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Beloved community members, Since our beginning, EVC has been a keeper of possibility, love, and critical hope. Last week, the way our nation voted left us feeling punched in the gut. Like so many times during EVC’s 40 years, electoral politics are at odds with our work and our wellbeing. We feel anxious, uncertain, and scared. But we’ve been here before. And we know this: sometimes the work happens through elected officials, but more often than not it happens through our own leadership, on the ground, in our communities and our neighborhoods. Time and again, EVC’s youth have reminded us that no one will do this for us. A loving, just, and equitable world will be the result of our ongoing struggle. Even as we reeled from the election’s aftermath last week, our young people instinctively mobilized to care for each other—especially for those who are most vulnerable at this moment. Our programs have only just started, yet the young people are already deeply bonding, due, in part, to EVC’s willingness to hold them through the intensity of this political moment. In one program last week, a youth producer courageously shared how he was recently forced to flee his homeland to seek asylum in the U.S. In the new political reality with a president-elect threatening mass deportations, this young person is now afraid of imprisonment and deportation. As tears streamed down his face, another young person, also a newcomer, rose and embraced the speaker. They held each other in a long embrace at the front of the class for all to see, modeling the care at the heart of EVC’s homeplace. They taught us how critical it is to hold each other in this perilous moment however we can—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and politically. EVC will not let this be the end of the story—it is not even the beginning. It is, rather, a reminder that the work always continues, always moves steadily forward. As you can read from our recent blog post, “ EVC Activism ,” EVC has always worked inside of social justice movements to win the kind of change that outlasts the verisimilitudes of electoral politics. Now, more than ever, we need you to gather your heart and your fire and join us. Help us hold our young people, protect our homeplace, and ensure that EVC is around for many more generations to come. In solidarity, Ambreen Qureshi Executive Director

By: Steve Goodman From EVC’s beginning in the 80s, our youth producers have created documentaries that ask critical questions about injustice and, in so doing, disrupt dehumanizing narratives and oppressive systems. They tell stories that lift up the silenced and the stigmatized and let them live in their full humanity. They lifted up the voices of people suffering from the AIDS epidemic, youth living in foster care, or in juvenile detention facilities, and asked why in the richest nation in the world, families were living in homeless shelters in Queens, in apartments without heat or hot water in East Harlem, or attending failing schools in the Bronx, segregated and unequal. Highlighting the grassroots activists and organizations working to change these injustices, EVC used culture and media arts as a form of activism to educate and motivate community audiences to support these efforts.  EVC’s role as an agent for change is more important than ever today, 40 years later, as our civil liberties and human rights are being eroded, dissent is being silenced, and a climate of intimidation and authoritarianism is on the rise. Teachers and librarians are attacked for teaching the truth about slavery and African American freedom struggles, and for teaching about LGBTQ life, particularly about Trans people. Migrants are exploited and discriminated against and are under constant threat of detention and deportation. School principals and college presidents are under attack, and in turn are cracking down on their students’ freedom of speech and protest of the US supported genocide in Gaza.  With the future of our democracy on the line in the upcoming presidential election and the new school year sure to bring renewed student protests and brutal police suppression of them, I’m reminded of two EVC documentaries: Journeys Through the Red, White and Blue and Policing the Times. They are exemplars of EVC’s work at the intersection of youth filmmaking, radical education, and political and social change. And they highlight the multiple strategies for organizing and activist-driven change including: the power of voting and the electoral process, the power of direct action and protest on the streets, and the power of teaching and critical student inquiry. They addressed two historic human rights and freedom struggles for African American dignity, empowerment and political representation: safety from state-sanctioned violence, systemic police brutality and murder; and protection of voting rights and political representation.  In both cases, EVC students were chronicling and also participating in critical moments in our nation’s social and political activist history. They were both witnessing and making that history.  Students produced Policing the Time s during the early actions of the Black Lives Matter movement, which would explode five years later in the summer 2020 as one of the largest protest movements in US history. In Journeys Through the Red, White and Blue they documented a grassroots organizing effort in communities of color as well as the personal journeys of some group members preparing to vote for the first time in what would become  the historic election of the first African American president. In the Tradition of Activist Filmmaking In Policing the Times , EVC students documented protesters holding signs and chanting, “All Lives Matter! When Black Lives Matter! All Lives Matter! When Black Lives Matter!” This was back in 2015, before the police murder of George Floyd, but after the police killings of other unarmed Black people, including Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, and others. They filmed this peaceful rally held weekly at Grand Central Station, but they also ended up recording the arrest of the leader of the rally. I was struck by the flickering image of EVC student Jordi with camera in hand, illuminated by the red police lights reflected in side window of the police car as he bears witness to the arrest as they drove him away. In 2008, the Journeys Through the Red, White and Blue  crew brought their cameras to the Barack Obama presidential campaign headquarters in West Philadelphia. They volunteered as canvassers to knock on doors and distribute campaign literature to get out the vote in the Democratic primary. And they recorded themselves as active participants going door to door and also registering new citizen immigrants. As EVC student Shon says to one of the campaign organizers, “We’re gonna canvass, so get me some instructions. So we can go make history, right? Then he pumps his fist and says, “Yes, we can!”  These projects not only included interviews with experts, but documented EVC students as they investigated and also participated  in educational and political organizing work. For example, Shon is the same young man, who, earlier in the film and his own political development, ponders if his vote really matters, after speaking with his brother, a Iraq veteran, who laments on camera that his vote doesn’t really matter, and then contends with his dad, who reminds him that people died so that he could have the right to vote. We certainly weren’t the first to use media as a form of cultural activism; we were building on a rich history of radical filmmaking. As a college student in the mid 1970’s, I was shaken to my core after seeing The Battle of Chile  directed by Patricio Guzman and also Harlan County, USA directed   by Barbara Kopple. Guzman documented the CIA-backed fascist coup that overthrew the Chilean government of Salvador Allende and Kopple documented (and lived with) the miners’ years-long struggle for better wages and humane working conditions in the coalfields of Harlan County, Kentucky. After watching these, I decided I wanted to somehow be involved as a social documentary maker.  Closer to home, I was also inspired by how The Newsreel (now Third World Newsreel), a film collective formed in the late 60’s, used the power of media as a catalyst for discussion and social change. The media they created was always meant to be put in service of further organizing and activism. Shot in the gritty verite style of guerrilla filmmaking they produced dozens of radical films including Break and Enter a.k.a. Squatters, Rompiendo Puertas  (1971) that documented families who had been displaced by gentrification as they “liberated” and moved into vacant city-owned buildings in upper west side Manhattan. And they shot Columbia Revolt  inside the university buildings to capture the student protesters’ perspective who were occupying the university and then evicted and beaten by the police. Newsreel films were not for sale, but were meant to be put in the hands of organizers and activists to use in their political work. The makers would often go out to screen and speak with their films in union halls, college campuses, community and tenants organizations to show what organizing for social change looks like.  Drawing lessons from these and scores of other social change documentaries, in the 90s at EVC we established YOTV workshops (Youth Organizers TV) and later COTV workshops (Community Organizers TV), creating handbooks and teaching production to youth and to adult community activists. Behind these programs was the question of what we understood to be the relationship between the producers we taught, the social change documentaries they created, and the social change we/they sought to bring about. And finally, underlying all of this work was the question of what we meant by social change. Multiple Iterations of Activism It was always the case that our students were the first to experience change through the EVC projects they worked on. They learned about and developed their consciousness of social change through their research and active engagement with a wide range of family, friends and community members. These community partners also provided positive role models who were teaching, organizing and leading in the community and showing students that change is possible. In Journeys , students interviewed activists from the Medgar Evers College Center for Law and Social Justice, and the NY Immigration Coalition in addition to a NYC council member, a NY State Assemblyman, a civil rights activist/freedom singer, a political scientist, and immigration lawyer, as well as family members and friends.  The crew structured their stories around three of the crew members’ own autobiographical explorations into the value of their vote. Brian questions how the electoral college works and the role of his local Washington Heights city council member. Shon talks with his family members and voting activists to decide whether or not to vote. And Tidiane, an immigrant from Guinea, learns that as a non-citizen he pays taxes but is prevented from voting. As former YOTV Director Andrea Ortega-Williams described it,  We were all really tuned into the fact that this was a historic election. So when we thought about how do we engage and participate, ….we looked at ourselves [as an entry point to the topic]… we represented a Latino perspective of a young person, an African American voting for the first time, and an immigrant. ….here’s a line of inquiry that they’re following and they’re agents in their journey of discovery. And what’s great is that  their discovery leads to something tangible that helps them and others in the community. Andrea described her students’ deepening engagement from behind-the-camera documentarians to on-camera participants and activists: What is so powerful about EVC’s model of engagement during a moment like this is that [there were] multiple iterations of activism. There’s the level of them being engaged as active participants in their processes of learning. And then volunteering and canvassing, and speaking to other young people about their experience -registering new citizens to vote,speaking to elected officials, family members and activists. And then there’s the layer of them taking the film out, once it's done. Engaging in Q&As, and being in the community. ... I think it's one of the best forms of learning and activism.  School and Community Screenings In the tradition of The Newsreel’s call for media to further organizing, the Journeys  team extensively screened their documentary as part of registration drives for new youth voters of color. Coordinated by then EVC Community Engagement Director Sheila Aminmadani, in the months leading up the election the crew screened the documentary and led discussions in countless high schools and colleges in swing states of Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as in media festivals and on community television. And the crew even went to Washington, D.C. to screen it on the weekend prior to Obama’s swearing in as part of “The People’s Inaugural Ball” at the Historical Society of Washington D.C. to celebrate the impact of grassroots organizing and the impact of the youth vote.  Andrea further reflected on the importance of the students recordings of their own grassroots organizing efforts canvassing and registering new immigrant voters,  ......you’re amplifying those efforts that are on the ground. And you’re creating a record of it that can go in different spaces that are, you know, that are far greater than that one immediate action that's taking place. So it's amplifying, multiplying.  In Policing , they interviewed grassroots activists in the National Action Against Police Brutality and Brownsville Community Justice Center, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and recorded their Know Your Rights workshop. They also interviewed a NYC Deputy Police Commissioner, a high school principal and a human rights lawyer, and screened past EVC videos on police brutality from the archives. The Policing  crew included a brief but powerful history of the systemic anti-black brutality dating back to patrols organized to catch fugitive slaves, the police dogs on civil rights protesters, though the beating of Rodney King, EVC footage from the ‘90s of a Harlem community protest of police shootings, up through police shootings of unarmed blacks in 2015. And they followed the story of Robert, one of the EVC youth producers who talks about his own experiences being brutalized by police in his community and in his school. Policing ends as Robert and a friend meet with their school principal, asking him for a school-wide program to teach students their rights.  Both of these projects sparked social and political change on multiple levels during and after production. Like throwing a stone into a pond and watching the circles of ripples grow, the school and community screenings reached individuals and institutions far beyond the students who originally made them. Policing  was not only screened in Robert’s school, but we were able to reach many more New York City students and teachers by partnering with the New York City DOE’s Office of Post Secondary Readiness (OPSR). We developed a teaching guide and copied hundreds of DVDs for OPSR to disseminate to Transfer school classrooms. We also presented the film and teaching guide for teachers and school leaders during a workshop at OPSR’s annual Transfer School Conference.  Engaging Teachers and Communities in Social Change This led to a deeper level of engagement with the Transfer Schools. They asked us to provide professional development training for teachers in the schools so they could facilitate video inquiry projects exploring the problem of police violence with their students. During the next semester, EVC teacher developers Cynthia Copeland, Emmanuel Garcia and I guided teachers in the planning and facilitation of three student projects in two schools, and also a “Making Of…” video documenting the entire process.  We called this professional development project, “Youth Powered Change.” One class chose to investigate the impact of gentrification and policing in their communities, particularly in Harlem where many students lived. Another looked at how police abuse of students in communities and in schools contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. The third, with a large number of Dominican students, investigated how police departments’ "broken windows” tactics --- arresting residents for minor infractions such as jumping turnstiles or writing graffiti -- could lead to increased deportation and prevent NY from being a sanctuary city for unauthorized immigrants.  As co-facilitator and historian, Cynthia Copeland taught the police and gentrification project students about the history of Seneca Village that she had researched, a thriving 19th-century community of predominantly middle-class African Americans that was located near their Upper West Side Manhattan school. The ENL (English as a New Language) students felt proud and self-affirmed after interviewing community immigrant rights lawyers (in Spanish), who could provide them with critical assistance if any of their own family members ever faced deportation.  They presented their three final projects at a school-wide “town hall” meeting, which led to a powerful dialogue among students, teachers, school leaders, police officers, and city council members. The students concluded their video on police and immigrant rights with a narration in English and Spanish that taught the community audience about their legal rights, should immigration agents knock on their door.  As the principal described it, “The town hall was quite magical. To be able to bring all the stakeholders into the same room and engage in authentic dialogue and problem solving session is no easy task…. Both of my teachers said this has been a highlight of their careers. This has been for a cause, which has allowed us to take student voice to a new level…” Institutional Impact EVC’s impact on an institutional level expanded further the following year when OPSR asked us to develop a “ Know Your Rights Blueprin t” curriculum guide for principals and teachers across all their schools including unit plans linked to the students’ documentaries. The Blueprint was designed for schools to adopt EVC’s model of Youth Participatory Action based on student voice/choice and promotes collective study, problem solving, and action.  I thought it was significant that we had gained officially sanctioned systemic support for students to use documentary to investigate and confront the social injustices in their lives. Here’s the Blueprint  description explaining to the principal or teacher “What’s This Project All About?” Around the country and around the world, young people are raising their voices about issues that matter most to them, whether marching through the streets, lobbying for change with government and community leaders, or expressing their ideas through poetry, painting, or song. Young people are witness to injustice and advocates for system-wide changes. They are claiming their agency to participate and lead movements for positive change.  The Know Your Rights Blueprint is a teaching guide with everything you need to support students in taking action in their own school or community through the creation of a powerful documentary film. On the following pages, you will find lessons, models and tools that will make it possible for you to create a course, program or club that encourages youth activism….  Even in these dark times, I remain hopeful thinking about how the power of EVC’s activism lives on in the many thousands of students, teachers, principals and community members who‘ve participated in our projects over the last 40 years. And how its impact continues to be felt in the countless others who’ve watched, discussed and were empowered by our films to make a change in their communities. Whether that meant registering new voters, joining marches, organizing school teach-ins, or so many other forms of action, I’m proud that EVC’s documentaries and community engagement have carried on the radical tradition of using media to expose injustice, humanize and defend the rights and dignity of our students, their families, and all historically marginalized people.

By Dare Dukes and Saba Sebhatu with Nadia Feracho, Jasmin Mendoza, and Angel Galindo. Living in childhood without a sense of home, I found a place of sanctuary in “theorizing,” in making sense out of what was happening. I found a place where I could imagine possible futures, a place where life could be lived differently. This “lived” experience of critical thinking, of reflection and analysis, became a place where I worked at explaining the hurt and making it go away. Fundamentally, I learned from this experience that theory could be a healing place. —bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, Education as the Practice of Freedom , 1996 Educational Video Center’s youth-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive curriculum fosters critical literacy and related skills that are essential for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to see, fully understand, and resist the oppressive structures that are harming their communities. Educational Video Center (EVC) is revising and updating our award-winning curriculum to address the ever-evolving needs of BIPOC youth and shifting approaches to media literacy in our rapidly changing technological and political worlds. Right at the center of this upgrade is a workshop called The 4 I's of Oppression , a training that, in the past couple of decades, has become a widely used tool not only by EVC, but by social justice organizations across the country. The 4 I’s  workshop presents a framework that helps participants see how their everyday experiences of injustice can be understood—and ultimately resisted—inside the context of broader oppressive systems and the institutions perpetuating them. What Are the 4 I's of Oppression? The 4 I’s  workshop guides participants through exploring four types of oppression: ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized. Our workshop defines these four types as follows: Ideological Any oppressive system has at its core the idea that one group is somehow better than another, and in some measure has the right to control the other group. Institutional The network of institutional structures, policies, and practices that create advantages and benefits for some, and discrimination, oppression, and disadvantages for others. (E.g., companies, governmental bodies, prisons, schools, organizations, families, and religious institutions.) Interpersonal Interactions between people where people use oppressive behavior, insults, or violence. Internalized The process by which a member of an oppressed group comes to accept and live out the inaccurate myths and stereotypes applied to the group by its oppressors. The Workshop: Seeing Structural Oppression in the Day-to-Day Through interactive, participant-centered exploration, the 4 I’s  workshop gives learners an understanding of how oppression manifests in these four categories. Participants experience firsthand how to see and break down the mechanisms of power and privilege while reflecting on their positions within these structures. This fosters not only understanding, but also a sense of accountability, empathy, and solidarity. In this way, the workshop equips folks with the critical lens needed to recognize, challenge, and transform oppression in its many forms. This learning trajectory—from understanding to action—can be seen in two key exercises at the center of the workshop, Concept Mapping and The Corner Activity. Concept Mapping In the Concept Mapping exercise, the word “oppression” is placed at the center of a piece of paper on the wall. Responding to the word, students brainstorm and visually “map out” their associations and thoughts. In one recent EVC workshop, participants wrote down instances of oppression they encounter in their daily lives, such as “exploitation,” “suppression of voices,” “controlling of information,” “systemic suppression,” “manipulation,” “humiliation,” “denial of rights,” and “abuse of power.” Mapping in this way helps participants understand oppression and its various manifestations, and how it shows up in their everyday world.  EVC recognizes that educational systems, too, can be hierarchical and oppressive. Our Freirian pedagogy directly mediates this, creating non-hierarchical participatory learning spaces that center the lives and experiences of our young people. This approach creates connections and opens avenues for discussion that might not emerge through traditional methods.  The Corner Activity In the Corner Activity exercise, participants deepen their understanding of oppression through lived scenarios. Each corner in the room is designated as representing one of the four Is of oppression: ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized.  Participants are then presented with various scenarios and tasked with discerning the type of oppression illustrated. They indicate their choice by moving to the corresponding corner. The activity transforms abstract concepts into something participants can grapple with, discuss, and debate in real-time. Students articulate their reasoning, listen to differing viewpoints and personal experiences, and collectively deepen their understanding. The 4 I’s  in Real Time In July 2024, EVC once again facilitated The 4 I’s of Oppression  workshop for youth and educators. Media educator Nadia Feracho adapted the workshop to accommodate her majority migrant student population. Speaking to the power of the workshop, Nadia said, “The 4 I’s is new to all of the students. They come in most of the time without the knowledge of the various types of oppression, or the language, but they come in with the experience.” The workshop gives students—in this case migrant youth—the language they need to name the oppressions they experience daily. The conversation unfolded as students, including youth such as Jasmin and Angel shared personal insights and experiences with oppression in their daily and school lives. The discussion shed light on the unique challenges faced by immigrant communities. These included issues largely invisible to those outside the community, including grappling with an implicit hierarchy related to language proficiency. Jasmin and Angel Jasmin and Angel, students in EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshops and both immigrants from Mexico, discussed how the workshop impacted them. Jasmin recalled: At the beginning of the activity, my instructor told me that I need to think of a time where I experienced some type of oppression, and which kind. I started to write about my experience in my journal, and I started to think about one time I was on the train and a person started to attack me and say that because I'm Mexican I needed to go back to my country. I started to realize this kind of attack corresponds to interpersonal oppression; I began to ask what are the aspects that we need to solve this type of oppression? Angel's story, on the other hand, revealed an issue within the educational system. He experienced bullying from fellow ESL students, revealing a troubling aspect of immigrant life in schools—an exclusionary hierarchy based on English language proficiency that pits students against each other, rather than encouraging mutual support and understanding.  The phenomenon isn't limited to student-based interpersonal oppressions; it reflects a broader systemic or institutional failing that centers proficiency to the implicit and explicit exclusion of recent arrivals and those at the beginning of their language acquisition process.  The workshop helped Angel and everyone understand that the interpersonal biases they were experiencing over language proficiency were ultimately grounded in institutional and, ultimately, ideological oppressions that centered the English language and assimilation over cultural and linguistic diversity. Media educator Nadia summed up the young people’s learning: “Now that students have this language, they're starting to connect all of these systems of oppression to each topic that we talk about in our films. They're able to tell their family members about what they learned in EVC. I love that they get to share this information with them.” Critical Literacy as a Foundation of Homeplace In her Teaching to Transgress , bell hooks describes how critical thinking became the bedrock of her sense of safety, belonging, and power in an oppressive world: the “‘lived’ experience of critical thinking, of reflection and analysis, became a place where I worked at explaining the hurt and making it go away.”  At EVC, the 4 I’s  workshop is the incubator for the development of critical literacy—the ability to read, write, and rewrite the narratives that are the raw materials of one’s world. There is no place in EVC’s culture where this intersection of critical understanding, belonging, and action is more apparent than in the documentaries our young people have made over the years. Here are just a few examples from EVC's archive of films that explore various aspects of the 4 I’s : “New Visions: A New Look at the American Dream” (2015) – This film examines migrant discrimination in the workplace and ideological oppression. “Laws Written on My Body” (2023) – This documentary addresses sexism and institutional oppression, focusing on abortion rights and their societal impact. “The Shade of My Beauty” (2024) – This film explores colorism and internalized oppression within Black and Latino communities. “Breaking Through Stereotypes” (1994) – This documentary analyzes racial and ethnic stereotypes and their influence on interpersonal interactions. These films are a small example of the scores of EVC media works that have offered youth leaders a uniquely powerful way to rewrite the narratives that are harming them, and to replace them with stories of critical understanding, hope, and power. And these films’ jumping off point is, in many ways, the framework presented in EVC’s 4 I’s  workshop.

19 84 Dreams of the Future EVC students explore career options and imagine what their futures will be in this whimsical film. 85 2371 Second Ave: An East Harlem Story EVC student Millie Reyes documents her family's conditions living in a rat-infested building with no heat or hot water, and leads the other residents to confront the landlord and go on a rent strike. JVC Tokyo Video Festival, President's Award, 1988 London International Annual Film & Video Competition, Gold Seal Award, 1988 National Educational Film and Video Festival, Bronze Apple, 1987 85 Teacher Training Video Workshops EVC offers its first video workshops and in-class coaching for teachers to integrate student video projects into NYC Alternative High Schools and Programs at Satellite Academy Chambers Street and Bronx Regional High School. This progam is soon expanded with support from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Office of the Superintendent of Alternative High Schools and Programs. 85 EVC Summer Video Camp Hosted by Marie Cirillo and the Woodland Community Land Trust, EVC students live, learn and produce documentaries in a summer camp together with youth from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. 85 Letta's Family Young filmmakers from EVC's summer video camp in Tennessee document a nearby family's daily struggles amidst poverty and cultural richness in the Cumberland mountains of Appalachia. 86 EVC Films Hormel Strike EVC students from Bronx Regional HS film the Hormel meatpackers strike in Austin, Minnesota. While there, they meet Jesse Jackson and filmmaker Barbara Kopple. 87 Awarded JVC President's Prize JVC flies EVC student and staff to Tokyo to accept the top prize in the festival. They spend a week in Japan as the guest of JVC. 88 Cracks Clouds Featured on Barbara Walters Barbara Walters interviews an EVC youth producer and features his team's documentary on crack in her ABC series, Survival Stories. 13th Annual Council on Foundations Film and Video Festival, 1993 JVC Tokyo Video Festival Special Merit, 1988 National Educational Film and Video Festival, Gold Apple 1989 88 First Summer Teachers Institute EVC launches its first summer video institute for teachers in partnership with the NYC Writing Project. Teachers collaboratively plan, produce, and edit VHS video projects as they learn to use video inquiry as a strategy for developing student literacy and voice. 88 Awarded New York Area Emmy Award EVC wins an Emmy for three documentaries featured on the opening program of The Eleventh Hour with Robert Lipsyte on WNET: Crack Clouds Over Hells Kitchen, 2371 2nd Ave: An East Harlem Story, and Life in the G: Gowanus Gentrified. Soon after, they are invited to screen segments of their films on the NBC Today Show with Bryant Gumbel. 89 AIDS: Facts Over Fear EVC youth travel to Washington, D.C. to interview former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to educate their peers about this new epidemic called AIDS. London International Amateur Fim and Video Competition, Gold Seal, 1990 National Educational Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple, 1990 Canadian International Annual Film Festival, Two Stars Award, 1989 89 Nicaragua: Through Our Eyes EVC students spend a week visiting the baseball fields, schools and prisions of Nicaragua to tell the story of everyday life there during a time of turbulence. 90 Melissa Brockett, EVC Graduate, 1990 "Thank you to EVC for helping me pave my early career in media. It was because of my work with you guys that I realized how powerful media can be and that you can change and touch so many lives with just one story." 90 Hard Times in Cypress Hill Moved by the tragic death of their friend and fellow EVC student, students film this portrait of one student’s daily life in one of the most violent housing projects of the times. Opening her home to her son's friends, the grieving mother shows grace and resilience in the face of the crack and gang fueled gun violence in the surrounding community. Association of Visual Commuicators, Gold CINDY Award, 1991 National Educational Film & Video Festival, Bronze Apple, 1991 IAC International Film and Video Festival, Bronze Seal, 1992 90 Video Workshops EVC youth producers Derrick Dawkins and Isiah Miller travelled to Croatia to conduct video workshops. 90 Youth Crime Who's To Blame? Investigating the causes and possible solutions to youth crime, students talk with youth offenders and those working to help them. National Latino Film and Video Festival, Honorable Mention, 1990 Big Muddy Film Festival, Jury Award, 1991 90 Trash Thy Neighbor EVC youth producers document recycling and garbage reduction, and take their cameras to Staten Island where the largest landfill on the east coast is running out of space. National Educational Film & Video Festival, Gold Apple,1991 JVC's Tokyo Video Festival, Work of Special Distinction, 1990 CINDY Competition, Gold CINDY Award,1990 91 Black & Jews: Are They Really Sworn Enemies EVC students collect stories from both sides of the conflict between the African-American and Hasidic communitites in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and explore the historical relationship between African-Americans and American Jews. The documentary was screened at both the Jewish Museum and the Black International Cinema in Berlin. 7th Annual Black International Cinema Berlin, 1992 14th Annual WNET Student Arts Festival, 1992 Rochester International Amateur Film Festival, Certificate of Merit, 1992 National Educational Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple, 1993 Birmingham International Educational Film Festival, Finalist, 1993 91 New York City & The Hudson River EVC youth producers highlight the importance of the Hudson River and examines the causes and consequences of its pollution. The Hudson Riverkeeper warns of the dangers of DDT and other chemicals dumped into the river by GE and other corporate polluters. 92 7th Annual Black International Cinema EVC youth producer Julius Bogen presented Black & Jews: Are They Really Sworn Enemies at the 7th Annual Black International Cinema in Berlin in 1992. 92 Unequal Education: Failing Our Children Following two gifted and talented students over their 7th grade year in two schools located in the same Bronx district, one in a low and the other in a middle income community, "Unequal Education" bears witness to the failure of NYC's inequitable school system - a tragedy of national proportion. Finalist,International Monitor Awards, 1993 National Educational Film and Video Festival, Bronze Apple, Best College Documentaries: Society's Concerns, 1993 92 We the People Produced on the quincennial of Columbus' "discovery" of America, students give voice to Native American youth and elders living in New York City. They also analyze popular culture stereotypes and misconceptions about America's indigenous peoples. National Educational Film and Video Festival, Silver Apple, 1993 Black Maria Film and Video Festival Director's Citation, 1993 The American Indian Film and Video Competition, Non-Indian Production, Student Category, 1997 92 PBS Listening to America with Bill Moyers Unequal Education: Failing Our Children is broadcast nationally on the PBS series, Listening to America with Bill Moyers. Aired during the1992 Bush-Clinton presidential campaign, the documentary was followed by a debate on educational equity that Bill Moyers moderated between Jonathan Kozol and John Chubb. 93 Home Sweet Gone Angry at the abandoned buildings and vacant lots in their neighborhoods in the early 1990s, youth producers investigate poor housing conditions in New York City owned apartments and bank “redlining” policies that prevent investment in low income housing. 10th Annual Suffolk County Film and Video Festival, 1st Prize, Student Documentary 93 That's What They Call Art! A collaboration between YO-TV and The Whitney Museum of American Art documents the making and unmaking of the controversial 1993 Whitney Biennial, interviewing the curators and artists as they are installing, and in some cases, even creating their works. Among the artists interviewed by the students are: Janine Antoni, Jimmie Durham, Glenn Ligon, Byron Kim, Zoe Leonard Leone & Macdonald, Daniel Martinez, and Pepon Osorio. 26th Annual Sinking Creek Film/Video Festival, Juror's Merit Award International San Francisco Film Festival, Golden Gate Awards, Special Juy Award, 1994 National Educational Film & Video Festival, Gold Apple, 1994 94 Student Portfolio Assessments The Center for Children and Technology conducts a study of EVC's inquiry based documentary workshops and supports the staff in developing its portfolio assessment process for students to collect evidence over time of their learning and creative work at EVC. The Nathan Cummings Foundation supported the project, which EVC still uses to asses student learning. 95 Interview with Secretary of Health and Human Services EVC youth producers travelled to Washington, DC to interview the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, for their documentary The Vicious Cycle of Domestic Violence. 95 New Home: School for the Physical City EVC moves into shared space in Manhattan's Flatiron district in the newly built School for the Physical City. The partnership not only includes shared rent free space, but also shared methodology with its inquiry based, expeditionary learning, alternative school, educational philosophy. 95 Co-Sponsored National Conference EVC co-sponsors the National Conference on Media Education and School Reform with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Wingspread near Racine, Wisconsin. The gathering brought teachers, media activists and education reformers together at the Johnson Foundation's Frank Lloyd Wright designed conference center. 96 Coming Up Taller Ceremony at the White House First Lady Hillary Clinton congratulates Steve Goodman at the White House Reception 96 Students at the Center Initiative A 4-year grant from the DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Fund enabled EVC to provide professional development for teachers in small and reforming schools throughout the city as part of this national "Student and the Center" Initiative, in partnership with the NYC Writing Project, the Social History Project, the City College Workshop Center, and others. 96 Media Education: Culture and Community in the Classroom This essay lays out the guiding principles and practices of EVC's pedagogy. As a manifesto of sorts, it calls for a pedagogy that teaches both with, and about, media arts, and engages students and teachers in critical explorations of their local community that engender reflection, dialogue, and action. 96 ATL Youth Media Exhibit in New Museum EVC and youth advisors are invited to co-curate a selection of video projects in this groundbreaking exhibition at the New Museum. EVC youth produced videos are also featured in the exhibition. 97 US/UK Models of Media Education Executive Director Steve Goodman co-taught "Media Education and Media Studies: Comparative Views," an undergraduate course at New York University and University of London, Institute of Education - London Study Abroad. 97 Disorderly Conduct: Are the Police Killing Us? COTV community activist documentary the growing epidemic of police violence in poor neighborhoods and communities of color and those organizing to resist it. 97 Young Gunz Combining images of violence in the media, poetry and brutally honest interviews, students interweave stories from victims of gun violence, some who admit to shooting others, and those who struggle to survive. 98 Out Youth in Schools Weaving together moving personal stories, archival news footage, street interviews and dramatizations, this documentary examines the critical problem of homophobia in schools and the national movement of gay/straight alliances that has grown up in response. Featured: Nashville Independent Film Festival, Best Young Filmmaker; 2nd Annual Urban Visionaries Video Festival 98 AWOL: From the Fatherhood EVC youth producers set out to find whether the role of fatherhood has become an outdated concept. Interviews and family self-portraits among the youth team help address their documentary's question. 98 Hidden Faces: Women Seeking Refuge COTV community activists explore the lack of serious U.S. immigration policy regarding gender-based persecution, and look at women's rights as human rights. Featured in: Other American Film Festival, Esperanza Center; South Bronx Film & Video Festival 99 Featured in NY Times: "Video Verite" EVC is featured on the front page of the New York Times Education Life Section. EVC is described as, "A media literacy program [that] helps teenagers document their lives on cameras and discover truths about themselves along the way." "Video documentary enables students to bear witness to their social conditions and look for solutions," says Steven Goodman, the center's founder and executive director. 99 Shared Space: University Neighborhood High School University Neighborhood HS generously provides space for EVC's workshops. YOTV and the Documentary Workshops are temporarily relocated in the new school on Manhattan's Lower East Side. 99 Hip Hop: A Culture of Influence Commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum of Art for an exhibition on Hip Hop and African American fashion, this documentary includes interviews with Mos Def and Talib Kweli, among other hip hop artists and music critics, to give a critical look at hip hop culture while celebrating Hip Hop as a unifying force among youth of different backgrounds and communities. Featured In: CINDY Competition, Silver Award; 43rd Rochester International Film Festival, Honorable Mention; 34th BAC International Film & Video Festival; Fledgling Film Festival; H20 Hip Hop Odyssey International Film Festival, Honorable Mention 00 New Home: Satellite Academy HS EVC moves to Satellite Academy HS midtown site 00 Toronto Youth Literacy Summit EVC presented on its methodology at the "Toronto Media Literacy Conference Summit 2000: Children, Youth and the Media, Beyond the Millennium" Conference 00 EVC Staff Retreat Blue Mountain, NY 00 Turn On The Power! With an introduction by community media pioneer George Stoney, this guide is an indispensible resource for grassroots community activists who want to use media production for community empowerment and social change. Funded by the New York Foundation, this handbook was disigned to support EVC's COTV (Community Organizers TV) training program. 00 ICC: A Call for Justice Produced in collaboration with the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, EVC students report on the need for the International Criminal Court through stories of Chilean survivors of Pinochet's torture chambers of the 1970s. This film was screened at the Hague, in the Netherlands where the ICC sits. Featured in: Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; 4th Annual Urban Visionaries Video Festival; 4th Human Rights in Images Festival, Lisbon 01 Tough on Crime, Tough on Our Kind YO-TV producers examine the New York City juvenile justice system incorporating personal stories of incarcerated youth and interviews with lawyers, community activists and social workers. While producing their documentary, the crew also gives video training workshops to court involved youth participating in the CASES alternative to incarceration program. Featured in the 6th Annual Urban Visionaries Youth Film Festival 01 Coming Up Taller EVC was awarded the "Coming up Taler Award" sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities 02 Not Me, Not Mine: Adult Survivors of Foster Care Nine years after the production of Some Place to Call Home, the YO-TV crew set out to learn what happened to the seven youth who originally appeared in this documentary. As the, now adult, survivors reflect on their struggles to "age out" of foster care and move on to their current realities, we gain a profound understanding of the long-term challenges facing both foster care youth and the policy-makers working to support them and to reform "the system." 03 Whose Streets? Our Streets! The True Face of Youth Activism Youth producers skillfully weave a historical overview of student and social protest movements together with current testimonies from young, outspoken New York City activists. 03 Teaching Youth Media Published Published by Teachers College Press, EVC Executive Director Steve Goodman's book "Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production and Social Change" explores the power and possibilities of using media education to help students develop their critical thinking and literacy skills. Foreward is by Maxine Greene. 04 National Youth Media Staff Retreat EVC staff and students attend a national youth media staff retreat at Appalshop in Whitesburg, Kentucky. 04 Back Off: The Inside View on Youth Anger EVC youth producers go behind the scenes of youth violence and investigate how many young people are raised to deal with their anger. Feature in: Tribeca Film Festival, Urban Visionaries Film Festival, Museum of Television & Radio, NYC 04 Actions of Today, BluePrints for tomorrow With funding from The Ford Foundation, on the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decisions, EVC youth producers examine the current state of this civil rights cause -- equitable school reform. In their documentary, they examine school reform through the perspectives of education youth organizers from 'Make the Road by Walking,' and 'Sistas and Brothas, United' who were starting new schools. Featured In: Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; San Diego Latino Film Festival; Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival; Urban Visionaries Film Festivals, Museum of Television & Radio, New York City; Westport Youth Film Festival, Most Outstanding Documentary Award 04 All That I Can Be Segments of All That I Can Be are featured in Eugene Jarecki's critically acclaimed film, Why We Fight, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. The documentary follows the stories of William, Dorian and Shinel as they embark on a separate journeys with the U.S. Army. Their stories shine a light on the problem of the economic draft as they enlist with few options in a time of war and economic downturn. Featured in: Los Angeles Film Festival; Tribeca Film Festival; Media That Matters Film Festival, Economic Justice Award; Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; Council on Foundation Film Festival. 04 Alienated: Undocumented Immagrant Youth Alienated gives voice to undocumented youth immigrants facing life after high school with no options for legalized work or college. Featured in: Urban Visionaries Film Festival, The Museum of Television and Radio (2006); Brooklyn Arts Council International Film & Video Festival (2006); 12th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival (2006); 24-Hour Film Festival (2006); Locomotion International Youth Film Festival, Short Documentary (2006); Ocean County Library Festival (2007); New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival (2007). 05 Patriarchy is Malarkey EVC youth producers weave interviews with peers, feminist scholars and social workers, and join a demonstration in Washington to examine the causes of discrimination and violence against women. Featured in: Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; Women of African Descent Film Festival, Juror's Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary; Locomotion International Youth Film Festival; Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival; 2nd International Children's Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey 05 The Practice and Principles of Teaching Critical Literacy Using examples from EVC's Documentary Workshop contextualized by Dewey and Freire's learning theories, this chapter explores the ways in which EVC's dialogic pedagogy teaches students multiple literacies, continuous inquiry and reflection. 05 16th Vermont International Film Festival, Burlington Vermont EVC documentary 'All That I Can Be' was screened at the 16th Vermont International Film Festival. 05 Video Workshops: Belfast Ireland EVC staff and graduates were invited by the Nothern Ireland Film and Television Commission and the British Film Institute to give video workshops for Protestants and Catholic youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 05 2nd International Children Film Festival, Istanbul Turkey Invited by the Istanbul University Faculty of Communication, Executive Director Steve Goodman speaks about EVC's methodology and its role in the youth media field. 05 Fifth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival EVC documentary 'All That I Can Be' awarded and screened at the Fifth Annual Media that Matters Film Festival. 06 Youth Powered Video Curriculum Published EVC publishes 'Youth Powered Video: A Hands-on Curriculum for Teaching Documentary.' This guide offers a collection of over 200 pages of lesson plans, hand-outs, assessment rubrics and model student journals. Two DVDs accompany this guide: one for teachers showing EVC instructors guiding their student groups through project activities, and the other for students giving models from student videos of documentary elements such as narration, interviews and edit styles. 06 London Educators at EVC Summer Teacher Intsitute EVC facilitates intensive "Youth Powered Video" workshops for London teachers and youth workers. EVC provides follow-up coaching remotely, with support from Adobe Youth Voices 06 Keeping America Open, OSI U.S. Programs Tenth Anniversary Report Amplifying Young People's Voices provides an overview of the goals and impact of the youth media field that had grown with the support and leadership of OSI's Youth Initiatives program. Youth Initiatives included both the Urban Debate Program and the Youth Media Program, which was established in 1999 to place young people at the center of public discourse, promoting youth development, raising visibility of youth voices and youth-generated media more generally. 06 Still Standing Still Standing provides an intimate portrayal of the challenges faced by Hurricane Katrina survivors six months after the storm. Featured in: The Soros/Sundance Documentary Fund - A Tenth Anniversary Film Festival; Cine, Golden Eagle Award; Reel Teens Festival, Best Short Documentary; Media That Matters Film Festival, Jury Award; Los Angeles Film Festival; Tribeca Film Festival; Oakland International Film Festival; Worldfest - Houston International Film Festival, Bronze Remi Award 07 Council on Foundations' 40th Annual Film & Video Festival Grantmakers in Film and Electronc Media select the EVC documentary 'All That I Can Be' to be featured in The Council on Foundations 40th Annual Film and Video Festival. The festival celebrates films of independent filmmakers that were made possibly by the support of the Council's funds and philosophy. Selections cover a broad range of issues; economic justice; the impact of incarceration on adults and children; identity; human rights; genocide; and immigration. 07 5th World Summit on Media for Children, Johannesburg, South Africa EVC staff present a workshop and panel at the 5th World Summit on Media for Children in Johannesburg. While there, they also lead a three day documentary production workshop for young adults in Soweto, sponsored by the US Consulate and the Hector Pieterson Museum. 07 Production of Documentaries: Bangalore, India Teachers and youth workers, trained by EVC staff, created documentaries on issues in their communities. The project was supported by Adobe Youth Voices and explored runaway children, railway stations occupants and globalization in India. 07 Shame on You: That Can Be Reused! Shame On You: That Can Be Reused! uses interviews, puppetry and even a recycling game to teach about environmental justice and recycling in NYC's urban communities, with a focus on the South Bronx. 08 It's Not About Sex Shocked by the statistic that more than half of all rapes happen to people under 18, student producers search for the roots of the violence. They examine why many survivors are afraid to report their assaults, and challenge their own assumptions, while calling for society to take prevention seriously at an earlier age. 08 Open Society Institute Youth Initiative's BarCamp: Istanbul, Turkey EVC alumni Luis Arcentales presents EVC documentary 'Still Standing' and co-facilitated a workshop on youth media and activism at the Open Society Institute Youth Initiative's BarCamp in Istanbul. 08 Harlem 2 Guadalajara EVC youth producers worked with Major League Soccer and travelled with a Harlem-based youth soccer team to Guadalajara, Mexico, to document their community service for an orphanage there. 08 Drop It to the Youth: Community Based Youth Video as a Tool for Building Democratic Dialogue in South Africa Reflecting on their experiences teaching video workshops to young adults in Soweto, EVC staff and graduates propose strategies for using video more broadly to promote community dialogue. 08 Outreach Campaign: Clevland and Columbus, Ohio; Philadelphia, PA EVC youth producers travel to Ohio and Pennsylvania to screen 'Journeys Through the Red White and Blue' and register first-time voters. 08 People's Inaugural Ball: Washington, D.C. EVC students present their documentary 'Journeys Through the Red White and Blue' at the People's Inaugural Ball. This was an alternative, grassroots event for people who couldn't afford to attend the official festivities of President Obama's inauguration. 08 Journeys Through The Red White and Blue Exploring young adults understanding of, and complex relation to, the voting process, this film captured the hope and enthusiasm of the 2008 presidential election. Youth producers screened it in Ohio and Pennsylvania to register young voters and at the People's Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. when President Obama was elected. 09 Participatory Media Forum: England, United Kingdom EVC presented a case study of its methodology and model of work at this international Participatory Media Forum in England 09 The War Within: Youth Depression YOTV producers focus on the problem of depression among youth of color and collect powerful stories of their experiences and the treatments they have found to cope with it. 10 Media Artist Residency EVC Director Steve Goodman is an Artist in Residence at Muhlenberg College and gives a lecture on youth media, critical inquiry and social change. 10 Shadows of Ignorance Combining personal stories with historical and contemporary struggles for gay rights, EVC youth producers give voice to the discrimination and in some cases, acceptance, that LGBT youth experience with their friends and family on a daily basis. 10 Crossing Waters Liberian immigrant youth tell stories of their struggles to heal from the traumas of war and make a new life here in Staten Island, support of their local school and community center. Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting provided mentoring for the project. 10 As the Sun Comes Up, the Bricks Fall Down Through the process of exploring gentrification in their own Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods, landlord harassment, and neighborhood displacement, EVC students discover critical information about how long-time tenants can maintain their homes and their civil rights. 11 A Clouded View In partnership with Harlem Hospital, EVC students investigate why, every day, thousands of teenagers pick up their first cigarette, what addiction means for them and their families and how they can kick this habit. 11 Our Inheritance: Growing Up in a Decade of War EVC students producers explore what 10 years of war have meant to today's generation of youth both here and overseas. 11 The Great Divide: Wealth Inequality in America Interviews with Professor Fances Fox Piven, David Jones of Community Service Society, and Occupy Wall Street protestors give a critical perspective on the growing wealth gap. 11 Mad Hard Fun: Building a Micro-culture of Youth Media in NYC Transfer Schools A case study that takes a close look at the challenges and success two transfer schools experience bringing EVC's student-centered media program into their classes for overage and under-credited students. 11 Mortgage Mayhem EVC students investigate the foreclosure and predatory lending crisis in New York City and document a crew member's own family struggles to hold on to their home. 12 New Home: City-As-School EVC moves its offices and workshops to City-As-Schools HS. Along with generously sharing space with EVC, City-As-School shares EVC's values and practices. Its students and teachers have participated in EVC workshops for the past three decades. As CAS Principal Alan Cheng says, "EVC has been a tremendous resource for our school community. We are excited to be entering the next stage of this collaboration. 12 Under 21 Turning their cameras on themselves, the team creates an intimate portrait of how two youth get access to alcohol, why they drink and the potential consequences. 12 Life Under Suspicion The NYPD stopped and frisked nearly 700,000 people in 2011 in an effort to remove guns from the streets. But 90 percent of those stopped are black and Hispanic males. In this powerful film, EVC youth producers give a human face to this critical problem that is criminalizing and dehumanizing their generation. The Manhattan Borough President's Office and the NYCLU were among EVC's partners on this project. "The Educational Video Center has done a remarkable job empowering youth in our community," says Melissa Mark-Viverito, Speaker of the NYC Council.. "This project is giving voice to those who are most victimized by the alienating stop-and-frisk policy. These young people are being trained to be journalists and documentary film makers who can fight this injustice and make a difference." Winner of Honorable Mention in the New York Civil Liberties Union’s 2012 Freedom of Expression Contest Media for a Just Society Award, 2014 12 Breathing Heavy: Breathing Easy: Environmental Hazards in Public Housing EVC students partner with West Harlem Environmental Action to investigate the harmful impact that lead poisoning, mold, and pesticides in low-income housing have on the health and wellbeing of their communities. They report on a team member's family suffering from asthma and a widespread infestation of black mold in their apartment. 13 Beyond Buillying Through personal stories of their friends and family members, youth producers challenge the common idea that the bully and victim are dissimilar. 13 Critical Teaching in Action: Los Angeles, CA Executive Director Steve Goodman participates in Mount St. Mary's College conference on Teaching, Technology and Social Justice as the keynote speaker. 14 The International Forum on the Development of Children's Films EVC travels to China to present "Youth Media Trends in the USA" at The International Forum on the Development of Children's Films supervised by the Film Bureau of State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television, People's Republic of China. 14 Unequal Education Revisited EVC youth producers reunite 22 years later to film the followup to Unequal Education. This film bears witness to the long-term impact that inequities plaguing our society -- in education, justice, and healthcare -- have on those struggling to survive poverty without a safety net. 14 High on Perceptions Turning the cameras on themselves and their friends at home, in therapy offices, and secret hangout spots, EVC youth producers give an intimate portrayal of teens and their families trapped in a world of pain and addiction. 14 Gender Power Through startling interviews with street harassers and the harassed, the EVC team investigate the causes of street harassment and possible solutions for creating more equitable gender power relations in society. 14 US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Recognizes EVC US Senator Gillibrand congratulates EVC saying: For three decades The Educational Video Center (EVC) has been a transformative force in the lives of our youth... It is my hope that all your efforts inspire others to be as impactful in their communities as you have been in New York City. 14 EVC 30th Anniversary EVC celebrates its 30th Anniversary at the Film Society of Lincoln Center 14 Media for a Just Society Award EVC youth producer Raelene Holmes accepts a "Media for a Just Society Award" on behalf of her team for their stop and frisk documentary, Life Under Suspicion, at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency gala in San Francisco, CA. 14 Conversations Across Cultures Youth Media Visions Co-sponsored by Teachers College Columbia University and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, this publication grows out of an international symposium where EVC was invited as one of the only seven participating youth organizations. EVC's chapter describes the pedagogic possibilities of its work teaching youth with and from media. 14 Spaces of Action: Teaching Critical Literacy for Community Empowerment in the Age of Neoliberalism Featured in the English Teaching: Practice and Critique journal, this article examines the theories of critical literacy, identity and communities of practice that effect the development of youth voices and social activism. 15 BronxNet’s OPEN 2.0 Following the broadcast of the documentary Making A Way, focusing on college access, YDW co-director Tanya Jackson and Youth Producers Giovonni Rodriguez appeared on BronxNet’s OPEN 2.0 television program to discuss the film. 15 Media Lab Capital Project Thanks to capital funding from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and New York City Council Member Corey Johnson, and in partnership with City-as-School EVC renovated our media lab with new production, digital editing, and archive facilities. 16 Know Your Rights: Transfer School Students and Police presentation Three transfer school students who were involved in the making of “Policing the Times,” Orlando Ramos (Innovation Diploma Plus), Jordi Perez (High School for Excellence and Innovation), and Sharington Haynes (City-As-School) were invited to participate in a screening and panel discussion for teachers and principals at the annual Transfer School Conference. 17 We Are All Connected revived EVC revived it’s urban rural exchange program from the early ‘80’s. Youth from NYC and Appalachia lived and worked together during the summer and winter breaks to collaboratively produce documentary films and websites focusing on the opioid crisis, as well as the digital divide. 17 Harlem NeON Arts premiere at National Black Theater Court involved youth participating in EVC’s program with Harlem NeON Arts premiere their community inquiry film on gangs at the National Black Theater. 17 EVC films air on Manhattan News Network EVC Youth Documentary Workshop films “Family Portrait: Growing Up With Divorce and Family Separation” and “Moving Without Direction” air on Manhattan News Network, Manhattan’s public access TV station. 18 Steve Goodman retires, Ambreen Qureshi welcomed as new Executive Director After almost 35 years at the helm of the organization, EVC’s incredible founder Steve Goodman retires. Ambreen Qureshi, is welcomed as EVC’s new Executive Director, the first woman, person of color, and immigrant to lead the organization. 18 20th Annual Allied Media Conference Youth and staff across all EVC programs facilitate 3 workshops at the 20th Annual Allied Media Conference in Detroit, MI. This national convening cultivates media-based organizing strategies for a more just and collaborative world. 18 “It’s Not About Grit” by Steve Goodman Published Teachers College Press published “It’s Not About Grit: Trauma, Inequity, and the Power of Transformative Teaching” by our founder Steve Goodman. This overview of EVC’s work over 35 years, shares the stories of our youth and their formidable resilience and sense of agency, and references the scholars and education movements that have informed EVC’s pedagogy. 19 We Are All Connected on MNN Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s Artists Forum program featured two films made by EVC students in the We Are All Connected Program. EVC Youth Producers Mediba, Yhenni, and Illiana appeared on the program to discuss their experiences working collaboratively with students in Central Appalachia. 19 Inaugural District 79 Film Festival EVC’s Professional Development Program organizes the first District 79 Film Festival as part of their spring art show “Changing the World With Our Work,” at the Queens Museum. 19 Represent Film Festival Selection The Ones Who Bought Bushwick is an official selection at the Represent Film Festival in Los Angeles. 20 EVC receives Google News Innovation funding EVC is one of 33 organizations in North America to receive prestigious Google News Innovation funding to encourage diversity and sustainability in local media. 20 EVC alum profiled as Filmmaker Making a Social Impact EVC alum and staff member, Raelene Holmes, profiled in Authority Magazine and related publications as a filmmaker making a social impact. 20 Youth Eco-media in Appalachia article published “Connecting Youth, Eco-Media and Resilience in Appalachia” article collaboratively written by EVC’s We Are All Connected teams in NYC and TN published in the Journal of Sustainability Education. 21 EVC alumni speak at Media Literacy and Social Justice Conference EVC alumni from the films Cops Are(n’t) Colorblind and What’s Gender Got to Do with It? speak on a panel at the 2021 National Association for Media Literacy Educational annual conference. 21 EVC youth in conversation with Abigail E. Disney EVC youth producers in conversation with documentary filmmaker Abigail E. Disney, about the future of documentary filmmaking and the importance of young people’s voices in media. 21 EVC films selected for BHERC Youth Diversity Film Festival EVC films The Ones Who Bought Bushwick, Cops Are(n’t) Colorblind, Melanated: The Color Underneath, and Living with the Enemy are official selections at the 11th Annual Black Hollywood Educational Resource Center Youth Diversity Film Festival in Los Angeles. 22 Emoti-Con Prize for “Sugar Coated: The Truth About Eating Disorders” EVC high school students earned the "Most Entertaining" award at the 2022 Emoti-Con for their documentary, "Sugar Coated: The Truth About Eating Disorders." This incredible achievement showcases the students' dedication, creativity, and courage in tackling important topics through compelling storytelling. 22 EVC alum and mother present film at Alabama’s UNA Film Festival In March 2022, the journey of impact continued as EVC alum Ashley Woolcock and her mother, Stacy, proudly traveled to Florence, Alabama. There, at the Lindsey UNA Film Festival, they screened their compelling film, "Behind My Happy Face." In this deeply personal project, Ashley bravely shared her experiences with depression and interviewed her mother, who offered expert insights as a school counselor. The film brought EVC's mission of authentic storytelling to a wider audience, sparking vital conversations and showcasing the power of shared narratives. 22 EVC Alumni Advisory Council Formed EVC launched our inaugural Alumni Advisory Council with seven members. This intergenerational council helps EVC remain accountable to the community it serves, advises on alumni relations and support, the ethical use of EVC’s film archive, and other matters related to EVC’s overarching mission and organizational goals. 23 Archives’ Story: “Rap It Up” Byron’s journey EVC explores its rich archives, spotlighting the influential 1994 youth-produced documentary "Rap It Up." This reflection brought to light the story of former student filmmaker Byron Graziano, whose foundational experience with the production inspired him to pursue a career as an archivist. His path demonstrates how EVC's programs can shape lifelong passions and vocations for its alumni. 23 First Color Congress Convening in Atlanta EVC joined the first-ever Color Congress National Convening in Atlanta—a historic gathering of nearly 80 BIPOC-led and serving documentary organizations. Marking the first time our movement had ever convened to build power for people of color in the documentary field, the event united generations of filmmakers, archivists, and advocates. Amidst deep connection and rigorous strategy, EVC stood alongside our peers to help shape a more just, equitable, and solidarity-driven future for the documentary sector. 23 EVC Website is Now Bilingual (EN-ES) Marking a major step in accessibility and inclusivity, EVC's website proudly launched a fully bilingual experience, now available in both English and Spanish. This expansion ensures our vital resources and stories reach an even broader audience, strengthening connections within our diverse community. 23 Docs & Dialog on “Rules of Dating” EVC’s commitment to fostering healthy relationships and open dialogue continued with a compelling interview for Docs & Dialogue featuring Day One Educator, Sam Verdugo. Sam shared invaluable insights into "The Rules of Dating," offering thoughtful perspectives on navigating modern relationships by considering gender perspectives and reflecting on societal norms and biases. This necessary conversation underscored our commitment to equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence to build positive connections and make informed choices, fostering a more equitable understanding of healthy romantic relationships. 24 EVC’s 40th Anniversary EVC joyfully celebrated our 40th anniversary at Lincoln Center with our incredible alumni, staff, board, and community partners spanning four decades. 24 Haitian Dominican Transnational Film Festival Award Three EVC youth-produced documentaries were officially accepted to the 2024 Nou Akoma Nou Sinèrji Haitian Dominican Transnational Film Festival in Brooklyn. Franny and Mously, two EVC youth producers, represented the films, and EVC also received the Innovative Story Award. 24 Mously Testified at City Council EVC’s Executive Director Ambreen Qureshi and Youth Producer Mously, a newcomer from Senegal, speak at a City Council hearing with the Education Committee to advocate for more funding. Mously’s speech emphasizes the importance of funding for schools, education, students' economic well-being, as well as the country’s overall economy. 25 EVC on BlackStar Film Festival Panel EVC’s Executive Director, Ambreen Qureshi, joined a powerful conversation at BlackStar Film Festival 2025 –a convening organized by Color Congress with member organizations including Third World Newsreel, Scribe Video Center, ArteEast, and EVC– on archives as spaces of resistance, memory, and care; uplifting the ethical guidelines co-developed by EVC’s alumni community to protect young people featured in sensitive films; guidelines that reflect the deep values at the heart of our work. 25 “It Starts With the Arts” Rally: Youth Producer Franny Speaks Before the City Council In April, Franny, a youth producer of 8 documentaries at EVC and now a film student at City College of NY, spoke before the City Council about how access to the arts has shaped her life: “If I hadn’t had access to EVC’s program, I wouldn’t know what I wanted to do in the future… I want to ensure all New York students also get access to life-changing arts programs like I did.” Franny’s testimony was part of a citywide push called “It Starts with the Arts,” organized by NYC Arts in Education Roundtable and led by young people and educators to demand more funding for arts education. The push worked. NYC is increasing its arts budget, with youth voices leading the way. 25 EVC at 2025 Color Congress Convening Over the weekend of September 12–14th, leaders from 93 member organizations gathered in person in Chicago and online for our 2nd biennial National Convening. EVC’s Executive Director, Ambreen Qureshi proposed and organized the peer-led panel Shifting Power: Community-Centered Archive Practices Across Color Congress alongside Francis Cullado of Visual Communications, Monica Sosa of ENTRE Film Center, and Charlie Raboteau of Scribe Video Center, exploring four distinct archives that are deeply rooted in the communities where they are based and the practices that ground them in their communities. The session offered a powerful blueprint for catalyzing the archives found in community-based documentary organizations. 25 Pam Sporn and Stacey Wright join EVC’s Board Two powerful women join EVC’s Board of Directors. Stacey Wright, a bilingual, bicultural clinical social worker and public health specialist dedicated to advancing racial equity and mental health healing, and integrating narrative, culture, and trauma-responsive practices to nurture collective and individual well-being. Pam Sporn is a documentary filmmaker, educator, and activist in the Bronx. She helped pioneer social issue documentaries in NYC high schools and has been a long-time mentor at EVC. Her award-winning films illuminate stories of resistance and community power. At EVC, women like Stacey and Pam carry forward the legacy of those who came before them, leading with creativity and commitment to social justice.

WE'RE HIRING Looking to make a change in the lives of young people? Have a passion for storytelling at the intersection of social-justice and equity? Then EVC is the place for you! OPEN POSITIONS Youth Media Documentary Film Instructors Educational Video Center is an award-winning non-profit youth media organization dedicated to teaching documentary filmmaking as a means to develop the artistic, critical literacy, and career skills of young people, while nurturing their idealism and commitment to social change. EVC offers in-school and afterschool documentary filmmaking programming for youth across New York City. In each program, students collaborate on the production of a short documentary film about a social issue of their choosing that they identify as having significance to their own lives and communities. The program culminates in public screenings of their documentaries. The curriculum draws from both EVC’s signature Youth Powered Video curriculum, and curriculum crafted by individual instructors in coordination with their supervisor in order to meet the particular needs of the group, the social justice topic, and the filmmaking process. Responsibilities Include: Lead and facilitate a diverse team of 10-20 high school students in an intensive, collaborative process of creating a documentary film. • Teach collaborative research, shooting, and editing of a social issue documentary. • Guide students through media literacy lessons connecting ideas of power, critical thinking, and media production. • Develop engaging and creative lesson plans that promote students’ critical literacy, civic engagement, social emotional development, and documentary arts skills. • Accompany students to interviews, local forums, or conferences related to their filmmaking topic and process. • Facilitate student reflection and self-assessment of learning through journaling and rubrics • Coach and facilitate students’ public premiere screening and presentation of student documentaries • Help facilitate partnerships with local community based organizations to support students’ development of strategies for using their film as a tool for education, civic engagement and action. • Communicate as needed with students’ schools and advisors to support students’ learning and social emotional development, report attendance, student participation, and credit earning. • Ensure proper care and maintenance of production and post-production equipment used by the program participants Required Knowledge, Skills and Qualifications Include: • Extensive experience in all aspects of documentary film production (producing, shooting, audio recording and editing) • Experience with nonlinear editing software (Adobe Premiere, iMovie or WeVideo) • Extensive experience working with high school aged youth; especially New York City public school students including but not limited to transfer schools, international schools, equivalency programs and other District 79 schools • Experience writing student-centered, inquiry-based curriculum that is rooted in critical pedagogy and project-based learning • Demonstrates a longstanding commitment to social justice media making • Understanding of principles of positive youth development • Demonstrated commitment to EVC’s educational philosophy • Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills • Strong planning and personal organization skills • Flexibility, resourcefulness and a sense of humor Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Qualifications Include: • Experience assessing student work • Familiarity with student-led portfolio assessments • Bilingual English-Spanish speaker and/or additional languages Specifications: This is a part-time contract position contingent on project funding. The rate of compensation for coaching / instruction is $250 per full day, and $150 per half-day session. Coaches also attend EVC full staff Study Group and periodic coaching program meetings. This position reports to and is supported by the Deputy Director of Programs. APPLICATION: Please submit your resume and a thoughtful cover letter detailing how your experiences match the responsibilities of the position to programjobs@evc.org.(mailto:programjobs@evc.org) Please include the title of the position in the subject line. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, EVC encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, physical ability or any other legally protected basis. We intentionally seek to build and maintain a diverse and talented team that reflects the backgrounds and experiences of New York City public school students and creates an inclusive environment for all employees. Associate Director of Development Associate Director of Development The Educational Video Center (www.evc.org)(http://www.evc.org) is seeking an exceptional candidate to join our team as EVC’s first Associate Director of Development at this time of strategic growth. EVC is an award-winning non-profit youth media arts and social justice organization dedicated to teaching documentary video as a means to develop the artistic, critical literacy, and career skills of young people, while nurturing their idealism and commitment to social change. The Associate Director of Development’s primary focus will be proposal and report writing, prospecting and research of funding opportunities, cultivation of new and existing funding relationships, liaising with EVC’s programs teams and other departments to understand needs and programming, and effectively and compellingly communicating EVC’s mission, programming, accomplishments, and needs to external audiences in both verbal and written form. Extensive grant writing experience is required; communications experience is a plus. The Associate Director of Development’s responsibilities include: In collaboration with the Executive Director, the Associate Director will develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy to ensure that EVC’s revenue meets its annual funding objectives and broadens its donor base through foundation and government grant writing, corporate giving, individual and major donor recruitment and retention, digital fundraising, and in-person and virtual events planning. In addition to opportunities to grow technical and non-technical skills, the Associate Director will be positioned to work closely with EVC leadership in planning for the sustainability and growth of EVC’s work to develop the artistic, critical literacy, and career skills of young people, while nurturing their idealism and commitment to social change. Grant writing and reporting (75%) • Write, review, and edit foundation, government and corporate grant proposals and reports, funder emails and other grant-related materials (one-pagers, information summaries, program briefs). • Coordinate language development with Executive Director and other staff, including development of new language as appropriate, as well as splicing, synthesizing, and expanding upon existing language, depending on the specific needs and aims of each piece of writing. • Work closely with program staff to gather data, client stories and program news to prepare compelling narratives for funder audiences. • Sift through information from disparate sources, and then identify and prioritize the key pieces, and synthesize and organize them into coherent narratives. • Conduct prospect research on foundation, government and corporate funders and prepare briefing documents; attend pre-proposal conferences and other informational sessions. • Develop and manage fundraising calendars of LOIs, proposals, and report deadlines. • Help to cultivate relationships with new foundation and corporate funders in collaboration with Executive Director including thank you calls, high stakes emails, periodic email updates, virtual tours, and other opportunities for funder engagement. • Research trends in the field to support team learning, coordinate stewardship of existing foundation donors, and identify and strategize around new private funding sources to meet ambitious annual fundraising goals. Individual giving, major donors and fundraising events (20%) • Oversee individual and major donor engagement activities, including donor research, cultivation and stewardship; creating and launching campaigns; peer-to-peer fundraising; and identifying new opportunities in collaboration with the Executive Director and Board of Directors. • Manage all aspects of donor-focused events including marketing communications. These events range from virtual events, annual Benefit in June, annual Winter Cocktail in January, to intimate cultivation events that occur throughout the year. Systems, Processes, and Department Administration (5%) • Oversee fundraising operational systems including donation processing, tracking, and acknowledgement. • Oversee maintenance of EVC’s donor database (Salesforce). • Oversee maintenance of all department files, systems, and processes. • Schedule, coordinate, and participate in external and internal meetings as requested. • As needed, assist with volunteer, visibility, and employee engagement opportunities throughout the year. Other responsibilities as assigned. Candidate Qualifications: • A passion for youth media and social justice, as well as a familiarity with current social, political, cultural, and economic issues. • 3 to 5+ years of grant writing experience with a proven record of success; multi-year grants and six-figure grants experience preferred. • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required. • Experience raising revenue for general operating support is a plus. • Exceptional writer, storyteller, and communicator; ability to see “big picture,” think strategically, and translate strategy into goals and actions. • Ability to manage multiple strategic writing projects and deadlines in a fast-paced, results-oriented work environment, while maintaining a very high bar for quality. • In depth awareness of the New York philanthropic community and youth development and education foundations nationally. Compensation: The position will be compensated at a full time rate with benefits in the range of $75,000 - $85,000 commensurate with experience, and will be supervised by EVC’s Executive Director. This position is eligible for vacation, sick days, and organizational holidays with health and dental insurance, commuter benefits, and more. Location: This is a hybrid position that will work in-person and remotely as determined in collaboration with supervisor. Application: Please submit your resume, writing sample, and a thoughtful cover letter detailing how your experiences match the responsibilities of the position, and how you heard about this position, to jobs@evc.org.(mailto:jobs@evc.org) Please include the title of the position in the subject line. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and handled with confidentiality. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, EVC encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, physical ability or any other legally protected basis. We intentionally seek to build and maintain a diverse and talented team that reflects the backgrounds and experiences of New York City public school students and creates an inclusive environment for all employees.

The Educational Video Center is an award-winning non-profit media organization dedicated to teaching documentary filmmaking to young people. EDUCATIONAL VIDEO CENTER: building a just and equitable world through the power of teaching, creating, and mobilizing youth-produced media. LEARN MORE CURRENT CAMPAIGNS LATEST EVENTS & NEWS We Are the Keepers Last week, the way our nation voted left us feeling punched in the gut. Like so many times during EVC’s 40 years... Nov 14, 2024 2 min read EVC Activism From EVC’s beginning in the 80s, our youth producers have created documentaries that ask critical questions about injustice... Nov 1, 2024 11 min read The 4 I's of Oppression: How Critical Literacy Is the Bedrock of Homeplace Living in childhood without a sense of home, I found a place of sanctuary in “theorizing,” in making sense out of what was happening.... Nov 1, 2024 6 min read PARTNER WITH EVC HOST A SCREENING IMPACT SINCE 1984 STORIES & SCOOPS Play Subscribe