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Aaron’s Story screened on October 15, 2009 at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

The War Within: Youth Depression screened on September 26, 2009 at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

The EVC documentary Shame on You! That Can Be Reused screened on September 18, 2009 as part of a media activism panel at New York University’s RISE: Social Work in an Era of Change Conference.

May this holiday season take us all into an equitable, more just world through the power of young people seeking new horizons! Thank you for being a part of the EVC community and for supporting our youth producers!

THROUGH OUR EYES: Three Decades of EVC Youth DocumentariesAn EVC Retrospective Program 6: Race, Ethnicity & the Media When: Thursday, February 7 3:30 – Student Screening – RSVP atkrubenstein @evc.org and receive complimentary Teacher’s Guide 6:30 – General Screening –Buy Tickets At the FSLC Web Site Where: The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater 144 West 65th Street (Between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) HopStop Map for 144 West 65th Street Spanning three decades worth of extraordinary work, the EVC Retrospective Series captures moments in New York’s history through the fresh, but unblinking eyes of emerging teen filmmakers. Two shorts examine the lasting effect of racial and ethnic stereotypes in the media, while a third looks for common ground between African-Americans and Jews following the ’91 riots. Breaking Through Stereotypes (1994, 15m) We the People… (1992, 23m) Blacks and Jews: Are They Really Sworn Enemies? (1992, 30m) EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshop is a 15-week credit-bearing course that teaches high school students from across New York City to research, shoot, and edit compelling documentaries that examine community and youth-related issues.********************************************** EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshops and Professional Development Programs are made possible with generous support from: The Bay and Paul Foundations; The Robert Bowne Foundation; The Brenner Family Foundation; The Brightwater Fund; The Gerald & Janet Carrus Foundation; HBO; Hyde and Watson Foundation; Jewish Communal Fund; National Board of Review; Open Society Foundations; The Pinkerton Foundation; W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation; Time Warner Foundation; The Wellspring Foundation; and The Milton A. & Roslyn Z. Wolf Family Foundation Teacher of Conscience Fund. EVC is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. EVC programs are also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. In-kind support is provided by Benjamin Moore & Co, Claudia Giselle Design LLC, Gray Matters NYC, the Lawyers Alliance for New York, and the New York City Department of Education.

For nearly three decades, we at EVC have been teaching young people to make their voices heard and change the world — one documentary at a time. Year after year, our students create extraordinary stories on urgent issues in their lives, their art and ideas reaching global audiences of more than 5 million. We couldn’t be prouder of our past students’ creative and personal accomplishments. But we need your support to sustain this life-changing work for the next generation. Please give what you can to EVC so we can continue serving the students of our city – click here to make a secure online donation Over this past year, EVC youth producers made documentaries with school and community partners across the city to shine a spotlight on problems including: ·  the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy that unfairly targets young men of color, made with support from the NYCLU, Manhattan Borough President’s Office, and Fortune Society; ·  the increased smoking rates among teens and communities of color, a film now used by Mount Sinai and Harlem Hospital’s smoking cessation program; ·  the struggles of New York City’s disconnected young people –those 1 in 5 youth who are out of school and out of work– produced with help from the Community Service Society. Not only have these documentaries won awards and been featured at TriBeCa and other festivals, but the youth who made them have gone on to great success. Over 90% of last year’s EVC students completed high school and went on to college or work. Many EVC graduates are now in media companies including CNN, BET, the New York Times, and Bloomberg News. This year, EVC’s documentary arts curriculum reached nearly 1,500 students in NYC schools through our professional development teacher training program.  We featured the best student works in our 3rd Annual “Youth Powered Video” Film Festival. We also launched an exciting partnership with the Film Society of Lincoln Center presenting the retrospective series, “Through Our Eyes: Three Decades of EVC Youth Documentaries.” Highlights include last week’s back-to-back sold-out screenings featuring three generations of EVC filmmakers, with a special twenty-year reunion for the crew from “Unequal Education.” As we ring in the New Year, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating a new generation of EVC youth producers at our event, TAKING BACK NYC: EVC Youth Documentary Workshop Film Premiere,Wednesday, January 9th at 6pm at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. EVC students will debut two new documentaries on health and environmental injustices in their communities, with support from the Manhattan Coalition at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Partnership for a Healthier New York City and West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc (WE ACT for Environmental Justice). As we reflect on a challenging year for New York City and schools across the nation, we remain committed to helping youth express their voice and vision for a better world. But we can’t do it with out your support. Please make a generous tax deductable donation today to EVC so we can continue reaching and teaching and transforming young lives. To find out how to make institutional contributions and to stay involved as an EVC donor throughout the year, contact our Development and Communications Department at support@evc.org or click here for more details. On behalf of the EVC family, we wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy (and youthful) holiday and New Year!

Still recovering from a turbulent fall semester, New York students everywhere prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving Break: a time to be with loved ones and hopefully enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal. Many actually look forward to the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known as “Black Friday,” irrefutably the biggest shopping day of the year. For others, however, the festivities really start the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Tonight is currently considered the biggest “drinking holiday” of the year – in some places, even bigger than New Year’s Eve or Saint Patrick’s Day. It’s even trending as “Black Wednesday,” or more tellingly “Blackout Wednesday” (#blackoutwednesday). Traditionally, this week is an open invitation to imbibe, but increasingly teens whet their appetites with something other than turkey – reports fear more underage drinking occurs on Thanksgiving Eve than other holidays or even special occasions like graduation or prom night. A mid-semester break with students often home for the extended feel-good weekend, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has become a popular time for young people to binge drink the night away – but you don’t have to take my word for it. A quick social media search for #blackoutwednesday shows why sites like collegetownlife.com call Thanksgiving Eve “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year:” – @UVAGossip: Favorite part of the thanksgiving break #blackoutwednesday – @Wolfgang72988: The only thing that [sic] motivating me is knowing that im only 2 more days away from blacking out #blackoutwednesday – @dan_lega: Getting all my hmw done so I can blackout to the point where I don’t remember my name #blackoutwednesday We know from our own experience growing up, it’s not enough to just tell teens “don’t drink” – especially in an environment where alcohol is highly embedded in the culture of celebration. Together, adult allies, public health experts and community educators can work with young people to empower them to make more informed decisions. This fall, the Educational Video Center is collaborating with community partners to engage in a semester-long conversation with students on the influence of alcohol in their communities. Reviewing the risks of underage drinking, EVC youth took the dialogue a step further: how can we make healthy lifestyle choices when our neighborhoods are plastered with alcohol advertisements and accessibility? This week, for instance, students are bombarded by flyers and website banners promoting the best Blackout Wednesday parties, complete with discounted cover fees and drink tickets. On top of this, establishments notoriously turn a blind eye to underage drinkers and relax “carding” policies to maximize profits over a typical Wednesday. It’s bad enough they have to deal with peer pressure; the message to drink is literally written on the walls. When the party is over, EVC youth filmmakers have uncovered consequences more far-reaching than the morning after. Students interviewed community members, health professionals, and local business owners asking hard-hitting questions that shed light on alcohol-fueled accidents, disease, and vandalism. While health and law enforcements point to an increase in risk-taking behavior like unprotected sex and drunk driving, there are also countless incidents of the “silent epidemic” –sexual assault– that plagues school campuses and college towns alike. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) estimates nearly 95% of all attacks go unreported; over 75% of the time, “either the offender, victim, or both were under the influence of alcohol.” This scary connection between sexual violence and drinking culture begins before the first bottle even pops. While mapping the Lower East Side and East Harlem, EVC youth counted the number of alcohol advertisements they encountered in bodegas and bar windows, many with degrading depictions of women. The reality is, this issue extends beyond Blackout Wednesday. EVC and our partnering organizations are excited to help youth filmmakers expand this discussion in the new year. More than just a PSA, this intensive afterschool project is a call to action that addresses the environmental impact of alcohol-availability, particularly on low-income neighborhoods. Our students look forward to premiering their hard work at Mount Sinai Hospital in early January, and invite all youth, parents, teachers, business owners, and community members to join us for the discussion and reception. But we don’t have to wait until then to start important conversations in our communities. Tonight, we can remind bar owners and managers to enforce the drinking age and cut off patrons that appear too inebriated to function. We can ask business owners to be mindful of gratuitous ads, especially in school communities. We can be mindful of our own behavior at mixed-age and family-friendly holiday functions. And when young people have something to say, we can listen.

Life Under Suspicion: Youth Perspectives on the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk Policy The NYPD stopped and frisked nearly 700,000 people in 2011 in an effort to remove guns from the street. Critics point to the policy’s fundamental failure since a gun was recovered in only less than 1 percent of the cases. But a generation of black and Hispanic males — who constitute 90 percent of those stopped — is being criminalized and dehumanized as a result. Through this documentary, EVC youth producers bear witness to this critical problem and make a strong call for action to change this policy. Thanks for the support of the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, the NYCLU, Umoja Network for Young Men, NYC Council Members Peter Vallone and Melissa Mark-Viverito , and all the young men from schools and neighborhoods throughout New York who courageously spoke up and made their voices heard. EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshops and school programs are generously supported by: the Bay and Paul Foundations, the Brenner Family Foundation, the Brightwater Fund, the Gerald & Janet Carrus Foundation, HBO, Hyde and Watson Foundation, Milton A. & Roslyn Z. Wolf Family Foundation Teacher of Conscience Fund, National Board of Review, the Robert Bowne Foundation, Time Warner, Inc, W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and Wellspring Foundation; with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Education, New York State Council on the Arts – Arts Education General Program Support and Electronic Media and Film, and the NYC DYCD Summer Youth Employment Program; and individual donors; and with in-kind support from Benjamin Moore & Co, Claudia Giselle Design LLC, Gray Matters NYC, the Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Satellite Academy High School.

Life Under Suspicion: Youth Perspectives on the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk Policy The NYPD stopped and frisked nearly 700,000 people in 2011 in an effort to remove guns from the street. Critics point to the policy’s fundamental failure since a gun was recovered in only less than 1 percent of the cases. But a generation of black and Hispanic males — who constitute 90 percent of those stopped — is being criminalized and dehumanized as a result. Through this documentary, EVC youth producers bear witness to this critical problem and make a strong call for action to change this policy. Thanks for the support of the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, the NYCLU, Umoja Network for Young Men, NYC Council Members Peter Valloneand Melissa Mark-Viverito , and all the young men from schools and neighborhoods throughout New York who courageously spoke up and made their voices heard. ********************************************** EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshops and school programs are generously supported by: the Bay and Paul Foundations, the Brenner Family Foundation, the Brightwater Fund, the Gerald & Janet Carrus Foundation, HBO, Hyde and Watson Foundation, Milton A. & Roslyn Z. Wolf Family Foundation Teacher of Conscience Fund, National Board of Review, the Robert Bowne Foundation, Time Warner, Inc, W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and Wellspring Foundation; with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Education, New York State Council on the Arts – Arts Education General Program Support and Electronic Media and Film, and the NYC DYCD Summer Youth Employment Program; and individual donors; and with in-kind support from Benjamin Moore & Co, Claudia Giselle Design LLC, Gray Matters NYC, the Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Satellite Academy High School.

We are grateful to each and every one of our supporters and want to particularly thank the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and acknowledge the Open Society Foundations, Sherri Wolf, Torrance York, and Linda Levine for their most generous donations. And as one of our sponsors, loyalkaspar told us: “We Love Your Voice. Keep Shouting, EVC.” Indeed, we will. See more images of the event on Facebook!

To buy tickets or make a donation online, click NYCharities.org At the 2012 Benefit Screening, EVC will premiere two short documentaries that bring youth voices and stories to investigate the problems of young people who are out of school and out of work, and on the NYPD’s controversial stop and frisk policy. We look forward to seeing you there! EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshops and school programs are generously supported by: the Bay and Paul Foundations, the Brenner Family Foundation, the Brightwater Fund, the Gerald & Janet Carrus Foundation, HBO, Hyde and Watson Foundation, Milton A. & Roslyn Z. Wolf Family Foundation Teacher of Conscience Fund, National Board of Review, the Robert Bowne Foundation, Time Warner, Inc, W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and Wellspring Foundation; with public support from the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Education, New York State Council on the Arts – Arts Education General Program Support and Electronic Media and Film, and the NYC DYCD Summer Youth Employment Program; and individual donors; and with in-kind support from Benjamin Moore & Co, Claudia Giselle Design LLC, Gray Matters NYC, the Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Satellite Academy High School.

The Youth Powered Video Film Festival amplifies youth voices by providing an audience for their creativity, perspectives, and community solutions. EVC will present 20 youth-produced short videos, produced through EVC’s Professional Development Programs, and invite you to join us for the awards ceremony and a closing reception. For more info, contactkrubenstein@evc.org.