Dear Friends,
2016 has been an incredible year of transformative learning and activism at EVC. Our students have created documentaries that tell stories about their lives surviving police brutality in their schools and in our city, resisting the growing gentrification in their neighborhoods, and struggling to succeed as immigrant students in America.
Their stories have moved and inspired us. They’ve inspired us not only because they speak truth to power. But also because they bring us hope and possibility. In these times of growing sexist, anti-immigrant and racist bigotry, we need to make sure their works are seen and their voices are heard.
As acclaimed PBS and NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa said to our youth producers while accepting EVC’s 2016 Journalist of Conscience Award, “Stay committed. Stay focused…Óyeme! It’s going to be rough. But we need you now, more than ever!”
We know that our work is only possible because of you, our committed and generous friends. We are grateful for the tremendous support you’ve given our students and staff over this past year. Please give what you can this year to continue sustaining our life changing programs.
EVC’s fall 2016 Youth Documentary Workshop students
The transformative power of EVC resides in the diverse communities of youth we serve. That includes the 60 students in our year-round Youth Documentary Workshops; the over 1,500 students through our Professional Development Programs in NYC high schools, middle schools, teacher workshops, and after school programs for court involved youth; and 230 students developing interactive websites in our New Media Arts Workshops that has been expanded to 5 sites citywide. And our students’ voices are further amplified when they’ve presented their works at a national social work conference, a city-wide transfer school conference and featured in film festivals as far as the CineFest in Los Angeles and the Uno Port Film Festival in Okayama, Japan.
In these dark times, lets celebrate our students’ voices and the light they bring us. Now more than ever, we need your support to make sure all our students—including the undocumented immigrants, young women, black, brown, and LGBTQIA+ youth can continue learning, telling their stories, and bringing hope for a better world in 2017.
With gratitude,
Steve Goodman
Executive Director