My post this morning is actually an invitation for you to participate in a very exciting project that, if successful will make a huge impact on the community in which I live—Milton, Ontario!
Working in partnership with Reel Youth, we’ve submitted a project proposal to the CST Inspired Minds Learning Project. The project seeks to connect young people and seniors through the production of a series of youth-created documentaries about the lives of the Town’s senior citizens. But, more than an inter-generational connection, the project is also committed to exploring the cultural diversity that has become so much a part of our dynamic.
So, here’s how I’m hoping you will be able to support our bid to win $100 000 to make this dream a reality.
From May 2nd to May 16th, you will have the opportunity to vote for our project each and every day! And, even more important, each day, you’ll be able to vote in three different ways—through the voting button on the website, through the Twitter button and through Facebook. It’s simple but very powerful. The top 10 projects in our group will go on to the judging round—so we need your votes!
We’re pretty excited about our chances, but I need as many supporters as possible. Please consider becoming part of this two week voting blitz and please consider passing this email on to your friends and colleagues.
Here’s a copy of the project description, but you can find the entire submission by visiting the website.
Thank you in advance for your support—we’ll keep you posted, and probably send a couple of reminders over the next couple of weeks!
For now,
Stephen Hurley
Milton, ON
IDEA DESCRIPTION
Milton, Ontario is Canada’s fastest growing municipality, with a population that has tripled over the past 15 years. While some residents will remember Milton’s rural roots, the town continues to grow as newcomers arrive from other parts of the Greater Toronto Area. In recent years, a significant proportion of Miltonians are not only new to the town but new to the country.
Lying just beneath the surface of this bustling suburban town are rich opportunities for learning and community building that cross generations and cultures.
Inter-generational story telling can play a vital role in strengthening the fabric of communities. This project will give youth the tools to bridge the generational divide and learn to make films that celebrate Milton’s older residents. Over the course of a year, fifty seniors will be paired up with youth in five locations (based around schools and seniors centers) to produce fifty short documentary films.
Youth will learn storytelling and film production skills while building inspiring inter-generational friendships and making a short film that celebrates a local senior. In each location (and this is the really exciting part for us), half of the participants will have lived in the community for most of their lives, and half will be seniors and young people who are new or relatively new to Canada.
Film festival galas at each of the five locations and screenings in schools will bring 1,000’s of people together to celebrate the diversity of stories in Milton’s oldest citizens. The galas will be followed by an online campaign connecting the films to 15,000+ people in the first year.
We know that stories have the power to connect with people across different ages and backgrounds. This project will be a life changing experience for the youth & senior participants as stereotypes are broken down and ongoing inter-generational friendships are formed. The rich stories that emerge will foster deeper mutual understanding and celebrate who we are as a community.
This project will work in partnership with the following schools and the Town of Milton will act as a seniors liaison:
Trillium Demonstration School
Bruce Trail Public School
Anne J. McArthur Public School
Irma Coulson Public School
W. I. Dick Public School
Hawthorne Village Public School
Please vote every day to help make this project a reality!
[…] Tell Me Your Story—An Intergenerational/Intercultural Film Project […]