This summer, 16 USC Annenberg graduate students working and studying in South Africa under the direction of journalism professor Erna Smith collaborated with local high school students to produce videos and slideshows that tell the story of what it means to be South African in a post-apartheid world.

The work is part of a project called Democracy Is… that Annenberg is co-sponsoring with the State Department. Since the project was launched two years ago, more than 1,600 people from over 110 countries have submitted videos that complete the phrase “Democracy Is…” The public-private partnership sponsoring the program includes NBC Universal, The Motion Picture Association of America and YouTube.

Two blogs showcase USC Annenberg students’ work with high school students from Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town and from the city of Paarl in the Cape winelands:

The Students for Humanity in Khayelitsha
The student workshop in Paarl

The next phase of the project is the Democracy Photo Challenge, which the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy will help judge.