OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL POTENTIAL’S MEDIA PROJECT
Global Potential’s “Global Advocacy Media” project is a media program that provides underserved youth participants with an opportunity to become advocates and catalysts for social change in their communities and the global community by engaging in and documenting an issue that they experience up close while participating in a 6 week cultural exchange program in rural communities in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The youth participants follow three key practices for achieving social change through documentary filmmaking: 1) Ethics, 2) Empathy & Compassion, 3) Strength-based Perspective, 4) Mutual Participation. Upon their return to their urban communities in New York and Boston, the youth work on editing their documentary films and distributing them through various film festivals, screening opportunities in the community and at their high schools, and online campaigns.
The following year, their films are screened in the international communities where their films were produced to facilitate dialogue with community members around the issues portrayed in the films. During the summer of 2009, in its first year of development, 9 youth participants produced a total of 5 award winning short documentaries; in 2011, 11 youth will have produced another 6 documentaries that will be submitted into various film festivals. These young filmmakers are able to achieve such unique and profound work while simultaneously involved in many other projects as participants of Global Potential, all while living in a community with unfamiliarity, limited resources, and substandard conditions.
Selected youth volunteer to participate in the “Global Advocacy Media” project. They engage with community members in identifying an issue for their media project. They are provided with additional media training while in the field, implemented by trained and qualified staff. The program facilitates an opportunity for NYC and Boston undeserved youth to collaborate with members of these rural and underrepresented communities to become empowered to voice their perspectives and engage in global dialogue in order to promote global awareness, inspire change, and celebrate the strengths of these underrepresented communities.
Currently 11 youth participants from New York and Boston are producing 6 short documentaries 2 of which are completed. These documentaries were produced in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic during the summers of 2009 and 2010. Post-production is currently being implemented locally in New York and Boston. Global Potential has recently recruited 35 participants for 2011 and has begun implementing workshops in February, 2011. All 35 participants have been exposed to the media curriculum prior to traveling to the international communities this summer. Media workshops continue into the summer while in the international communities where the films are produced. Each participant will become involved in the “Global Advocacy Media” project through various roles. These roles include: 1) Ambassador 2)Producer, 2)Director, 3)Editor, 4)Translator, 5)Statistician, 5)Distributor. Upon their return to their local community in Boston or New York City, films will be edited and distributed via screenings in communities, online campaigns, and film festivals. Students interested participating in the Media Track will have roles as Editor and Distributor.
Global Potential is equipped with 3 Canon HD Camcorders, 3 wireless laveliers, 3 tripods, 2 Flip cameras, a Macbook Pro for editing, and access to the Department of Education’s Moving Image Blueprint that we adapted into our media curriculum. These resources are allocated for New York City and Boston based programs.
