Y.O.U. – Selalah and Tiaira Scott’s Story
For over 40 years, Evanston-based non-profit Y.O.U. has been providing quality programs and services to youth. Their vision is that all young people acquire the skills, self-confidence, and opportunity to participate fully, freely, and responsibly in the life of the community.
The Scott Family shares their story of how Y.O.U. has impacted their lives in this video:
—-
About the Video
Producer, Director, Editor: Shuling Yong
Cinematographer: Jeff Perlman
Production Assistant, Additional Sound: Andrea Blake
Creative Fundraising and Audience Engagement
In these tough times of shrinking budgets and attention spans, we are forced to think of creative ways to raise funds and keep our audience engaged. Here’s how I found one unique avenue, right when I least expected.
Intuitive Technology
I had my virgin flight with Virgin America Airlines recently, and while I was impressed by the sleek plane design and cheeky safety announcements, I noticed something in front of me that I’d never seen on any other airline – a touch screen monitor. On it were instructions on how to use the touch screen navigation bar to watch movies on demand, free tv, and even order food.
Hungry? All I had to do was browse through their selection of snacks and beverages (options for the health-conscious included), add them to my cart, swipe my credit card through the built-in slot, and voila! The flight attendant brings my order to me in a matter of seconds. It felt just like shopping on Amazon.
Applied To Do Good
So I thought to myself… what if this same technology could be engaged to ask for donations? On board an aircraft, you have a captive audience, most with time to spare. How about making it such that a passenger could watch my documentary for free, and then at the end, be shown an easy way he/she could take action and support the cause on the spot?
Inspired, I dug around their menus a little deeper and stumbled upon an example that came quite close! Thanks to Virgin Group founder Richard Branson‘s participation in the Stand Up 2 Cancer movement, the entire fundraising show was available for viewing on board for free. And true enough, there was a line in the show description that said that if I wanted to donate to Stand Up 2 Cancer, I could simply navigate to the online store to do so.
Almost perfect! The down side was it was a little challenging to find my way from the entertainment section to the store section, and then to the section where a few non-profit organizations were listed and people could donate to their chosen cause. Because it’s so difficult to keep an audience member engaged, we always want to minimize the number of clicks a person has to make before completing a transaction. I’m looking forward to the day when the technology enables us to make the donation on the spot right at the end of the show/movie.
That said, big kudos to Virgin for making the ability to support great organizations on board your planes available. I haven’t seen the ability to do this anywhere else… yet! And this whole experience makes me wonder… what if we could implement similar technology in other places where people tend to sit for a period of time… like a movie theatre? How would that change the way we raise money and engage audiences? What other innovative methods have you seen in your community? Share your thoughts below!
—- Liked this post? Subscribe to my free Media For Social Change newsletter.
Bringing Diversity to Documentary
I’m honored to have been accepted into the 6-month “Diverse Voices in Docs” program organized by Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago. (see HuffPo article) Think of it as an incubator for emerging documentary filmmakers of color.
We’re now done with our very first session and I’ve been blown away by all the talent in the room. So much experience. So much wisdom. We wasted no time on day one. Tasked with introducing everyone to our works-in-progress within 5 minutes, I took the leap to turn an idea that’s been in my head for months, into reality. I’m excited about highlighting and exploring a much heavily praised aspect of Singapore with folks here in Chicago.
Adventures In Learning
The documentary I’m going to be working on throughout the course of the program and beyond will shine a spotlight on innovation in the classroom, before teens enter university. Areas of interest include classrooms that incorporate social entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, or global citizenship.
Driving Force
The interest in these new curriculums and teaching methods really stem from my experience of growing up in a very “exam-driven” educational system, where school was more about learning to get the good grades than it was about learning… actually learning. I remember feeling like a fish out of water when I first stepped into the classrooms at Northwestern University. “You mean you actually wanna hear my opinion?” And also in constant awe of the number of fellow students around me who truly believed they could change the world.
Research Research Research
Pushing boundaries with Fear Experiment
“Do one thing everyday that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Imagine going from zero experience in an art form that scares you, to performing that very art form in front of 750 people at a major concert venue in your city. Fear Experiment is one experience that’s helped over a hundred adults take fear face on over the last few years in Chicago.
Good laughs at improv practice
Fear Experiment creator Saya Hillman made the sign-up criteria clear – you sign up solo (so everybody starts off as strangers), and the idea of doing FE has to scare you. You must have had no formal training in dancing, improv, a capella singing, or stepping, and you’ve gotta be ready to be practicing twice a week for 3 months before being thrust on stage. Everybody has to work together and be supportive of each other. It’s kinda like summer camp for adults. One filled with like-minded individuals looking for a challenge.
People sign up for various reasons. Some do it to overcome social anxiety, some do it to be a good example to their kids. ABC7 News featured a stepper who proved just this past Saturday at Fear Experiment 3 that being deaf was no obstacle too big for her. When I signed up to do the improv portion, it was to push myself to speak my mind off the top of my head more. Growing up in a culture where sharing one’s opinion both at home and in school was never encouraged, I found myself struggling to participate in class at Northwestern; constantly over-thinking what I was about to say, afraid to offend or be incoherent.
On stage performing improv at Fear Experiment 2. (Shh… don’t tell anyone we were pretending to be the Backstreet Boys.)
Learning improv in a fun, cozy environment that wasn’t already filled with people who were really good at it was a huge help. Our improv coach Pete did a great job of helping us all build trust in one another, so we would be better able to let go of our inhibitions and fear of being judged. We also practiced tuning out our inner self-critics (what Seth Godin fans refer to as The Lizard Brain). You know, the one constantly going “you’re not funny enough,” or “you look really ridiculous”. I also laughed hard enough at every practice to build some ab muscles. ;)
All in all, an absolutely fulfilling experience with a wonderful, diverse community and something I’d definitely recommend anyone. Friends don’t let friends get stuck in mundane work-eat-sleep cycles. There’s more to life than that. Go. Do something that scares you!
Here’s a peek at what happened pre and post-Fear Experiment 2:
While applications for Fear Experiment 4 are closed, you can still get on the waitlist here.
[Video Details]
Cinematography by: John Fecile and Jon Vogel
Producing & Editing by: Shuling Yong
Interviews conducted by: Lauren Harper
Ten Thousand Ripples – Art, Civic Engagement and Change in Chicago
One of the 100 sculptures that will populate Chicago streets in Ten Thousand Ripples. Picture by Steven Gillam.
Can a public art project spark dialogue around peace and non-violence? If you live in Chicago, don’t be surprised if you find one of the 100 white buddha head sculptures placed strategically throughout ten neighborhoods peeking out at you. Ten Thousand Ripples is a collaborative project that uses art as a catalyst to foster dialogue around peace and non-violence and create solutions for society’s most pressing challenges.
A partnership between artist Indira Johnson, and non-profit organization Changing Worlds, Ten Thousand Ripples is currently being installed in Albany Park, Pilsen, Rogers Park, South Chicago and Uptown this Fall. Installations in the North Lawndale, Little Village, Auburn Gresham, Back of the Yards and Evanston neighborhoods will take place Spring 2013.
I’m proud and happy to have contributed to the success of the Ten Thousand Ripples Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Below is the video I made for the campaign:
Even though the kickstarter campaign is complete, you may still make a contribution to support Ten Thousand Ripples at http://changingworlds.org/donate-to-ttr-184.html
–
Like this post? Subscribe to our mailing list!
Remember the day you moved out of your parents home and into a space of your own? You know that liberating feeling of being able of living life independently, having the choice of what you want to do and when? We sometimes take our daily lives for granted. We hop on the train, we go to work, we hang out with friends, we do all the wonderful things life has for us. But for people with disabilities, the fastest growing minority in the country, doing some of these daily tasks require a little more support.
Meet Patrick and Elise, two participants at the Center For Independent Futures, and witness their transformations over the years. Their inspiring stories are just proof that with the right supports in place, and a strong, inclusive community, everybody can achieve the skills needed to live an independent life! Watch on.
To learn more, visit CIF’s official website at independentfutures.com
[Details]
Produced/Directed by Shuling Yong
Cinematography by Jeff Perlman
Additional Camera by Shuling Yong
Editing by Philipp Batta
Coming Full Circle to Victory
A year ago, I had the great privilege of working alongside Rebecca Parrish, doing location sound recording for Jen Gilomen, one of the filmmakers behind Working Films documentary Deep Down when they brought their film’s protagonist Beverly May to Chicago. They were here for an ITVS Community Cinema Screening, but first stopped by Little Village to meet the members of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) to learn about their fight against several toxic industries, including two huge coal power plants that were poisoning the air and the people in those neighborhoods.
LVEJO member Ian took us on a walking tour of his neighborhood, where we got to stand right outside the towering gates of the Fisk plant in Pilsen. The change in the quality of air I was breathing was immediately noticeable. There was no running away from the foul smell of chemicals in the air. As I crinkled my nose and started to fear the effect breathing the air would have on my brain that day, I wondered how the City of Chicago could allow such a toxic-emitting plant to carry on running right where people’s homes are. A 2010 study showed that pollution from the Fisk and Crawford plants alone leads to 42 premature deaths, 66 heart attacks and 720 asthma attacks each year!
Fast forward to today, I found myself back in Pilsen, where the smoke stack of the Fisk plant towered over me once again. A large crowd had gathered in the park across the street carrying signs and chanting continuously. This time, the looks on the faces of Pilsen residents were ones of sheer joy and celebration. Just yesterday, news broke that both coal plants in Chicago will soon shut down.
That’s when Greenpeace, one of the organizations that’s been fighting for this for years, called me to help document this historic victory.
Visit their blog to read their recap of the day and watch a clip of Lelia Mendez, a member of the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (PERRO), giving an emotionally-charged speech.
(Thank you Mitch, for passing this opportunity along. It was so great to come full circle.)
