ 2
The film was produced as an educa-
tional tool Arshi and producer Punza-

lan hope to screen in high schools to
spark discussion about global issues.
The amateur filmmakers hope the
discussion will lead to positive action,
such as volunteering.

“We want youth to not just be
touched by the images, but be com-
pelled to act,’ Punzalan said.

Although the film focuses on Kenyan
youth, Arshi and Punzalan consider
youth inaction to be a global issue.
One startling clip from the film shows
a youth responding to the question,
“Who is your role model?”

“We want youth
to not just be

‘touched by the

but be

compelled to act.’
- Punzalan

images,

“No one,’ said the Kenyan girl, after
giving the question some thought. Her
response echoes Arshi and Punzalan’s
call to action in making the film and
their determination to engage young
audiences. ° :

Arshi, who graduated from Ryerson's
engineering program last year and
headed the Muslim Students Asso-
ciation, has travelled to more than 20
countries putting into practice his man-

tra that “youth can make a difference.’
He will be returning shortly to Kenya
to work for the Red Cross.

Punzalan, who graduated from Ryer-
sons business program, has produced
more than 12 films and founded a pro-
duction company that bridges different
cultural and musical backgrounds. He
also produced the music for the film.

The pair, along with event organ-
izer and Ryerson: finance student Oleg
Chausovsky, hosted a fundraising event
called Hip Hop Empathy at the Ha-
cienda Lounge on September 17.

“Hip hop is what a lot of young
people listen to and, lately, it's gotten a
bad reputation,’ said Chausovsky, who
is also a member of AIESEC Ryer-
son.“ We-want to show that hip hop is
something positive, and we're going to
use it to promote a good cause.’

The evening will feature perform-
ances by socially conscious local artists
Drek Inkredible, Isis with DJ LOgenz
and Kamau.

“[{ These artists] are positive role mod-
els for young people,’ Chausovsky said.

The trailer for the film will be
screened at Hip Hop Empathy, along-
side a special performance of an Afri-
can song that was sung to welcome the
filmmakers by the children of a remote
rural village in Kenya.

Proceeds benefited the production
of the film and Community Support
Group in Nairobi, Kenya.

The premiere of the film was held in
the Ryerson Student Centre on Sep-
tember 19.

The Week Ahead —

Horoscopes for October 12 to October 18

AARON BAKER
STAFF WRITER

Just a few quick notes this week.
Challenges weigh on us all now, so re-
member to help one another out. At
the very least, grab a drink and share
a laugh over all the politicians getting
their just dues now (George and Dick
in particular).

Aries (Mar. 21 — Apr. 20)

The lunar eclipse with the full moon
on Monday should have you hopping
Aries, Emotions should run high for
everyone for six months, with issues of
freeddm vs. commitment being high-
lighted. Watch who you trust this day,
though: too much confidence could be
your undoing.

‘Taurus (Apr. 21 — May 21)

Ideas are changing around you, or
maybe within you. Either way, this
could lead to some stressful situations
this weekend. Everyone wants to run
free right now, and this may grab you,
as well. Get out and do something new,
but watch your pockets: shiny things
carry high prices.

Gemini (May 22 —Jun. 21)

Friends and significant others bring a
pile of problems to you this week. Try
and make the most of your time, espe-
cially in the mornings, and you should
have the resources to help out later on.
Sunday is a sure-fire no workday for
you, though, so get that homework
done early.

Cancer (Jun. 22 — Jul. 22)

An easygoing end to the week takes

a turn on Sunday when you might get

overwhelmed by things. Everybody
wants something and they want it now!
Take the time to relax on Friday and
enjoy the calm before the storm. Luck-
ily, crabs carry theirs homes with them.
Leo (Jul. 23 — Aug. 22)

Emotional upsets through the week
might take it out of you by Saturday.
There's no love, it seems, and even your
friends will do upsetting things. Curl
up in your den and watch some good
escapism Saturday night. By Sunday,
the skies will have cleared and your
usual warmth will return with spades.
Virgo (Aug; 23 — Sep. 23)

Patience is the watchword this week,
not only for others but also for your-
self, because when your analytical eye
turns inward, the razors is still cold
to the touch, Turn to a good friend on
Saturday and take Sunday to digest at
home. Earnings and intimacy are on
your mind starting Monday.

Libra (Sep. 24 — Oct. 23)

Things seem to get to you this week,

and even when you try to lift yourself
out of it, something else drags you

* down. By Saturday, you might feel like

hiding, but let that chum take you out.
You'll have a fine time and be ready for
a busy (romantic, mayhap) Sunday that
washes those blues away.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 — Nov, 22)
Thursday may see a battle for your
ideas, but the rest of the weekend is
good times. Friday, you feel saucy and
your lover(s) will certainly approve. The
weekend sees you pursuing plans, and
you Il be asked on Sunday to share that
enthusiasm with another, Get them go-

ing and enjoy the ride!
Sagittarius (Nov. 23 — Dec. 21)

Thursday sees people mistaking your
horse parts for mule parts and loading
you up. You'll cut off those reins soon
enough and be bounding in all direc-
tions on the weekend. Use your desire
to expand. and grow: inject more fun
and creative expression into your life,
Capricorn (Dec. 22 — Jan. 20)

Others may seem against you now
and a little unsupportive of your goals.
Family is still on your side, though, es-
pecially Sunday. It’s OK, you dont mind
going it alone for a bit, just remember
to pare down your goals a bit to match
setbacks in other areas. Do yourself a
favor and sleep in on Saturday.
Aquarius (Jan. 21 — Feb. 19)

Midweek frustrations give way to a
social air on the weekend. You'll feel in-

spired and want to get out there. This is

all good, but Saturday might be better
for bringing others over as travel plans
go awry. Put something off on Tuesday:
it's better dealt with later, when you'll
have time to rethink it.

Pisces (Feb, 20 — Mar. 20)

Up until Sunday, it seems like un-
ending trials and tribulations. Bust out
your incense and meditation candles
on Wednesday: you'll be needing them
this week. Escape into your imagina-
tion and dont let this dour reality bring
you down. Monday sees Lady Luck
come home to your side and the flow
returns to you. 3

Questions, comments or consulta-
tions can be sent to axineton@hotmail.
com