CitizenShift
Updates from the basement, courtesy of the CITIZENShift team.
Archive of February, 2008
Written by
Jess
February 29, 2008
TakingITGlobal has partnered up with Adobe to bring you the Youth Voices Project.
Aimed to empower youth through technology and artistic expression, this project is centered on capacity-building workshops, holding its main focus on digital media. These workshops aspire to illustrate to youth how technology tools can be used to create a positive impact in their communities and around the world. Spread across 10 countries – Argentina, Brazil, China, Canada, Egypt, Kenya, Mali, Russia, South Africa, and Sweden – the workshop participants will communicate their perspectives on two important topics – ‘Climate Change’ and ‘Culture & Identity’ – through the creation of digital images.
Based on these works, a Global Gallery Contest will be open to all; submit artwork that expresses your perspective on the two relevant issues –‘ Climate Change’ or ‘Culture & Identity’.
Winning submissions will be among those featured in two special TIG publications, and featured at major international and national events: starting with the World Youth Congress 2008 - to be held in Quebec City this coming August! What’s more, winners will also receive prize packs including Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0!
To learn more about the Youth Voices Project and Contest, and how you can be involved, contact the TIG team directly.
This is a great opportunity for those all those who have something to say, one that further supports TIG’s important mission of providing opportunities to youth for capacity-building, cultural exchange, and self-development through technology. Jump on board, don’t let this chance pass you buy!
For further info about today’s youth, check out Citizenshift’s dossiers centered on youth!
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Written by
Lisa
February 27, 2008
Well, the PLAYING IT SAFE workshop has come to a close…and…..
We got it all done!
I can’t believe the focus that everyone had.
Instead of finishing at 5pm, as the pilot project schedule listed (but still earlier than my inner expectations), we finished the last piece completely by around 9:30pm!!!
I gotta say the whole experience was intense. I also gotta say that the videos delivered were beyond my expectations…they are poignant and beautiful…truly incredible.
Big thanks to Lulu and Aaron, Briony and Tabia, Dan and Eli, and John, Lacey and Hywel - for sharing WAY MORE than just 6 days of their lives - they shared their honest and sometimes difficult stories. These stories, I believe, will touch the hearts of others and help people deal with similar situations.
Some of the themes that were explored were: harm reduction, drug use, living on the street, self esteem, where to find help and dealing with the past. Sometimes there are clean cut answers and sometimes there are not…
What I learned, once again, is that everyone has a story and everyone deserves a chance to be heard. Each and every person I met on this project has their own incredible strength, and as usual, when I do these workshops I feel like I walk away richer and with more insight… in this case, the I learned a lot about resilience.
I guess the next step is to show these pieces to the world. We need to have a CELEBRATION screening in Vancouver (the date and location TBA) … it is essential to take a moment to pat everyone on the back for a job well done, it was a lot of work.
Also, after the screening, my dream is to post the pieces on CITIZENshift, so stay tuned.
4 films in 6 days. Lord of the Rings has NOTHING on us!
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
Jess
February 25, 2008
The Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival is getting ready to open its door for its fifth consecutive year, showcasing distinguished films that encompass severe human rights themes residing around the globe. Starting this Thursday, all those residing within the Greater Toronto Area come on down to support this cause -mark your calendar, spread the word, and call it a date!
A project of the Human Rights Watch Toronto Committee, this festival has become a leading showcase aimed to increase awareness of local and global human rights issues and to enlist the public and governments to support basic rights for all.
This year, screenings will include seven exceptional new films that spotlight various topical human rights issues found in six countries, namely Afghanistan, Egypt, Spain, Romania, Congo, and the United States. What’s more, this will include last nights Oscar winning (for ‘Best Outstanding Documentary Feature’) film “Taxi to the Dark Side”, which documents the death of a taxi driver in a US military prison in Afghanistan.
The festival, a co-presentation by Cinematheque Ontario, celebrates its opening at Isabel Bader Theatre on FEBRUARY 28th and continues to run from FEBRUARY 29th to MARCH 5th 2008 mainly at Jackman Hall, the Art Gallery of Ontario, with a few other locations in downtown Toronto as well.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
When: Thursday, February 28, 2008, 8:00 PM
Screening: Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame (Iran)
NEW Location: — Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West
For a complete festival schedule & listings of the film, Click here .
For general inquiries, please contact the Human Rights Watch Canada Team at:
Phone: 416.968.3456
E-mail: info@humanrightfilmfestival.ca
For ticket inquiries and other information, click here.
Want to learn more? Whatever your particular interest may be, browse through Citizenshift’s website and delve into a variety of themes surrounding human rights.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
Lisa
February 24, 2008
Today is the first day of editing.
By lunch; we did our check in, all our housekeeping (lunch orders, release forms) AND my intro to FINAL CUT EXPRESS!
People now get to simply hunker down and capture all their footage.
The challenge I put forth is to have a rough cut of the interview done by 5pm today.
(We have to pack up at 5 sharp since there is a meeting at YouthCo tonight.)
This is a BIG challenge…but why not shoot for the moon?
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Written by
Jess
February 22, 2008
Various Ontario organizations have united to improve opportunities for Toronto’s young people, particularly in poorly served neighbourhoods in the city’s suburban areas.
The Youth Challenge Fund has partnered with DreamNow and Schools without Borders in order to create NeighbourhoodOne.org –an online hub aimed at connecting a plethora of individuals, social groups, and organizations, all working for change across Toronto’s Priority Neighbourhoods.
NeighbourhoodOne is having its official launch and information session on TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26th at the TROPICANA COMMUNITY SERVICES and is called for 5:30 PM.
This is a great opportunity for all to network, to get involved in the community, and become aware of other opportunities (such as mentorship or financial) offered through NeighbourhoodOne.
This community site is an open forum, one that addresses the needs for groups to get connected, share resources, and collaborate in order to invoke real and actual change. So all those in the GTA come on down and get involved in your community, after all, united we stand!
NeighbourhoodOne Launch & Information Session:
When: Tuesday February 26, 2008 at 5:30 p.m
Location: Tropicana Community Services, 670 Progress Avenue, Unit 14
For more information, please contact:
Name: Dev Aujla
Phone: 416-913-7184
Email: daujla@dreamnow.org
For complimentary info on how youth are taking on our world, check out Citizenshift’s website, namely these dossiers: Youth: Towards Tolerance as well as Focus and Turning Point: Giving Youth a Voice among others!
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
Lisa
February 20, 2008
On day 3 and 4 of the PLAYING IT SAFE workshop, Terri (the director) and I spent our days at Youth Co headquarters on call while everyone else is out shooting.
It has been glorious and sunny for both days in Vancouver (in a row!) so this is just super. I was terrified it would rain.
On day 3 - 2 teams got a jump on it at 10 am with their long shot lists, and the other 2 teams started at the more civilized hour of around 1:30pm. Since the cameras have to be returned by 6 ish for lockup and battery charging, the shooting time is limited.
On day 4 - 2 teams started at noon, and one team got going at 2pm. One team is on hold waiting to hear back about getting permission for a specific location - this can be an irritating roadblock but true to the life of a filmmaker.
3 of the 4 cameras go back tomorrow, but we will keep one just in case, for any emergency pick up shots or interviews…
Ultimately though, everyone got most of the interviews out of the way on the first day of shooting. Impressive.
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Written by
Lisa
February 19, 2008
I found this info in my inbox for the folks who live in Vancouver:
Refuge from Militarism?
War Resisters and their stories
An afternoon of music, door prizes and open discussion following the screening of
BREAKING RANKS, a documentary about the current batch of soldiers resisting the war effort in Iraq. (Directed by the very well spoken Michelle Mason.)
EVENT DETAILS:
WHEN: Saturday Feb. 23/08, 3-6 pm
WHERE: Small World Shop & Gallery, 2120 Commercial Dr.
HOW MUCH: Free! (but donations will be accepted)
I recently saw this film in Victoria and during the discussion afterward I learned that Canada may be kicking war resisters back to the United States where they will face ‘the venom of mainstream American opinion and one to five years in prison’!
During Vietnam, Canada welcomed war resisters, but today, she seems scared to piss off her southern neighbour.
To learn more or even TAKE ACTION visit the War Resisters Support Campaign.
Watch clips from LET THEM STAY another doc on the subject.
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Written by
Lisa
February 19, 2008
On day two of PLAYING IT SAFE a few participants were late to arrive, so instead of going straight into camera skills, the teams that were here decided to focus on clarifying their stories. It is a supreme challenge to write a story in less than a day! That said, it only took about an hour of writing to transform the workshop vibe to a sense of calm and collectedness…and then everyone was ready to move forward.
Then, I got to bring out the toys! It was finally time for the hands on camera and sound crash course! Yay!
We’ve rented 4 cameras: the Sony HVR-Z1U, (the PD-170 is sooooo yesterday) and people took to them like white on rice! It is such fun to help people learn the camera - I guess because I like it so much!
The teams then worked in partners and practiced a mini interview, using the tripod and trying to get good sound. Then I made them all take the cameras outside and collect some hand held b-roll (also called cover or action a-roll).
My favourite moment was sitting all together at the end of the day and watching the footage and critiquing it as a group. And I must say, there was some amazing stuff said and some artful shooting going on. Although we labeled these tapes “test tapes” it was agreed that some of the footage could be used for the final films!
I gotta say that I am impressed by the honesty that is going on and I feel honoured to be allowed to share this experience…I think the stories that are emerging are engaging, raw and real.
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Written by
Lisa
February 16, 2008
Out of Youth Co Aids Society in Vancouver and in association with the Edmonton office of the National Film Board (officially the North West Centre), I find myself involved in a super interesting workshop.
PLAYING IT SAFE is a web based video project where youth share their stories of how to stay safe while living an at-risk life style.
Why am I here? I will help facilitate the camera and editing part of the workshop and heck, why not blog about it!
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Documentary Filmmaker Terri Wynnyk connected with an enthusiastic Youth Co Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, Hywel Tuscano, who hand picked 5 youth and 4 mentors to tell their stories within the time constraints of 2 days prep, 2 days shooting and 2 days of editing.
Today is the first day and we are getting to know each other and figuring out what stories everyone wants to tell.
It is an amazing and engaged group.
So far the themes are:
1. coming of age
2. circle of knowledge
3. routine safe drug use as part of a healthy lifestyle
4. resilience and positive defenses
These themes are, of course, subject to change!
The group decided that the audiences of these films could be:
current drug users, drug users who want to quit, concerned and related family members, at risk youth, street youth, service providers, peer mentors and curious kids at risk but not yet involved.
The purpose of these films would be to inform and educate, provide awareness, change attitudes, pass on memory and experience, engage and enlighten as well as paint positive images of at risk youth in the media as they tell their own stories.
Through storytelling we want to provide a personal perspective to supplement the factual harm reduction info already out there…(harm reduction articles)
I want to record the process here as the stories unfold…but be aware this post will be run by the group before I publish…
Fun and intense.
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Category : Uncategorized
Written by
Lisa
February 12, 2008
Cinema Politica
presents:
TAMBOGRANDE
Peruvian farmers unite to fight the global mining industry and politicians as mango and lime orchards are threatened. But, is it of course, much more complicated than that simple sentence…
It is an ‘epic tale of ordinary people rising to heroic deeds in times of great crisis.’
Also CITIZENShift will be there, (what I mean by that is I will be there) and I will show a short film following the theme of ‘ordinary people rising to heroic deeds’ called WATER DETECTIVES about children in Mexico who monitor, report and educate about the use and conservation of water.
This comes from our own Dossier about Water.
SCREENING DETAILS:
WHEN: Friday Feb 22 -7:30pm
WHERE: Vancouver Public Library (downtown) in the Alice MacKay Room
HOW MUCH: Free!
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