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EVC’s Throwback Thursday Film Festival Join us for three evenings of powerful social justice documentaries to support our youth filmmakers as they share stories about the issues that shape their lives. Featuring some of EVC’s classic youth-produced documentaries on timely topics of education, unemployment and mental health, followed by a discussion with our alumni filmmakers. Buy Your Tickets Here May 21st at 6:00pm to 7:00pm EST Unequal Education: Failing our Children (1992) A year in the life of two seventh graders in the same Bronx school district– but worlds apart– reveals the stark contrast in educational opportunity. May 28th at 6:00pm to 7:00pm EST Living in Limbo: Youth Out of Work and Out of School (2012) Five million young people are neither working nor in school. EVC filmmakers document their struggles through the eyes of one young mother in Brooklyn. June 4th at 6:00pm to 7:00pm EST The War Within: Youth Depression (2008) Depression is a hidden crisis among young people of color. Through personal stories, this film shares important information and a message of life-affirming hope.

Every June, EVC looks forward to our Annual Benefit, and this year was no exception. We are looking forward to when we can once again gather as a community to celebrate our 35th Anniversary,  Like everyone, we’ve adapted to this new reality, and our media arts education programs carry on remotely – teaching dozens of students how to use documentary film to make their voices heard. Every year we count our Benefit to raise significant funds to help sustain our award winning programs, and this year was no exception. That’s why we’re having our first ever virtual Un-Benefit Celebration. With the support of our community, we will be working to sustain EVC’s programming and help us continue to offer students our award winning filmmaking programs free of charge. I want to thank you all so much for your continued support of EVC! Our hearts go out to those whose lives have already been affected by the coronavirus. Please take care of your loved ones, and know that when this crisis is over, EVC, our lives, and transformative youth media education will go on. Ambreen Qureshi, Executive Director of EVC DONATE FUNDRAISE

Here are some highlights from EVC’s 35th Anniversary Winter Cocktail & Youth Documentary Premiere in January. Over 130 people joined us to celebrate our talented Youth Producers at the premiere of EVC’s newest youth produced documentaries:  “Cops Are(n’t) Colorblind: Changing the NYPD From the Inside and Out” and “Finding Hope in A Lost Cause: A Climate Change Documentary.” Head over to our Facebook page to see photos from the evening taken by some of our talented Youth Producers, and watch the video above to remember this evening of networking, learning, and celebrating EVC’s students. Thank you so much to our lead sponsors! HBO Sherri Wolf Thank you to our Cocktail Committee! Albert Bahar Benson Cohen Colleen Devery Eriko Lankin Christine Mendoza Ambreen Qureshi Laura Scheiber Jenny Spiegel Amy Sutnick Plotch Torrance York Ann and David Levy The video was filmed and edited by Rafael Gell, an EVC alum.

Join us as we celebrate our inspirational youth producers and to support EVC’s bold growth plans. This special evening will include a screening of our two newest youth-produced documentaries, a lively discussion with the youth and a cocktail reception. Buy Tickets Here! Thursday, January 9, 2020 Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater Doors Open: 6:00 PM Program Begins: 6:30 PM Corporate Sponsor

YOUTH POWERED VIDEO FESTIVAL Each year, EVC’s Professional Development Program integrates its model of documentary film production and community inquiry into classes and afterschool programs throughout New York City. EVC Youth Producers will be premiering their year-end films at our 8th Annual Youth Powered Video Film Festival. Meet our young filmmakers and see their compelling films! Download flier here. When: May 31, 2018 at 4PM Where: AMC Theaters 34 Street, 312 W. 34th Street, NY, NY 10001 // D Building RSVP to: Mary Grueser, Director of Professional Development Programs, mgrueser@evc.org NEW MEDIA ARTS LAUNCH PARTY As their remixed websites go live, we will gather with the EVC youth producers for a launch celebration with family, teachers, peers, mentors, industry professionals and community members from all over New York City. This is a time to celebrate students’ work; engage in dialogue about social issues impacting their lives and communities; and provide professional networking opportunities as our students share their stories. Download flier here. When: June 5, 2018 at 4:30PM Where: 16 Clarkson Street, NY, NY 10014 // Room: Library on the 4th floor RSVP to: Laura Scheiber, Director of New Media Arts Program, lscheiber@evc.org ANNUAL YOUTH DOCUMENTARY WORKSHOP PREMIERE EVC youth producers will be premiering their films exploring the challenges faced by low income people of color when attempting to access quality healthcare and new federal legislation that can potentially harm and even shut down Transfer schools, which many of our students are currently enrolled in. There will be a Q&A and reception following the screening. Download flier here. When: June 8, 2018, at 6PM sharp; doors open at 5:30PM Where: Cowin Auditorium, 147 Horace Mann Hall, Teacher’s College RSVP to: Bria Holness, Development Manager, bholness@evc.org

NEW MEDIA ARTS LAUNCH PARTY As their remixed websites go live, we will gather with the EVC youth producers for a launch celebration with family, teachers, peers, mentors, industry professionals and community members from all over New York City. This is a time to celebrate students’ work; engage in dialogue about social issues impacting their lives and communities; and provide professional networking opportunities in a space that joins all 5 New Media Arts sites. When: December 21, 2017 at 4PM Where: 16 Clarkson Street, NY, NY 10014 // Room: Library on the 4th floor RSVP to: Laura Scheiber, Director of New Media Arts Program, lscheiber@evc.org WE ARE ALL CONNECTED (WAC) PROJECT LAUNCH We are excited that our Tennessee and NYC students will be reuniting in December to live and work together in New York City and launch their project in early January. Join us as we celebrate! And if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out our short video profiling two of our WAC youth producers! When: January 3, 2018 at 4PM Where: Hostos Community College, 120 E. 149th Street, 2nd FL, Bronx, NY 10451 // D Building / Savoy Manor Building in the Savoy Multi-purpose room RSVP to: Mary Grueser, Director of Professional Development Programs, mgrueser@evc.org ANNUAL HBO YOUTH DOCUMENTARY WORKSHOP PREMIERE EVC youth producers will be premiering their films exploring the causes and impacts of unintended teen pregnancies on young people in New York City and how communities can create safe spaces for LGBTQ youth. There will be a Q&A and reception following the screening. Download flier here. When: January 11, 2018 at 6PM sharp; doors open at 5:30PM Where: HBO Theater, 1100 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036 RSVP to: Bria Holness, Development Manager, bholness@evc.org 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.

Dear Friends, I have been the founding executive director of the Educational Video Center for close to 35 years. This role has been the greatest honor of my life. It is, therefore, with great pride and confidence that I announce my plans to transition from my role at EVC in early 2018 and to hand the reins over to someone else to lead the organization into the future. It is a good time to make this change. After more than three decades of continuous growth and evolution, through many successes and some of the most challenging times our nation has ever faced, EVC is strong, relevant, and continues to be one of the most innovative organizations of its kind. EVC’s resilience can be measured in the many opportunities there are for expanding and deepening our work. Our programs have both the experience and the nimbleness to respond to changing needs in our communities. And speaking of community, ours is large, diverse, and dedicated—from staff and partners to the thousands of youth and teachers who have flourished through EVC. It has been my privilege to witness three generations of EVC youth grow and thrive in our programs and to see many of them find their passion and their footing at EVC and go on to become successful media professionals, educators, and community activists. Another measure of EVC’s strength is our engaged, resourceful, and committed board of directors. For months now board members have been working with staff and EVC’s longtime community stakeholders to ensure that the organization uses this transition as an opportunity to gauge the current landscape and position the organization well for the future. I hope that you will help spread the word and participate in ensuring that we find the best person we can: a visionary leader who is dedicated to youth development, filmmaking and arts education, transformational educational spaces, and social justice, and who can identify the resources and partnerships necessary to help EVC continue to grow. I am so very grateful to have been a part of the Educational Video Center’s good work and to be a member of this powerful community. I look forward to seeing what the next chapter brings and give my full support to the new leadership, as EVC continues to serve and develop the youth of our city. Sincerely yours, Steve Goodman Executive Director

Please join Harlem NeON Arts in collaboration with EVC for a documentary workshop screening! A Community Inquiry on Gangs & Unequal Education Followed by a Q&A with the youth producers and a reception with refreshments. Wednesday, March 29, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm The National Black Theater 2031 5th Ave., New York, NY 10035 RSVP: mgrueser@evc.org

With the inauguration of Donald Trump as 45th president of the United States, our nation’s core values and the safety of our communities—especially the most vulnerable among us—are at risk. For 30 years the Educational Video Center has supported young media-makers to foster hope, create dialogue, and resist injustice. EVC helps youth thrive as both students and community leaders, and many of EVC’s media-makers go on to work on the front lines of social justice work. Perla Lopez is one remarkable example. In her words, EVC “inspired me to finish high school and go to college, and now I am the first woman in my family to go to college.” At EVC she learned to use filmmaking as an art form to educate the community to speak up and defend their rights as undocumented immigrants. Perla is now a community organizer with Make the Road New York. and is working to safeguard immigrant families, fight homophobia, and push back against police brutality. We need creative young leaders like Perla now more than ever. Click here to watch Perla reflect on her experience as an EVC Youth Producer Perla is an extraordinary woman, but she is not unique among EVC alumni. EVC has help hundreds of young people like Perla connect to the power their stories and their ability to lead. Because of young leaders like Perla, we at EVC remain hopeful that our families and community will continue to do the hard and necessary work of ensuring youth and our most vulnerable populations are safe, supported, and well equipped to resist. We at EVC are proud to celebrate our graduates from the past three decades whose documentaries have challenged us to think critically about pressing social issues in our lives. And we’re proud that they’ve gone on to make a difference in the world in countless ways—through the films they create, the communities they serve, and the students they teach and mentor.

The end is near! The end of 2016, that is. But there’s still time left for you to make your tax-deductible donation to EVC. And with your generous support, we can continue offering another year of transformative youth documentary and media arts programs. Thanks for your love and commitment to the amazing, talented youth we serve. Warm wishes to you from EVC for a 2017 filled with youthful creativity and activism.

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

Dear Friends, Here’s what US Senator Gillibrand had to say in her welcome remarks at EVC’s annual benefit screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. “From direct work with students, to media arts initiatives in schools, EVC has become an internationally acclaimed leader in youth media.” And here’s what Host of Inside Story Ray Suarez said in his nationally broadcast coverage of the screening for Al Jazeera America: “My special thanks to a great organization, the Educational Video Center, which uses the arts to help troubled teens find their way.” EVC has not only been transformative for our youth producers, but also for the thousands of viewers locally and globally who have been moved by our students’ films at festivals, conferences, schools, libraries and on television. They have even been screened in major international exhibitions at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin and the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. Through our Professional Development Program, we have brought EVC’s model of media arts education to hundreds of students in schools and in after-school programs for middle school students and justice-involved youth. We piloted our newYouth and Community Voices professional development initiative for teachers in collaboration with NYU partner schools. Our students’ New Media Arts interactive web project “Bridging the Gap: Community and Police Justice” won the “Social Impact Award” at the Emoti-con Youth Digital and Technology Challenge. We are grateful for the support of the Judy Doctoroff fellowships, which gave EVC students paid internships at Bloomberg News and Union Editorial. This year, we launched an oral history project recording the stories of EVC graduates who have gone on to successful careers in media, education, the arts, and more in partnership with Teachers College MASClab, and you can click here to watch some of them. Judy Doctoroff Fellows and Interns Aysha Memeti at Union Editorial and Billy Marte at Bloomberg News Finally, we cut the ribbon on our new state-of-the-art digital media lab and library with our partners at City-As-School, made possible with capital support from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYC Council Member Corey Johnson, and the Hyde and Watson Foundation. They’ve generously invested in the future of EVC and the students we serve. With less than two weeks left in 2015, we hope you’ll add to that investment and make your secure tax-deductible contribution today. Help us meet our $6,000 year-end appeal goal. Every dollar matters. Please click here. Thank you for being among the inspired and supporting EVC, so that in 2016 our youth will keep changing the world – one documentary at a time. With gratitude and warm wishes for the holidays, Steve Goodman Executive Director