FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2008
Contacts:
Jerry Pike
Lodi High School Video Production Teacher
(209) 367-4834
jpike@lodiusd.net
Maura Hurley, Public Information Officer
California Council for the Humanities
415- 391-1474, ext. 308
mhurley@calhum.org
Films produced as part of statewide program
LODI, Calif.. — Teens in a video production class at Lodi High School, as part of a statewide project, have spent the past year making documentary films about such issues as racism among Lodi High teens, teenage drug abuse and cliques on campus. Now the general public will have a chance to see the teens’ work — incorporated into one video called “Finding Our Own Way: Teens in Lodi" — at Cal State Stanislaus’ Student Union on Tuesday, May 13, from 6-7:30 pm and at Lodi Stadium Cinemas an Saturday, May 17, from 9 -11 am.
These films are made from a teen's point of view with an authentic teen voice," said Jerry Pike, the class’ teacher.
David Myers of Reel Home Video Productions taught the teens how to use camcorders and sound equipment, and Pike covered such topics as composition and interview techniques. “During the project, the teens interviewed a number of people in Lodi, including local politicians and experts on drug and alcohol abuse,” Pike said.
Samuel Regalado, professor of history at Cal State Stanislaus, served as the project’s humanities advisor. “He was particularly important in providing the teens with a historical context for their topics, particularly to the group that made the video about racism,” Pike said.
Lodi High School received a $30,000 grant last June from the California Council for the Humanities to hold the yearlong project. It is one of eight funded by the Council to enable young people to make films about what matters in their lives and communities. The Council said that more than 75 organizations applied to participate in the program. Youth Digital Filmmakers is part of the Council’s How I See It campaign designed to give California youth an opportunity to explore community and personal issues and present their thoughts, ideas and discoveries to the public.
“The idea behind Youth Digital Filmmakers is to give youth a voice in what happens in their communities and skills they can use in the future,” said Ralph Lewin, executive director of the California Council for the Humanities. “The humanities scholars give the teens a broader perspective on their film topics and help them see how issues they’re dealing with today are similar to those of other places and times.”
The following five videos are part of "Finding Our Own Way: Teens in Lodi":
“The Invisible Wall: Racism and Ethnic Misunderstandings Among Lodi Teens”
“Nowhere to Skate: Disconnection Among Lodi Skaters”
“From Triumph to Tragedy: Stories of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Local
Teens”
“Unplugged? Video Gamers and Disconnection”
“Nothing to Do in Lodi (Boredom and Disconnection)”
"The video about skateboarders, ‘Nowhere to Skate.’ is special because we have tried to show that we are not who many people think we are,” said Josh Stevens, a [senior? Junior?] who is the film’s editor. “The video will show how skateboarders aren't connected with the community of Lodi and give possible solutions," he added.
The screening at the Cal State Student Union on May 13 will be followed by a panel discussion led by Professor Regalado.
The student filmmakers will discuss their experience of making their films following the second screening at Lodi Stadium 12 Cinemas. Both venues will seat about 100 people.
The Youth Digital Filmmakers project is being conducted in partnership with the Digital Storytelling Institute of ZeroDivide.
In addition to the Lodi project, the following projects received Youth Digital Filmmakers grants:
BAY AREA
San Francisco: Conscious Youth Media Crew
“A Choice of Weapons”
This is a narrative film about the impact of redevelopment on a San Francisco neighborhood..
Oakland: East Bay Asian Youth Center
The film will focus on Cambodian-American youth living in Oak Park Apartments, home to many recent immigrants in the impoverished San Antonio District of Oakland. Residents cope with gangs on one hand, and the
gentrification of their neighborhood, on the other. Their film, "I Ain't Leaving,'" describes their struggle for balance and security.
Concord: Ally Action, Inc.
"Don't Erase My History," highlights LGBT history in California, a story largely untold in the classroom. The filmmakers explore their own perspectives on being LGBT in a culture that has largely ignored LGBT history.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Long Beach: Khmer Girls in Action
The project, titled “My Reality and My Vision: Stories from Long Beach,” examines how young Cambodian women see their place now and in the future, as compared to the outlook of their parents' generation—many of whom who came to California as refugees of war. The film explores efforts to designate the Anaheim Corridor area of Long Beach as an official "Cambodian Town."
Los Angeles: Covenant House California
Through interviews with young people who were recently homeless, the film, "My Spaces: Homeless Youth Explore the Geography of Disconnection," traces the challenges and traumas of Hollywood teens living on the streets.
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Fresno: Center for Multicultural Cooperation
The film, "Common Ground, Sowing Seeds of Understanding in the San Joaquin Valley," examines the connections and disconnections among cultural communities of the rural Central Valley through the stories of Hmong, Latino, and African American farmers and farmworkers.
Siskiyou County: Siskiyou Arts Council
The film explores the origins and influences of Siskiyou County's native culture and the challenges young people face bridging the gap between a world that is still partially rooted in the past, yet pulled toward the
future.
About the California Council for the Humanities
The California Council for the Humanities has supported and created programs that bring Californians together around their history and culture for more than 30 years. Since 2001 the Council has been engaged in a statewide initiative, California Stories, designed to tell the larger story of California. The Council’s new California Stories campaign, How I See It, is helping young people to share — in their own words and through a variety of media — what their lives are like, what they care about, and what it’s like to grow up in today’s California. For more information, visit the Council’s website at www.californiastories.org or contact the Council’s administrative office at (415) 391-1474.For more information on California Stories, the How I See It campaign, the Youth Digital Filmmakers project and the California Council for the
Humanities please visit www.californiastories.org.
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