Jen's blog

Adult Education in Arizona has big plans for their digital stories. We just finished up another institute in Tucson. Not only will the process of storytelling and multimedia be incorporated into ESOL and GED lessons throughout the state, but we expect to see some of the new student and teacher-created videos on the Support AZ Adult Education Facebook site soon! Great work!

I recently returned to the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians in Hopland, CA to do a follow-up training with the group there on Solid Waste Management Stories and was surprised to find that almost everyone from the original training returned to create another story.   I was even more happy (in a bittersweet way) to see that despite my mental and material preparation, they really didn't need me all that much this time around.   Our Train-the-Trainer models work best that way, we've found, when we start out with an intensive production workshop, and then during subsequent visits, step back a little more each time as former participants step up and take the lead as "coaches" and develop ways to make the process their own.  Since Tasha and I share a history as Community Organizers and Adult Education Instructors, firmly rooted in the Participatory Education Model, we carry the "Iron Rule" into our work as consultants (and parents!):  "Don't do for others what they can do for themselves."  Theories aside, the new batch of stories were insightful, compelling and artfully done in ways that I couldn't have expected.  And the group gained a stronger level of technical confidence by coaching each other through the process.  

The ten stories that were created through this project all touch upon the Tribe's need to deal with trash dumping in their community.   It affects the environment, it affects the traditional food sources and it affects the long-term health of the community.  The goal is to not only show them periodically to community members during monthly "Movie Nights" to start a dialogue locally, but to also show them in January at a National EPA conference to raise awareness of the urgency of this issue in their lives.  Check out Ben's Story on our site to see an example. 

Every time I meet a new community and listen to authentic stories told creatively and from the heart about issues that are important to them, my life is touched too.  It's impossible in this kind of work, I think, to not be affected.  This topic really hit home for me, though and I'm grateful for these lessons brought to light by our friends in Hopland. 

I have to admit, I was holding my breath the whole time- having created the final compilation all 21 film submissions, hoping that every one would play clearly on the big screen and most of all, make all of the young filmmakers in the audience see what amazing things they are capable of doing.   They did.  The San Francisco ExCEL Afterschool Programs Student Film Festival was a huge success, with about 200 kids and families attending, a fabulous student MC and a whole lot of support from the folks at The Bridge Theater and the ExCEL staff.  All of the films were created during afterschool media clubs throughout the city by kids ranging from K-12th grades.  We had animation shorts, stop-motion pieces, PSA's about parents on cell-phones and violence on TV,  videos showing what was special about each school, digital stories about taking care of the earth and each other...the list goes on.  All together, the festival meant a chance for kids to celebrate a year of project-based learning that got them to experiment with multimedia tools in fun and meaningful ways. 

This is why we do what we do. Any moment when people begin to see themselves as real media producers rather than just consumers is magical.  Whether that happens in an office or a classroom or a big beautiful theater with red carpets and popcorn, doesn't matter.  But I have to admit, the view from the projection room that evening was pretty amazing... Big congrats to all.

With limited time and resources, teachers are constantly struggling to keep up with rapidly changing media technologies while trying to help students gain the necessary 21st century learning skills in media literacy. In collaboration with the San Francisco Film Society, Creative Narrations offered a one-day workshop for teachers on September 26th.  Participants from different Bay Area schools learned how to mix media creation and media literacy into the classroom through a variety of activities and tools.  Thanks to all who made it out!