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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

Ambreen Qureshi (she/her) Executive Director Ambreen joined the EVC community as Executive Director in 2018. She has extensive leadership experience in the non-profit and media industry including Magnum Photos and the Associated Press. Ambreen received her M.S. with a concentration in media and culture from the New School and completed her undergraduate studies at the City College of New York. Previously as the Deputy Executive Director of the Arab-American Family Support Center, a trauma informed Settlement House, Ambreen spearheaded the development of innovative youth media programs including “I Need to Be Heard!” a participatory youth filmmaking program and “Stomp the Ban,” a large scale film installation and dance action to protest the travel ban. She also worked for the Jordan Red Crescent Society creating an arts and education program for refugee youth. The social justice issue that Ambreen is most passionate about dismantling is systemic racism and classism. (ella) Directora Ejecutiva Ambreen se unió a la comunidad de EVC como Directora Ejecutiva en 2018. Tiene una amplia experiencia de liderazgo en la industria sin fines de lucro y de medios de comunicación, incluyendo Magnum Photos y la Associated Press. Ambreen recibió su M.S. con una concentración en Medios y Cultura de la New School y completó sus estudios universitarios en el City College de Nueva York. Anteriormente, como Directora Ejecutiva Adjunta del Centro de Apoyo a la Familia Árabe-Estadounidense, Ambreen encabezó el desarrollo de innovadores programas de medios para jóvenes, incluido "¡Necesito que me escuchen!" un programa participativo de cine para jóvenes y “Pisotea la Prohibición”, una instalación cinematográfica a gran escala y acción de baile para protestar por la prohibición de viaje anti-inmigrante. También trabajó para Jordan Red Crescent Society creando un programa de arte y educación para jóvenes refugiados. El problema de justicia social que a Ambreen le apasiona más desmantelar es el racismo sistemático y el clasismo. aqureshi@evc.org

Chris Caraballo (he/him) Alumni Advisory Council EVC Films: Drug Dealers: Societies Unwanted Children (2006). Chris Caraballo is an EVC graduate and an actor turned photographer turned software engineer for Google. Chris has always believed in non-linear paths to success. In a short time, Chris found success in networking and studied his way from a two-hour commute to his tech Bootcamp training program in Brooklyn, to being scouted and offered a full-time Software Engineer position at Google. He spends his free time hiking nature trails and taking online certification courses to further his skillset. He has returned to EVC as an alumni leader and joined EVC's new Alumni Advisory Council. (él) Consejo Asesor de Ex-Alumnos Película de EVC: Traficantes de Drogas: Los Niños No Deseados por la Sociedad (2006). Chris Caraballo es un graduado de EVC y un actor convertido en fotógrafo convertido en ingeniero de software para Google. Chris siempre ha creído en caminos no lineales hacia el éxito. En poco tiempo, Chris encontró el éxito en la creación de redes y estudió su camino desde un viaje de dos horas para su programa tecnológico Bootcamp de capacitación en Brooklyn hasta que lo seleccionaron y le ofrecieron un puesto de ingeniero de software de tiempo completo en Google. Pasa su tiempo libre caminando por senderos naturales y tomando cursos de certificación en línea para mejorar sus habilidades. Regresó a EVC como un líder de alumnos egresados y se unió al nuevo Consejo Asesor de Ex-alumnos de EVC.

The Youth Documentary Workshop is the Educational Video Center’s award-winning signature program that has been preparing students for active community engagement, successful media careers and college since 1984. WE'RE ALL CONNECTED We Are All Connected (WAC) is EVC’s urban-rural summer exchange and documentary program. We Are All Connected (WAC), brings together young people from New York City and Appalachia to live, work, and learn together to collaboratively produce documentary films and websites about social justice issues that impact their lives and bridge the urban-rural divide. EVC’s Appalachian partnership dates back to the mid 1980’s when EVC first held urban-rural youth video summer camps in Eastern Tennessee. In 2017, EVC revived these summer camps with our original partners. Youth that have completed a previous EVC program are eligible to participate in WAC. Through the program, New York City and Tennessee students have chosen to turn their cameras on systemic issues personally relevant to them, including broadband access, the opioid epidemic, foster care, and most recently water quality. Both communities end off with a video that is a powerful tool to foster dialogue locally and visibility nationally on critical issues. Through We Are All Connected, youth in urban and rural communities find shared values, learn how much they have in common, and how interconnected their communities really are. Want to learn more? Simply fill out the form below, or email Mary Grueser , Deputy Director, Programs. PARTNER WITH EVC CONTACT US RECENT PROJECTS

< 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

EVC FUNDERS CITY COUNCIL PARTNERS

Yhenni Vogue (she/her) Alumni Advisory Council EVC Films: Family Portrait: Growing up With Divorce and Parental Separation (2017), The Queer Survival Guide (2018), Colors of Health: Understanding Unequal Care in New York City (2018), Can You See Me Now (2018), Something in Our Water (2019). Yhenni (Yhennisa) is a 24 year old Bronx native. She started in EVC with her first YDW (Youth Documentary Workshop) with the cohort of 2017 with their film “Family Portrait”. Yhenni then went on to create 4 more films with the EVC before finally continuing in her path. Since then, she has attended Bronx Community College’s Film Production Training, and is currently the office manager at a holistic medicine practice. She continues to work on photography and videography with her fiancé for fun and as a side gig! (ella) Consejo Asesor de Ex-Alumnos Películas de EVC: Retrato de Familia: Crecer con el Divorcio y la Separación de los Padres (2017), La Guía de Supervivencia Queer (2018), Colores de la Salud: Entendiendo la Desigual en la Atención Médica en la Ciudad de Nueva York (2018), ¿Puedes verme ahora? (2018), Algo en Nuestra Agua (2019). Yhenni (Yhennisa) es una nativa del Bronx de 24 años. Empezó en EVC con su primer YDW (Taller Documental Juvenil) en el grupo de 2017 con su película Retrato de Familia. Yhenni luego pasó a crear 4 películas más con EVC antes de finalmente continuar en su camino. Desde entonces, ha asistido a la capacitación en producción cinematográfica del Colegio Comunitario del Bronx y actualmente es gerente de oficina en una práctica de medicina holística. ¡Ella continúa trabajando en fotografía y videografía con su prometido por diversión y como trabajo secundario!

< 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

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.”

Steve Goodman EVC Founder Steve Goodman (he/him) is the founding executive director emeritus of the Educational Video Center. After producing an acclaimed documentary on a South Bronx youth gang in the 1970s and teaching video in a Lower East Side alternative high school, he established EVC in 1984 to empower youth to make their voices heard about critical issues in their lives. Under his direction for nearly 35 years, students at EVC have produced powerful social justice documentaries that have won over 100 awards, including an Emmy. Trained as a journalist at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Goodman has directed award-winning independent documentaries and has taught in New York City transfer high schools; New York University; University of London, Institute of Education; and other universities. Co-author of EVC’s Youth-Powered Video curriculum, he has brought EVC’s methodology to youth through summer documentary camps in rural Appalachia and across the world through workshops in Soweto, South Africa; Belfast, Northern Ireland; London, England; and Bangalore and Delhi, India. Goodman writes extensively on critical media literacy, youth media, civic engagement and education reform for numerous publications. He is the author of Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change and most recently author of It’s Not About Grit: Trauma, Inequity and the Power of Transformative Teaching which was a 2019 Prose Award Finalist in Education and won the 2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award in Education.

Dalia McGill (she/her) Youth Media Instructor Born in NYC and raised in Brazil, Brazilian-American filmmaker, Dalia has worked extensively in the Brazilian Amazon. She received her BA in geography and studio art at Dartmouth College in 2016 and her MA in international relations at the University of São Paulo in 2024. Dalia is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and participated in EVC’s Credible Educators program in 2024. (ella) Instructora de Medios Juveniles Nacida en Nueva York y criada en Brasil, la cineasta brasileño-estadounidense Dalia ha trabajado ampliamente en la Amazonía brasileña. Obtuvo su licenciatura en Geografía y Arte en Estudio en Dartmouth College en 2016 y su maestría en Relaciones Internacionales en la Universidad de São Paulo en 2024. Dalia habla con fluidez portugués y español y participó en el programa Credible Educators de EVC en 2024.

Raelene Holmes (she/her) Alumni Advisory Council EVC Films: Life Under Suspicion: Youth Perspectives on the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk Policy (2012), Breathing Easy (2012), Beyond Bullying (2013). Creating three consecutive documentaries on topics that personally affect her, Raelene began her social justice journey as a high school student at EVC. She participated in a wide variety of EVC programs including the Youth Documentary Workshop (YDW), New Media Arts Apprenticeship (NMA), and Professional Development Program (PDP). Raelene worked as a teaching assistant in YDW, co-instructor in PDP, and co-host of EVC’s Docs and Dialogue screening series. She went on to pursue a Baccalaureate Degree in Theater to advocate for social change through acting, directing, and most importantly, playwriting. (ella) Consejo Asesor de Ex-Alumnos Películas de EVC: Vida bajo Sospecha: Perspectivas de los Jóvenes sobre la Política de Detención y Registro de la Policía de Nueva York (2012), Respirando Tranquilo (2012), Más Allá del Acoso Escolar (2013). Al crear tres documentales consecutivos sobre temas que la afectan personalmente, Raelene comenzó su viaje por la justicia social como estudiante de preparatoria en EVC. Participó en una amplia variedad de programas de EVC, incluido el Taller Documental Juvenil (YDW), el Aprendizaje de Artes Mediáticas (NMA) y el Programa de Desarrollo Profesional (PDP). Raelene trabajó como asistente de enseñanza en YDW, co-instructora en PDP y co-anfitriona de la serie de proyección Documentales y Diálogos de EVC. Luego obtuvo una licenciatura en teatro para abogar por el cambio social a través de la actuación, la dirección y, prioritariamente, la dramaturgia.