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SHAKEIMA COOKS Born & Raised: Harlem First EVC Project: The War Within: Youth Depression (YO-TV, 2009) Current Occupation: Freelance Producer Education: BA in Public Relations and Advertising – City College, 2011; MFA in Documentary Filmmaking – City College, 2013 Films: The War Within: Youth Depression, 2009 Shakeima's Story Shakeima first became interested in filmmaking after seeing the movie, The Color Purple. She had been in the foster care system and after being adopted by her great aunt, used that experience to create a film. Soon after, she joined YO-TV, EVC’s pre-professional training program. Shakeima and five other young women spent nine months researching and creating a documentary on depression among youth of color. The War Within: Youth Depression explores this hidden crisis through interviews with youth, clinicians, and mental health advocates. After working as a YO-TV Intern, EVC secured an internship for Shakeima at Union Editorial, a prestigious documentary and commercial editing house. Shakeima spent a year after YO-TV interning there with award winning partner/editor and EVC Advisory Board member Sloane Klevin. She credits this experience with waking her up to the business side of video and filmmaking, making her aware of all the parts involved in being a successful media producer. In 2012, Shakeima interned for POV a small documentary division of PBS, and interned at other well-established film companies such as DCTV (Downtown Community Television) founded by Jon Alpert. Shakeima was a 2018 Bronx Documentary Center Film Fellow. Shakeima has worked for BET Networks, as a Production Associate in development, and worked as a media instructor for The Center For Alternative Learning (CASES) where she taught film to court-mandated youth. Shakeima completed her MFA in Documentary Filmmaking at City College. Shakeima’s thesis film Beauty: Only Skin Deep??? explores the ideology of what beauty is considered to be in the African American community, and won the New York Women In Film And Television Award. Shakeima hopes to help other youth tell their stories, “kids just want to express themselves but if they don’t have the resources, they won’t be able to.” Best Skill Learned at EVC: “Definitely interviewing the subjects – EVC taught me how to do good interviews and develop good interviewing skills. It taught me to just listen and be able to deal with how your subject is feeling – understanding how they think and being able to relate and connect their struggle." Most Memorable EVC Moment: “One experience that stood out was when we got a chance to volunteer for the author Terrie Williams in her campaign, “Healing Starts With Us” and I saw other people from my community go up and talk about their experiences. I got to hear people of color talk about depression. Through that I got the chance to meet with a psychiatrist and discuss issues that I have been battling and struggling with since my childhood. This later on helped me to seek counseling at Full Circle Health. And I realized that I am not the only one battling depression — that there were many others.”

Ines Morales (she/her) Program Manager, Youth Media Arts Ines Morales is an EVC alum, she joined EVC while in high school. She had the opportunity to experience EVC as a student, a media instructor, board member and now a program manager for the Youth Documentary Workshop and New Media Arts program at EVC. What sparked her interest in EVC was her interest in social justice issues that affected black and brown people in her community. Her experience at EVC encouraged her to pursue a degree in filmmaking from City College of New York where she earned her BFA. Later she decided to combine her passion for social justice and filmmaking by pursuing a degree in social work concentrating on community organizing and development; she obtained her MSW from Hunter College. Prior to her current position at EVC she worked as a clinical director at a supportive housing facility for adults who were experiencing homelessness, substance use conditions, mental health conditions, and other medical conditions. (ella) Administradora de Artes Juveniles Mediáticas Inés Morales es egresada de EVC. Se unió a EVC mientras estaba en la escuela preparatoria. Tuvo la oportunidad de conocer a EVC como estudiante, instructora de medios, miembro de la junta y ahora gerente de programa para el Taller Documental Juvenil y el programa Nuevas Artes Mediáticas en EVC. Lo que despertó su interés en EVC fue su interés en los problemas de justicia social que afectan a las personas negras e indígenas de su comunidad. Su experiencia en EVC la animó a obtener una licenciatura en cine del Colegio de la Ciudad de Nueva York, donde obtuvo su licenciatura. Más tarde, decidió combinar su pasión por la justicia social y el cine al obtener una licenciatura en trabajo social concentrándose en la organización y el desarrollo de la comunidad; obtuvo su maestría de Hunter College. Antes de su puesto actual en EVC, trabajó como directora clínica en un centro de vivienda de apoyo para adultos que estaban sin hogar, y enfrentando condiciones del uso de sustancias, condiciones de salud mental y otras condiciones médicas.

Isabella Araya (she/her) Alumni Advisory Council EVC Films: What’s Gender Got To Do With It (2020). Born and raised in New York City, Isabella joined EVC in 2020 as a high school junior at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her collaboration on the film “What’s Gender Got To Do With It?” helped her examine gender identity, notably, how the under- and mis-representation of women in the media reproduces harmful biases. Isabella, who identifies as a queer Latina woman, is turning her new found awareness into action. She is a lead organizer at the YA-YA Network, where she leads campaigns to promote restorative justice in schools. She remains a leader at EVC, participating in community screenings, strategic planning, and as a member of the Alumni Advisory Council. (ella) Consejo Asesor de Ex-Alumnos Película de EVC: ¿Qué tiene que ver el género con eso? (2020). Nacida y criada en la ciudad de Nueva York, Isabella se unió a EVC en 2020 como estudiante de preparatoria al comienzo de la pandemia de COVID-19. Su colaboración en la película, ¿Qué tiene que ver el género con eso? le ayudó a examinar la identidad de género, en particular, cómo la subrepresentación y la tergiversación de las mujeres en los medios reproduce sesgos dañinos. Isabella, que se identifica como una mujer latina queer, está convirtiendo su nueva conciencia en acción. Es una de las principales organizadoras de la red YA-YA, donde dirige campañas para promover la justicia restaurativa en las escuelas. Sigue siendo una líder en EVC, participando en evaluaciones comunitarias, planificación estratégica y como miembro del Consejo Asesor de Ex-Alumnos.

< Back Breathing Easy: Environmental Hazards in in Public Housing EVC students focus their attention and cameras on the harmful impact that lead poisoning, mold, and pests and pesticides in low-come housing has on the health and wellbeing on their communities. They investigate how these pollutants affect their fellow student’s Harlem apartment, and show how the information and advocacy provided by WE ACT for Environmental Justice and other health experts give hope to a family in need. A film produced by high school students who participated in EVC’s Youth Documentary Workshop, 2012. Project Gallery Previous Next

PUBLICATIONS BY AND ABOUT EVC As a thought leader in education and youth media, publications by and about EVC are read and taught at universities and teachers colleges worldwide. BOOKS & CURRICULA IT'S NOT ABOUT GRIT Out of Stock TEACHING YOUTH MEDIA Out of Stock YOUTH POWERED VIDEO Out of Stock TURN ON THE POWER! Out of Stock YO-TV PRODUCTION HANDBOOK PUBLICATIONS BY EVC Goodman, S. (2023). The Long Haul Three Decades of Teaching Student Documentary Action Research for Environmental and Climate Justice. In R. Beach & B. E. Smith (Eds.), Youth Created Media on the Climate Crisis: Hear Our Voices (pp. 213–233). essay, Taylor & Francis Group. Douglas, D., Garcia, E., Grueser, M., “Connecting Youth, Eco-Media and Resilience in Appalachia.” The Journal of Media Literacy. Ecomedia Literacy Digital Issue. 2020. Goodman, S. “Teaching for Environmental Justice at the Educational Video Center.” The Journal of Media Literacy. Ecomedia Literacy Digital Issue. 2020. Goodman, S. “It’s Not About Grit: Trauma, Inequity, and the Power of Transformative Teaching.” New York: Teachers College Press. 2018. Goodman, S., Cocca, C. “Spaces of Action: Teaching Critical Literacy for Community Empowerment in the Age of Neoliberalism.” English Teaching: Practice and Critique. Volume 13, Number 3. December 2014. pp. 210-226. Goodman, S., Mendoza, C., Navarro, T. “The Educational Video Center.” Conversations Across Cultures: Youth Media Visions. Exploring the pedagogic potentialities of learning with and from media produced by young people. Curated by Laia Sole and Jordi Torrent. Teachers College, Columbia University and United Nationals Alliance of Civilizations. 2014. pp. 54-63. Goodman, S., Cocca, C. “Youth Voices for Change: Building Political Efficacy and Civic Engagement through Digital Media Literacy.” Journal of Digital and Media Literacy. Inaugural edition of the Knight Foundation. February 1, 2013. Goodman, S. “’Mad Hard Fun’: Building a Microculture of Youth Media in New York City Transfer Schools” in International Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures of Production and Education. JoEllen Fisherkeller, ed. New York: Peter Lang. 2011. pp. 338-354. Goodman, S. “21st-Century Literacy and Civic Engagement: Facilitating Student Documentary Projects.” Bank Street College of Education Occasional Paper Series 25, High Needs Schools: Preparing Teachers for Today’s World. October, 2010. pp 44-54. Goodman, S., Renard, R., Mendoza, C. “Sex, Literacy and Videotape: Learning, Identity and Language Development Through Documentary Production with “Overage” Students.” English Teaching: Practice and Critique. Volume 9, Number 1. May, 2010. Goodman, S., Renard, R., Mendoza, C., “Drop It to the Youth: Community-Based Youth Video as a Tool for Building Democratic Dialogue in South Africa” in African Media, African Children. The International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth & Media. Norma Pecora, Enyonam Osei-Hwere, Ulla Carlsson (eds.) Nordicom, 2008. “Amplifying Young People’s Voices” in Keeping America Open, in OSI U.S. Programs Tenth Anniversary Report Open Society Institute, 2006. “The Practice and Principles of Teaching Critical Literacy” in Media Literacy: Transforming Curriculum and Teaching. Gretchen Schwarz and Pamela Brown (eds.) Yearbook National Society for the Study of Education, 2005. “A Lens on Learning: Teaching Youth Documentary Production at EVC” in Evaluation Exchange, Heather Weiss (ed.) Boston: Harvard Family Research Project, November, 2004. Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change. New York: Teachers College Press, 2003. “The Power of Listening” in Education Week, December 1, 1999. “Media Education: Culture and Community in the Classroom” in Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education. Susan Cahan and Zoya Kocur (eds.) New York and London: Routledge, 1996. “Talking Back: The Portrait of a Student Documentary on School Inequity” in Experiencing Diversity: Toward Educational Equity. California: Corwin Press, Inc., 1994. “Media Education Programs” in Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts, A project of the National Council of Teachers of English. Scholastic, Inc., 1994. (with Bill Tally) “The Tape’s Great, But What Did They Learn?” The Independent Film & Video Monthly, August/September, 1993. ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS Vasudevan, L., Riina-Ferrie, J. “Collaborative Filmmaking and Affective Traces of Belonging.” British Journal of Educational Technology. Volume 50, Number 4, 1 July 2019, pp. 1560-1572. Blum-Ross, Alicia. “Filmmakers/Educators/Facilitators Understanding the Role of Adult Intermediaries in Youth Media Production in the UK and the USA.” Journal of Children and Media. Vol. 9, No. 3, 308-324. July 30, 2015. Print. “…some more well-established organizations, for instance the Educational Video Center in New York City (Goodman 2011) ….offer some training, evaluation and reflection opportunities for staff members…” (pg 311). Rosler, Martha. “Artists in the Cities” in Not Yet. On the Reinvention of Documentary and the Critique of Modernism Essays and Documents [1972-1991]. Edited by Departamento de Actividades Editoriales del MNCARS, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, 2015. Print. (pg 316-321). Share, Jeff. Media Literacy is Elementary: Teaching Youth to Critically Read and Create Media. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2015. Print. “Many community-based youth media programs, like Educational Video Center (EVC) in New York City… offer powerful examples of how media production can be taught as an essential component of critical media literacy.” (pg. 52-54). Silverblatt, A. The Praeger Handbook of Media Literacy. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2014. Print. “Most of the vibrant efforts, however, were not directed at schools. For example, …the Educational Video Center [is] doing important work — largely outside of classroom walls.” (pg. 582, 627). Hanley, M. S., Gilda L. Sheppard, George W. Noblit, and Thomas Barone. Culturally Relevant Arts Education for Social Justice: A Way Out of No Way. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. EVC is referenced as an example of an arts-based program that “complements and expands on traditional forms of education.” Wilson, C. M. and Sonya Douglass Horsford. Advancing Equity and Achievement in America’s Diverse Schools: Inclusive Theories, Policies, and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Steve Goodman’s book Teaching Critical Media Literacy at the Educational Video Center was used as a reference on pg. 92 Deetz, S. A. Communication Yearbook 17. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print. EVC is referenced as an example of a nonprofit arts and educational organization that has “developed teacher education programs and direct intervention with at-risk youth that involve video production activities and strengthen students’ communication, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.” Delamont, S. Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc. 2012. Print. Section titled “The Research Context” “draws on the ethnographic educational research that took place at Educational Video Center (EVC), a non-profit media education centre in New York City (NYC)” (pg 326-335). Hoechsmann, M. and Stuart R. Poyntz. Media Literacies A Critical Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 2012. Print. “Of those many initiatives that have developed, the Educational Video Center (EVC) in New York is widely regarded for its work developing programs that involve young people in public life….thus, from our perspective, EVC highlights how creative youth work can nurture youth in multiple ways, including helping teenagers to become more fully engaged in their communities” (pg 128-129). Charbonneau, S. M. “Claims to Be Heard: Young Self Expressivity Social Change, and the Educational Video Center.” Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media. No 53. 2011. Print. The author gives an “historical and critical overview of New York-based Educational Video Center, a leading youth media organization, and its auto-ethnographic work with disadvantaged communities.” He explains: “In this paper, I will review the founding and principles of the youth media organization behind Journeys, a New York-based, nonprofit youth media organization called the Educational Video Center (EVC). In addition to discussing the various cultural and historical formations in which EVC is situated, I will look closely at two examples of its work: the above mentioned Journeys (2008) and one of EVC’s earliest documentaries, 2371 Second Avenue: An East Harlem Story (1986). This organization is one that has been promoting first-person documentary production for young people of color since 1984. In this time EVC has produced hundreds of documentary videos, many of which have made it into the programs of international film festivals and garnered awards as well as recognition from major media outlets and public institutions (http://www.evc.org)…With its presentation of young, racialized selves in autobiographical media forms, EVC’s work should be seen as both a product of and contributor to broader autobiographical currents in U.S. culture.” Read the full article here. Downing, John D. H. Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. 2011. Print. A section devoted to Steve Goodman notes his observation that media education works best in the “context of community organizations where real media outcomes are possible” (pg 554). The section goes on to describe EVC. Kysilka, M. L. Critical Times in Curriculum Thought. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing. 2011. Print. “Educators are developing curriculum that teaches technology skills as well as media literacy, both inside schools and outside in such community projects as the Educational Video Center in New York, directed by Steven Goodman (www.evc.org)” (pg 326-327). Klinger, Kristin. Web-Based Education: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications. Hershey: Information Science Reference. 2010. Print. A hands-on EVC workshop was referenced on page 1382. Bradley, M. A Journey Against the Tides: Documentary Film Production as Critical Pedagogical Practice and Counterstory. Ann Arbor: ProQuest LLC. 2009. Print. “In fact, many after-school programs such as Global Action Project (GAP) and Educational Video Center (EVC) in New York City, Reel Girls in Seattle, and Video Machete in Chicago have the explicit goal of enacting change through the use of media production” (pg 147). Cheung, C. Media Education in Asia. New York: Springer. 2009. Print. “In many American and European schools, after-school programs and community-based organizations (the prominent example being Steve Goodman’s Educational Video Center), courses in media production are typically offered to low-ability or at-risk students who are not deemed well enough for traditional, print-based education” (pg 225). Halsall, J., R. William Edminster, and C. Allen Nichols. Visual Media for Teens: Creating and Using a Teen-Centered Film Collection. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited. 2009. Print. EVC is listed as a resource for teen filmmakers on page 137. Andersen, R. and Jonathan Alan Gray. Battleground: The Media, Vol 1.Westport: Greenwood Press. 2008. Print. “Advocates of critical pedagogy.. have suggested the importance of students’ knowledge and expertise in the realm of mass media culture in order for education to be authentically engaging with their lived experience. Steven Goodman, founding director for the Educational Video Center in New York City, is one of a number of pioneers of approaches that aim to facilitate critical viewing practices while engaging students in video or television production. The work of these in-school and after-school programs is rooted in the belief that students can learn a great deal about the biases and gaps in mass media representations by engaging with representational practices within their own local communities” (pg 507). Dimitriadis, G. Studying Urban Youth Culture Primer. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. 2008. Print. The author references EVC as “an important critical literacy project…in which young people took video cameras into their communities to document their own experiences and the experiences of those around them. The entire process – from filming to final editing to public presentation – allowed young people to work with, manipulate, and calibrate popular, symbolic resources in new and different ways” (pg 96). ‪Halpern, R. The Means to Grow Up: Reinventing Apprenticeship as a Developmental Support in Adolescence. New York: Routledge. 2008. Print. The author writes a case study on EVC. “Goodman and his staff have a multifaceted vision for the program. This includes helping youth master the documentary form; strengthening young people’s sense that social inequities are not fixed but can be addressed, through media as well as through other means, and the sense that they personally can contribute to social change; and, relatedly, strengthening young people’s belief that they have a right to ask questions of others and question the world around them” (pg 108-114). Kellner, D. and Jeff Share. “Critical Media Education and Radical Democracy.” The Routledge International Handbook Of Critical Education. Eds. Apple, M. and Wayne Au, Luís Armando Gandin. New York: Routledge. 2008. Print. EVC is referenced as an “excellent example for how media production can be taught as an essential component of critical media literacy” on page 291. Lovett, M. K. (2008) Creative Intervention Through Video Action Research and Pedagogy. Diss. University of Illinois, 2008. Ann Abror: UMI,Print. Steven Goodman quoted from his book Teaching Youth Media on pages 53 and 65. Rivoltella, P. C. Digital Literacy: Tools and Methodologies for Information Society. Hershey: IGI Publishing, 2008. Print. EVC is listed as an example of a program that “positions multi-literacies for teaching and learning at the center of their curriculum” (pg 254). Sealey, K. S. Film, Politics, & Education: Cinematic Pedagogy Across The Disciplines. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2008. Print. The author documents the Brooklyn video production class of an EVC-trained Social Studies teacher. “In the EVC classes in the Brooklyn high school, students were actualizing Freire’s notion of ‘praxis,’ which is action and reflection on the world in order to change it. Freirean pedagogy complements both the making and the studying of film because it is participatory, situated in a realist documentary mode, critical in the sense that the analysis encourages self-reflection, democratic because everyone can construct knowledge, research-oriented, allowing students to pose inquiries about violence, and activist where students envision change and map concrete strategies to move towards transformation” (pg 122). Norton, M. 365 Ways to Change the World: How to Make a Difference One Day at a Time. New York: Free Press, 2007. Print. EVC is provided as a resource, listed under the heading: “Are you looking for ideas to make a difference?” (pg 226). Duncan-Andrade, J. “Urban Youth, Media Literacy, And Increased Critical Civic Participation.” Beyond Resistance! Youth Activism And Community Change: New Democratic Possibilities for Practice and Policy for America’s Youth. Eds. Cammarota. J., S. Ginwright, and P. Noguera. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. “Educators like New York’s Steven Goodman have embraced this pedagogical route for their work with urban youth and have borne witness to the genius that urban schools are failing to capture. Goodman (2003) describes urban youth as capable rather than deficient. He depicts urban youth as possessors of analytical skills that map onto poignant analyses of the conditions in their communities, schools, and the larger society. Educators like Goodman experience what too many urban educators can only lay claim to with rhetoric: the capacity of every student to learn and to show products that reflect that learning” (pg 152). Jhally, S. The Spectacle of Accumulation: Essays in Culture, Media, & Politics. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2006. Print. The author cautions that offering classes in media production are not enough, they need media literacy as well. “The Educational Video Center is a good example of such an initiative: students/participants are encouraged to use video technology to tell stories that are rarely heard on commercial television. This both enhances and develops their sense of critical reflection–they are not so much copying the medium as exploring its potential. This is possible because at EVC, production has been integrated into an overall theoretical approach that highlights the question of power” (pg 232). Schneidewind, N. and Ellen Davidson. Open Minds to Equality: A Sourcebook of Learning Activities to Affirm Diversity and Promote Equity. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools, Ltd., 2006. EVC is listed as a resource for curricula and media on page 366. Sherrod, L. R., ed. Youth Activism: an International Encyclopedia, Vol 1. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2006. Several EVC documentary projects are described as examples of youth activism. “Educational Video Center…offers youth the opportunity to use film as a means of activism. This center serves groups of teens from poverty-stricken areas in New York City by offering a semester-long, credit-bearing program. EVC encourages students to examine their surroundings and address the issues that are present in their environment. One young girl created a film which confronted the poor living conditions of her tenement complex” (pg 252). Wahl, Ellen. “Educational Video Center: A Mission and a Methodology.” The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. Vol. 4, No 7. 2006. Web. “The quest for depth and rigor is a constant, and every step in the EVC process presses participants to question, rethink, and reframe on the basis of newly acquired information and insight…Throughout the program, a dual focus is maintained on the process of the students’ skill development, learning, and work habits, and on the quality of the product they create. While its purpose is to give these emerging youth producers a head start in their careers, the program is more an intellectual and artistic apprenticeship than a technical one…EVC has a deeply considered pedagogy. Allusions to and connections with the thinkers and artists whose work inspires EVC efforts are frequent and explicit. Paulo Freire, Maxine Greene, and John Dewey express the intertwined components of EVC’s approach: commitment to social transformation through a literacy of awareness and action, nurturing of creativity and imagination, and an approach to inquiry in which knowledge is constructed through experience and meaning made clear through reflection…[EVC] is the story of a mission realized by dint of passion and dedication, of a method made only in its unending quest for rigor and high quality, and of the magic that occurs when people join together to create art, community, and hope for the future.” Read the full article here. Butler, A. and Emilie Zaslow. Voice, Self, & Community Through Video Production: An Evaluation Of The Long-Term Impact Of The Educational Video Center’s Youth Documentary Programs. New York: EVC, 2004. Web. This evaluation study set out to examine the long-term impact of the Educational Video Center’s (EVC) youth programs on its participants, particularly Documentary Workshop and YO-TV. The main goal was to better understand what new skills, habits, knowledge, and attitudes young people develop and retain from their experience at EVC. The following questions were asked: (1) What impact does the EVC program have on participants? (2) What are the intended and unintended consequences of the program? And (3) how do the goals and objectives of EVC programs match the programs’ long-term impact? To answer these questions, surveys, focus group and individual interviews were conducted with a diverse range of graduates in order to hear their stories about their experiences while at EVC. Researchers found that participation in EVC fosters media-awareness, including critical-thinking skills of video production and media messages. EVC students also reported learning leadership, interpersonal communication, and group work skills and using them in their current jobs, school work and projects. Overwhelmingly, participants spoke highly of the EVC staff, especially their ability to foster community, family, and trust. Buckingham, D. Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture. London: Polity Press, 2003. Print. “The work of McLaughlin and Heath (1993), among others, in the USA has drawn attention to the role of community-based organizations in building self-esteem among groups of young people who have effectively abandoned- or been abandoned by – the formal educational system. While this latter research has tended to focus on more traditional art forms, there are several community-based organizations that have sought to give young people access to opportunities for media production…The Educational Video Center in New York is one of the longest established community-based organizations working with young people using video, particularly in documentary formats” (pg 192). Goldfarb, B. Visual Pedagogy: Media Cultures In And Beyond The Classroom. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002. Print. The author interviews EVC staff and teachers to give a detailed account of EVC’s media education in both school and after-school settings. He describes EVC’s pedagogy as an intellectually rigorous and democratic practice that takes “us well beyond the consumption-based spectatorial experiences of resistance and expression…that open up alternative positions from which students can think, debate, and act” (pg. 73-74). Other mentions of EVC may be found on pages 14, 59, 72-79, and 105-106. ‪Halleck, D. Hand-Held Visions: The Impossible Possibilities Of Community Media. New York: Fordham University Press, 2002. Print. EVC is referenced among other youth media organizations as, “an example of active and imaginative in-school television” (pg 56, 234). They go on to say that EVC has trained hundreds of teachers and helped to staff many alternative high schools and junior high schools with video teachers and has set up many workshops around the country. “Making Youth Known: Behind The Video Camera. Student Filmmakers Learn New Role As Agents Of Social Change.” What Kids Can Do News Series. Vol. 1, No. 4., 2001. Web. Excerpts from “Making Youth Known” can be read below, or the full version can be found here: “A model of synergy between school and community, EVC also has its students interacting with neighborhood adults in various roles—police officers, judges, shopkeepers, social workers.” “By working together in groups, students also learn new habits of collaboration, problem solving, decision making, and revision. Just as important, EVC’s young videographers practice a particularly personal brand of accountability. The may go out in the field with professional mentors, but the mistakes they make—and what they learn from them—are entirely their own.” “. . . EVC maintains a steady emphasis on teaching students to craft well-supported arguments through the narrative of their films. Working together in teams, students gather regularly to decide the “line of inquiry” they will follow, keeping a firm sight on the impact they want their films to create. They brainstorm questions that will both guide their next interviews and determine the location and purpose of their shooting sessions.” “When a student with a camera asks intelligent questions about important issues, adults in the community take notice. The passion and idealism of youth can help dissolve the cynicism and indifference—about the motivations of younger generations and the possibilities for meaning change—that grip too many more experienced citizens.” Delgado, M. New Arenas For Community Social Work Practice With Urban Youth: Use Of The Arts Humanities And Sports. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Print. “One of the major challenges facing urban-based communities that are low- income and primarily of color is the negative image that is often projected by print and visual media. Any opportunity that can be exercised to counter these deficit images will go a long way towards allowing these communities to share their stories and perspectives. The use of video to capture and tell stories is the primary medium of the Educational Video Center (EVC)…..EVC students learn valuable research, reporting, editing, and critical media viewing skills. The results are high quality educational materials produced by young people that speak directly to their peers… Their tapes are powerful expressions of the problems young people face every day at home, in school, and on the streets of their communities” (pg 138-139). Skoller, Jeffrey. “Home Sweet Home” Afterimage. Vol. 25, No. 3. November-December 1998. Print. “There were also many videoartists and community activist groups who made radically innovative videotapes. Such worksinclude Clayton Patterson’s documentation of the Tompkins square Park riot, Paul Garrin’s ByAny Means Necessary (1990) and Arlyn Gajilan’s Not Just a Number (1986) as well as numerousvideos made at New York City’s Educational Video Center.(2)” ‪Hobbs, R. “Building Citizenship Skills Through Media Literacy Education.” The Public Voice in a Democracy at Risk. Eds. Salvador, Michael and Patricia M. Sias. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1998. Print. “At Educational Video Center (EVC) in New York City, young people gain the skills to make their own media messages and are able to gain extensive training working with media professionals…[The created] documentaries present rich possibilities for learning because they involve research, reporting, writing, using a camera and editing” (pg 70). Tyner, K. Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, 1998. Print. In Literacy in a Digital World, it is explained that media educators in the United States consider EVC to be a national “flagship for successful media teaching” (pg 243). The author includes the transcript from an in-depth interview she conducted with Steven Goodman on EVC’s practices and principles in the section “Literacy in an Urban Landscape” (pg. 243-254). Silverblatt, A. and Ellen M. Enright Eliceiri. Dictionary of Media Literacy. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1997. Print. EVC is mentioned on pages 61 and 85. Television and Video Preservation: A Report on the Current State of American Television and Video Preservation. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1997. Print. In a report on the state of American television and video preservation by the Librarian of Congress, EVC was mentioned on page 93. Cahan, S. and Zoya Kocur. Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education. New York: Psychology Press, 1996. Print. EVC is discussed on pages 391-392. Trend, D. Cultural Pedagogy: Art, Education, Politics. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1992. Print. “The nonprofit Educational Video Center, a group of media producers and schoolteachers in New York City, works with high school students to produce projects about themselves and their communities. Often these projects demonstrate not only the relationship of ideas to actions, but also the way school culture can reach into the community…In its unselfconscious and straightforward delivery, 2371 Second Avenue makes an important statement about the use of media in the classroom…’that the power to represent is tied to other forms of power, in this case giving the student and her neighbors both a means to speak and act’” (pg 94,95). EVC is also mentioned on page 114. DISSERTATION AND GRADUATE PUBLICATIONS White, ML. (2009) Filming Ourselves: An Ethnographic Study Investigating The Pedagogical Process And Practice Of Digital Video Production At Educational Video Center (NYC). PhD diss., Middlesex University. In her research, ML White poses a number of questions about the process and practices of the Educational Video Center’s Documentary Workshop. She describes the young people who attend EVC and through their words, images and digital video, recorded as part of the research process and the EVC curriculum, explores how young people represent themselves and their experiences of Documentary Workshop. White documents and analyzes key learning moments in EVC’s process including: (i) choosing the documentary topic, (ii) conducting an expert interview, (iii) editing the final documentary, (iv) the public screening and (v) portfolio roundtable presentations when young people assess and reflect on their work and learning. This research sets out a framework that brings together three parts of a story: Understanding how meaning is made through a complex series of pedagogical processes between youth producer and adult teacher (EVC staff), text (the documentaries produced as part of the EVC curriculum and the methodological digital video production process), and the technology used and the audience who view the work. Investigating the impact and value of an educational experience for the young people involved and exploring the processes and pleasures of digital video production in a “third space” located between formal and informal education. Exploring the methodology of being a digital video ethnographer in a community of enquiry. Poyntz, S. R. (2008) Producing Publics: An Ethnographic Study Of Democratic Practice And Youth Media Production And Mentorship. Ph.D. diss. University of British Columbia, Vancouver. pp. 38-41 Studying creative youth media production and democracy, the author describes EVC’s student-centered model of teaching documentary. “EVC is focused on using video production technologies to provide disenfranchised young people with access to experiences that provide for more equitable opportunity. I note this, but also add that EVC facilitates civic engagement by showing student videomakers how ‘to use media as a tool to educate, inform, and make change in the community.’ This involves the politicization of youth through documentary projects that allow young people to become more fully engaged in their communities.” P. 40 Anderson, S. (May 14-17, 2008) Editing Lives: Developmental Consequences Of Youth Engagement In The Educational Video Center. Paper presented at the Qualitative Inquiry conference, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Through individual and focus group interviews, Anderson sought to understand: How does seeing the world critically through documentary film inform how youth read and understand their lives? How do the skills gained in documentary film production and the educational space created by the organization enable or constrain this development? Anderson notes the ways in which organizations that honor youth knowledge and production can enable critique, nurture self-reflection, and help facilitate a sense of responsibility among youth to engage in the larger civic politic. As one such organization, In presenting their documentaries on the public stage, students receive affirmation about their role in raising awareness and advocating for social change. EVC’s hands-on engagement in documentary film production process helped cultivate a societal critique and broadened their understanding of the world to include multiple perspectives. PHILANTHROPIC PUBLICATIONS 2012 Grant & Philanthropy News. (February 28, 2012) “Report Finds That Rethinking High School Education Could Lead to More Effective Learning Experiences.”http://grantnews.grantpros.org/?p=yopleagk&paged=106 “In an effort to reshape public education in New England so that it is more effective, equitable and better organized to prepare all learners for success, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) promotes student-centered approaches to learning at the high school level. As part of this work, NMEF has released a report, It Takes a Whole Society: Opening Up the Learning Landscape in the High School Years. The report…. says that rethinking the high school experience to engage outside-of-school partners can provide more effective and personalized learning experiences….[and] that learning experiences during the teen years should: Link personal experience to something larger. Offer the opportunity for young people to be immersed in social, moral and ethical issues at play in the larger culture. For example, young documentary filmmakers at New York City’s Education Video Center have focused on such topics as the challenges facing undocumented youth, the corrupting influence of credit cards, racial stereotyping in popular culture, police violence and the (lack of) connection between school and work.” Open Society Institute and Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media. (2006) “Educational Video Center and the Ford Foundation. Youth Media for Education Reform.” In Investing in Youth Media: A Guide for Grantmakers. Case study on EVC pp. 17-19 “EVC marked the fiftieth anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education by inviting its young documentary makers to explore the legacy of the historic Supreme Court decision. EVC students investigated the issue and decided to focus on school reform, which they considered to be a critical civil rights issue for their generation….EVC’s plan attracted the interest of Cyrus Driver, deputy director for education programs at the Ford Foundation. “We were looking for projects that would be illuminating and could bring Brown vs. the Board of Education into the public discourse. This was the only student-driven project that we supported,” says Driver….Cyrus Driver saw additional benefits in the video. “While reading and math—the focus of education in many urban schools these days— remain essential, students need a more well- rounded education that will enable them to effectively participate and lead their communities. EVC’s projects help students develop skills and find the voice needed to participate,” says Driver. Aufderheide, P. and David Haas. (2002) “Philanthropy’s Moving Vision Looking at the past, present and future” Council on Foundations and Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media.http://www.fundfilm.org/resources/philmovvis.htm “Making media can be an act of empowerment, both because it is a form of self-expression and because it makes an immediate connection with other people. Funders have backed people and organizations that promote empowerment through media expression and communication. Educational Video Center in New York helps at-risk teens to make work such as Unequal Education: Failing Our Children (COF 1993).” National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. (1996) “Coming Up Taller Report.”http://www.nahyp.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Coming-Up-Taller-Report.pdf “In September 1994, President Clinton announced his appointments to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who serves as Honorary Chair of the President’s Committee, charged the Committee to increase the availability of the arts and the humanities to children, especially to those at risk… This report documents arts and humanities programs in communities across America that offer opportunities for children and youth to learn new skills, expand their horizons and develop a sense of self, well-being and belonging… The Educational Video Center recognizes that learning to communicate through a video camera is part of the attraction of their program. Their apprenticeship program in videography capitalizes on young people’s interest in media. … Working on a ‘real world’ projects in a ‘real world’ environment makes the task more compelling. It also addresses a central concern many young people have about their futures: their employability.” Kirkman, L. (May/Jun 1993) “Videos: Democratic Media.” Foundation News and Commentary. 34. 3. p. 43. “Videos are the modern day equivalent of pamphlets. Asking for only a donation, the Farmworkers Union has distributed on street corners over the past few years thousands of copies of a video calling for a grape boycott. By marshalling an argument, modeling a conversation and illustrating data, videos have helped viewers gain the understanding to address complex issues. …..Video’s role in self-representation, in articulating cultural identity, has been as important as its use in issue advocacy. In Educational Video Center’s “2371 Second Avenue,” 17-year-old Millie Reyes introduces us to her neighbors and takes us on a tour of their East Harlem apartment building–and then confronts the building supervisor and the owner about its poor conditions. Fifteen thousand high school students have seen the video.”

UNEQUAL EDUCATION REVISITED In 1992, EVC’s youth team produced Unequal Education for national PBS Series, “Listening to America with Bill Moyers.” Their film revealed the stark contrast in resources and opportunities offered to students in two Bronx middle schools – one in a middle-class area and one in a low-income community – in the same district. More than twenty years later, the crew reunited to produce Unequal Education Revisited, bearing witness to the long-term impact that inequities plaguing our society- in education, justice, and healthcare — have on those struggling to survive. Following its release, EVC screened Unequal Education Revisitedat the Media and Social Change Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. Video interviews with Maxine Greene, Deborah Meier, Pedro Noguera, and Norm Fruchter were also shown to open discussion with the audience. Please click on the interviewees’ names to view their video interviews. IT'S NOT ABOUT GRIT: TRAUMA, INEQUITY, AND THE POWER OF TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING It's Not About Grit Special Pricing: Receive a 30% discount on videos with book purchase: $35 for individuals, non profits and K-12 schools, and $87.50 for institutions and libraries. Buy 5 or more videos with book purchase and receive a 50% discount — $25 each video for individuals, community nonprofits and K-12 schools and $62.50 each video for institutions and libraries. Buy a complete set of all 15 documentaries, including one free video, for $350 for Individuals, community nonprofits and K-12 schools and $875 for institutions and libraries. Young Gunz Out of Stock BUY NOW These video clips, curated from award-winning Educational Video Center (EVC) documentaries, correspond to chapters in It’s Not About Grit: Trauma, Inequity, and the Power of Transformative Teaching by Steven Goodman. They ground the book’s analysis of the sociopolitical systems undermining our students’ achievement in students’ own personal stories of struggle, resilience, and agency. DOCUMENTARY: IT'S NOT ABOUT GRIT DOCUMENTARY: IT'S NOT ABOUT GRIT Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing 01:17 Play Video WE HAVE A PETITION Now Playing 02:21 Play Video AS THE SUN COMES UP Now Playing 00:39 Play Video HAD TO MOVE OUT Now Playing 00:16 Play Video THEY’RE PASSING AWAY

< Back Abortion: Past, Present, Future This documentary explores the history of abortion rights, American attitudes towards abortion, and efforts to promote women's rights to choose. EVC youth producers examine how cultural factors--such as religion--affect people's ideas about reproductive justice Project Gallery Previous Next

PROGRAMS EVC’s student-centered programs place students’ own questions, problems, and community experiences at the center of their learning. Students strengthen their skills in documentary arts, critical literacy, civic engagement, and social emotional learning. Young people are transformed by this creative learning process, just as the community is transformed by viewing the media they create. YOUTH DOCUMENTARY WORKSHOP A credit-bearing after school film production and leadership program Young people learn to collaboratively film, edit, and produce award-winning documentary films about social justice issues that are impacting their lives, communities, and society as a whole. Students earn credits towards graduation and get access to paid internship and mentorship opportunities. MORE INFO NEW MEDIA ARTS APPRENTICESHIP A credit-bearing after school multimedia production and work-based learning program Students learn to collaboratively design websites, shoot photographs, and ‘remix’ documentaries from EVC’s archive of youth-produced social justice films. Youth earn credits towards graduation and receive paid summer jobs and mentorship opportunities. MORE INFO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS A credit-bearing in-school youth instruction and teacher-training program Both students and teachers learn how to collaboratively film, edit, and produce documentary films about social justice issues that are impacting their lives, communities, and society as a whole. Through training institutes and in-class coaching, teachers learn teaching strategies and practical skills to integrate student-led media production into their classes. MORE INFO YUDA Credible Educators CREDIBLE EDUCATORS We recruit, train, mentor and connect BIPOC, queer, working-class, and immigrant educators to teaching artist jobs , fostering a diverse teaching community for students to learn from teachers with shared experiences. MORE INFO YOUTH UP DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVE The world’s first digital archive of its kind, featuring youth-produced social justice documentary films, housing over 41 years' worth of EVC films . YUDA is intended to be available for a wide range of audiences. MORE INFO WE ARE ALL CONNECTED An urban rural summer exchange and documentary production program Young people from NYC and Appalachia live, work, and learn together to collaboratively produce documentary films and websites about social justice issues impacting their lives and communities to help bridge the urban rural divide. MORE INFO PARTNER WITH EVC CONTACT US EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY In our classrooms, we are all learners and teachers. Our approach combines critical thinking, documentary storytelling, and social justice. Developed in collaboration with generations of young people producing documentaries, our teaching practices invite young people to realize their own power, tell stories, expose injustices, take and inspire action. Our methodology is rooted in: Paolo Friere’s popular education model and critical pedagogy , which intentionally centers young people who are systemically marginalized so that they can interrogate the power structures and systems which oppress them. Participatory Action Research so that the filmmaking is a democratic process -- our students choose the issues that impact their lives, and determine how these stories are told. Culturally Responsive Teaching that seeks to uphold all aspects of our students’ cultures - from belonging to the Beyhive to being Boricua.

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.

Educational Video Center | Your gift supports our mission. Make a donation today. Educational Video Center The Educational Video Center is a non-profit youth media 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. EVC’s vision is a just and equitable world created by young people and the power of their stories.

Margaret Sheble (she/they) Archive Distribution Specialist Margaret Sheble (she/they), a 2024-2026 American Council of Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellow, holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in English Literature from Purdue University and a B.A. in Art History from Northern Arizona University. As the Archive Distribution Specialist at EVC, she will help co-create anti-oppressive strategies with the community for archival content and coordinate select archival programs and film festivals. Margaret has held key roles in museums, universities, and cultural institutions, including editor, digital learning manager, instructor, archivist, and curator. Recently, she served as Secretary and Co-Chair of the Library Committee for the Rochester Rainbow Union, focusing on Pride outreach and LGBTQIA+ resources while implementing a new strategic plan. Margaret is a strong advocate for the transformative impact of storytelling and the vital need for equitable access to cultural resources. (ella/elle) Especialista en Distribución de Archivos Margaret Sheble (ella/elle), becaria Leading Edge del Consejo Americano de Sociedades de Humanidades (American Council of Learned Societies) 2024-2026, posee un doctorado y una maestría en Literatura Inglesa por la Universidad de Purdue, así como una licenciatura en Historia del Arte por la Universidad del Norte de Arizona. Como Especialista en Distribución de Archivos en EVC, colaborará en la co-creación de estrategias antiopresivas con la comunidad para el contenido archivístico y coordinará programas de archivo seleccionados así como festivales de cine. Margaret ha desempeñado roles clave en museos, universidades e instituciones culturales, incluyendo editora, gestora de aprendizaje digital, instructora, archivista y curadora. Recientemente, fue Secretaria y Copresidenta del Comité de Bibliotecas de la Rochester Rainbow Union, donde se enfocó en la divulgación del Orgullo (Pride), los recursos para la comunidad LGBTQIA+ y la implementación de un nuevo plan estratégico. Margaret es una firme defensora del impacto transformador de la narración de historias y de la necesidad fundamental de garantizar un acceso equitativo a los recursos culturales.