Light House Studio is seeking funding for the Home Again Documentary Workshop with refugees from the International Rescue Committee. In this video workshop, 5-8 refugee teens will tell their personal stories in carefully crafted video diaries. Through a series of in-class exercises and at-home assignments, students craft videos that document their own lives, their family stories, as well as their hobbies and interests. These new Virginians, who come from places as diverse as Zaire, Zambia, Afghanistan and Bosnia will not only learn basic filmmaking techniques, they will find a voice in their new community. This 100% scholarship workshop, led by professional filmmakers, will run for 9 weeks in the Fall of 2009.
Light House is a non-profit, independent, media education center for teenagers who want to make movies with an emphasis on personal expression and local stories. For more than 10 years, Light House has focused on helping young people to tell their own stories and to cultivate a media literacy through video production. Light House students not only learn how to make movies, they learn to be vital, active young leaders.
Funding for this program will ensure that Charlottesville's refugee youth will find a voice in their new home.