“I learned a lot of things, but I never learned how to read,” Aaron, a recent graduate of EVC, explained to me in a recent conversation. With the start of the new school year, we are reminded once again of the deep and persistent literacy problems with which so many students are struggling.

Aaron told me about the years he spent in special education classes, about the humiliation he felt, and how he almost dropped out of high school altogether. But then he described how creating documentaries at EVC motivated him to work harder at reading and writing than he ever did in school.  He said that while it was still a struggle for him, he was able to successfully read and take notes from articles, develop interview questions, write journal entries, logs of videotapes, and edit plans. This conversation left me with the question: How did learning to make a video documentary develop his reading and writing skills?  Reflecting on our experience at EVC, here are four teaching strategies that have worked well:

Peer Coaching in a Community of Creative Production
“If I couldn’t read it, I asked somebody else: ‘Maybe you could proofread it for me?’ And people helped me out.”
Multiple Literacies: The Image and Spoken Word Contextualize the Written Word
“I read… and I heard people talk about it and that makes it a lot better.  We had group conversations.”
Recognition and Dialogue Through Public Screenings
“People were proud. People were clapping. It was fantastic.  I loved the screening.”
Pleasure, Practice and Flow of Creative Work
“I was about to cry or something. I didn’t want to show it. I was really happy.  I was really giggly.”  Read More

Brian Fernandez, 19, lives in Washington Heights and is a sophomore at Borough of Manhattan Community College. In May, Brian and his fellow YO-TV crewmembers finished production on Journeys through the Red White & Blue, a documentary on youth participation in the upcoming election. Now, he and the other YO-TV alums are screening the video at schools and colleges around the country, to encourage young voters to register.

So what do you tell your friends about the work you did in YO-TV?

When I show the documentary to my friends, they say “I didn’t know you knew
all that!” I tell them that being informed is very important. Say you don’t
want to vote. Well, then you should have information on why, you should be
able to have a reason and back it up. I tell them, you know, pick up a book
once in a while. They give out free newspapers for a reason! They’re not
just to cover yourself in the rain.

What do you do to psych yourself up before a screening?

Not too much. Before, I used to be nervous in front of big crowds. But YO-TV opened

me up. In YO-TV you have to go out there and find opportunities, you have to interview people you don’t even know, and sometimes that’s not easy, but by the end you’ll be more confident.

Are you going to vote in the upcoming election?

Yes. I voted already, actually. The local election was a while ago – it was the first time I ever voted. It felt good. The dude I voted for ended up winning, so I felt like I had a part in that. I had my hand in the
cookie jar.

Anything else you want to say?

Vote for Obama! I hope he wins. I need some health insurance.

EVC Voter Registration Screenings Supported by
OSI's Campaign for Black Male Achievement

The new EVC documentary on youth voter participation, Journeys Through the Red, White & Blue is being used for voter registration screenings targeting first time voters. Funded by the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, this new voter registration screening tour is bringing EVC Youth Producers to screenings in Cleveland, Columbus, and Philadelphia and to CUNY campuses around New York City.

The film follows three New York City youth through an exploration of this year's election. Because the stories are not adult-driven or preachy but are earnest inquires profiling these young men of color who were unsure of why they should get involved, this documentary is uniquely positioned to open up dialogue among youth audiences, who like the producers, have been confused and turned off to politics in the past, but may become informed, inspired, and galvanized to take action now.