September Film Screening: Song of the Sea!!!!!!

 Join us on Saturday, September 5, 2020 for our Film Screening of, "Song of The Sea."  This film is about: An Irish youth discovers that his mute sister is a selkie who must find her voice and free supernatural creatures from the spell of a Celtic goddess.. You don’t want to miss it!!!!! To sign-up: https://forms.gle/R1royYatR4pFB4zSA

 

Back To School Film Screening: A SUCCESS!!!!!!!

 The Foundation invite kids from all around the world to join in fun last Saturday, by attending their Back to School Screening of the film, “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.”  The film was based on the book, by author, Chris Grabenstein.  The film was about,  what happens when 12 lucky kids win an invitation into legendary game maker Lemoncello's library.  The kids then go on a scavenger hunt, to find their way out. 

 After the screening there was a Question and Answer Presentation from the following Actors and Production Team Members:

Mr.  Scott Mcaboy - Director

Mr. Paul Edward-Francis- Music Composer

Mr. Ty Consiglio - Actor

Mr.  AJ Rivera- Actor

 

Mr. McAboy  spoke to young filmmakers about all of the fun he had making the film and working with the children that were involved with it.  Actor AJ Rivera told the young filmmakers that if you really want to do something , then you have to work very hard to make it happen.

 

According to volunteer, Joshua James, “This film screening was a lot of fun, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it along with the Q&A, that followed.”

 

The foundation’s next Film Screening will be: Saturday, September 5, 2020  and young filmmakers will be screening the film, “ Flavors of our Youth.”

Interview With Film Camp Participant: Erin Vogt

 During Film Camp This Summer we were able to have youth from all over the world, including England! Checkout this “Amazing interview that our volunteer, Hana Tariku  did with one of our young filmmaker, Erin Vogt.

By: Hana Tairku

Youthtubenews I’d like to present to you, Erin Vogt. This seventeen year old, Kendal College student is one of the bright campers in our very own film camp. Erin joined us this year all the way from England. 

Although, she does have different living arrangements in mind. In five years time, Erin hopes to be living in Los Angeles, California. Where she will be studying a Masters in her chosen Specialism. Erin is keeping an open mind and currently does not have a specific school that she wants to attend. But, she still has an idea of what she would like to study. Animation and/or Film Production is at the top of her list. 

Erin plans on taking what she will learn from these courses and applying it in careers such as: animation, editing and/or visual effects. You may be wondering how a student from England figured out about Youthtubenews.

Erin became familiar with this program from a film company, by the name of Signal Film and Media. It resides in Barrow, England. At the time, Erin was already enrolled in one of their programs. That's when her great work caught the attention of their program leaders. And then led them to recommend her to our Foundations’ Summer Film Camp.  The outcome of this recommendation caused everyone to walk away happy. 

Our Foundation  gained another brilliant and talented student that had much to offer our Film Camp. Erin has also benefited from this program, she states, “I have made lots of industry connections, gained advice from inside the industry and met some awesome filmmakers.” This is why Erin recommends this program to anyone looking into it. Or to those who have an interest in film careers and want help shaping or developing any ideas. This program itself helped Erin advance her own interests. Vogt explains, “It’s helped me realize what I want to specialize in.” This film camp was a needed win for Erin with all the sorrow and isolation due to Covid-19. Through this program, Erin was able to communicate, brainstorm and construct new ideas with fellow campers. And any thoughts of her future film career falling apart because of the virus, were soon forgotten. There were many highlights from this program, but Erin’s main one had to do with what this whole camp is about. Vogt exclaims, “My favorite part is being able to meet new people, and hopefully having the opportunity to bring my film to life after lockdown!” Film Camp is about bringing people together, furthering their interests and  helping them reach their goals. We see that Erin understands this, from her statement. Exceptional students such as Erin Vogt, compromise our film camps and we will continue to add to this growing community. 

Photos: Erin Vogt and Erin's Script that she wrote during Film Camp.

Lockdown Scriptwriters Winners Announced!!!!!

 Four talented students from across the country have won the 2020 Lockdown Screenplay Contest: Maria Hoffman from Redondo Union High School in California, Airis Aaron from Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School in Tennessee, Ryan Sanford from Notre Dame High School in Arizona and Victoria Barone from Pacifica Christian High School in California. The contest was put on by the Dr. Barbara Seniors Harkins Foundation, a non-profit established to motivate children to pursue education beyond high school. 

 

Hoffman cinched the first-place spot with her script entitled “Dinner for One.” For the screenplay titled “The Mirror,” Airis was awarded second place. Sanford and Barone tied for third place with their respective works, “Joshua Tree” and “The Runaways.”

 

“The scripts we received in this contest reflected a very talented group of teenagers,” explained Leon Anderson, one of the contest judges. “It truly was a difficult deliberation choosing the winners. These four students should be very proud of themselves and their outstanding work. They clearly have bright futures ahead of them.”

 

The Lockdown Screenplay Contest was open to teens around the country ages 11 to 17. The four winners chosen this year will have the opportunity to have their screenplay produced by fellow teens during the Barbara Seniors Harkins Foundation’s Fall Filmmaking Program. Pictured are Winners: Airis Aaron, Ryan Sanford, and Victoria Barone.

Back To School Film Screening: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

 We are BACK!!!!!!!  With our Back to School Screening of, “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.” You are invited to attend our Netflix Screening Party, on Saturday, August 22, 2020 from 1:00pm-4:00pm (PT)/4:00pm-7:00pm(EST).

 

Again, we want to allow you the opportunity to have fun, laugh, enjoy a film, and win trivia prizes based on the film!!!!!! Special Guest from The Film Include: Actors from the film.

 

For more information, please see the flyer below in this email:  To register:  Please visit: https://forms.gle/TNgdUmzj6nQ7CrUm8

2019-2020 Middle School Essay Winners

Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Essay Winners! It gives our foundation great pleasure to congratulate the following:

 

1st Place: Esther Kim (Los Angeles)

2nd Place: Maria Delgado (Ponce de Leon Middle School)

3rd Place: Leo Luis (Ponce de Leon Middle School)

Honorable Mention:  Nicole Claro (Ponce de Leon Middle School

This years contest was opened to all United States public/private/home- school students in Middle School. The winning essays  touched the hearts of those who read them and they showed that these young people  are strong with determination and the will to overcome any challenges that come their way. Keep up the good work and know that our Foundation cares about you and wishes you the very best! Photos shared by our 2^nd Place Winner Maria Delgado. and 

3rd Place Winner: Leo Luis

A Twenty First Century Protest: A Personal Experience

Recently our Social Media Blog Manger  attending one of the local protest, “On Black Lives Matter,” and she decided to share her experience with us. By: Hana Tariku

A Twenty First Century Protest

There comes a point when people have had enough of merely talking about the injustices of the world. In this case, the injustice was police brutality against black people. The anger and pain of decades of mistreatment of these people in America, even though they were supposedly “free and equal”, manifested into a movement. A movement to educate and change how people view black people and their lives, whether it’s concerning the police, work environments they have to endure or simply everyday issues. I was one of the many people that was fed up with the discrimination that black people have to endure on a daily basis. From the microaggressions to the flat out bigotry and racism, I, along with a few of my friends realized we needed to be doing something as well. We don’t have large social media platforms or that much money that could help fund this change, so we decided to use our voices and march through the streets of DC with fellow protestors demanding a reform in the police system. What my friends and I learned preparing for the protest, witnessed during the protest and observed on social media is something that will stick with us forever, because we were finally able to see that people care about us black people and do not want us to continue to suffer. 

News sources had been reporting of protests turning into riots and the police continuing to use excessive force even when people were peacefully exercising their first amendment rights. Indirectly, they placed a lot of blame on protestors for what was going on. They ignored most of the conflict-free protests and directed their energy and resources to the riots instead. Even though they were mainly reporting on the violence, they were not advising protestors on what to do or how to help themselves if they are being hurt or being targeted by the police. However, social media was. People that were caught in peaceful protests that turned violent went and posted about their experience, and what to do to get out safely, so others could help themselves as well. Social media users would make and post videos on how to treat tear gas, get out of the city if the police are trying to arrest people for marching, phone numbers of lawyers ready to help were even posted. These social media users were concerned about people’s safety and made sure to let people know that we shouldn’t be taking videos and photos there because it could be traced back to us, or we might get someone's face in it potentially putting them in danger. To me, social media was telling the real, unfiltered story of what was going on. Peaceful protestors were not only being denied their constitutional rights, but being attacked for exercising it. Social media showed how many rioters used the protests to commit their crimes, the riots were not approved of many protestors. There were many videos in fact of protestors stopping rioters from looting and causing chaos and telling others to do the same if they saw it happening. Knowing all this, my friends and I got most of our tips and tricks on how to stay safe from social media. We all made signs, got into the car and headed to DC. That was our first mistake because once we got to the nation's capital, we were not able to find parking anywhere. We kept searching and were ready to pay for the parking, but either all the spots were blocked off or not open. We couldn’t help to think if this was a way to discourage protestors from coming. Finally, we were able to find a spot and park. We had to park far away and didn’t want to miss any more of the protests, so when we passed some of the city bikes we stopped to download the app so that we could ride them over. While we were standing there trying to rent the bikes a cop pulls up right in front of us and stops and watches us intensely. We ignored it at first, hoping he would leave us alone as we were just renting bikes. However, he continued to stare and got closer. At this point we were all freaking out a bit because we understood how things could turn badly in a matter of seconds. We knew we were not doing anything wrong and that this was just a scare tactic to make sure us kids knew they were watching everything, but still, knowing that with one wrong move we could lose everything we decided to leave the bikes and just walk to where they were marching. Growing up, in history classes I was taught that free speech and peaceful assemblies were our rights as Americans, maybe one of our most important ones. I was taught that that was what made America good and appealed to so many people. I soon realized protesting and free speech is only acceptable and praised when it’s not an issue concerning the advancement of black people. 

“Who's streets? Our streets!” “Say his name. George Floyd.” “Say her name. Breonna Taylor.” “No justice, no peace!” These words echoed through the streets of DC, growing louder with each voice ready to make a difference. People walking around would stop to come and join us in the marching. We were marching for a while now and the temperature was rising, but we kept going. Our voices got louder as we neared our destination, ready to be heard. Once we arrived at the White House, speakers stood up and began to explain why we are here today marching and will continue to march everyday until there is real change. I think there might be a misconception about how protestors are angry and ready to cause chaos and hurt people if they don't see a difference. I can’t speak for other cities, but the protests I went to in DC including this one, only spoke about wanting change, wanting better for the black community. Yes, protestors might be angry, but the real problem is if you’re not angry seeing how black people are treated here in America. Anger does not always mean violence and that is something the people looking in on what’s going on, but not doing anything and the rioters need to understand. That day all the speeches given were filled with words of inspiration and hope, but also pain. It hurts us and should hurt everyone to know that the police and other organizations view a black life as something so little and unremarkable. It should hurt to know so many young black kids were not given the chance to grow up because of the color of their skin. It should hurt to know so many black adults were not given the chance to watch their children grow up. It should hurt to know that so many elderly black people that fought in the civil rights movement, who thought maybe America could get better, were never given the chance to watch America truly grow. This has been a discouraging fact that many knew, but now people want change and that’s what these protests and movements were working for. Blacklivesmatter is not a new term or idea, it has been going on for a while now, but it was mainly only supported by the black community itself. So I was very surprised when I saw people of all colors and races protesting with us. I had this misconception that maybe others would think this isn’t their fight or wouldn’t bother to concern themselves with it outside of social media or the news. Seeing how so many people stood up against the police and systematic racism made me feel a different way. It had me beginning to think that this time would be different, this time we’ll see real and lasting results. Another factor that made me think this time would be different is how everyone was looking out for each other. There were small things like how the speakers would constantly stop to tell people to stay hydrated because of the heat. There were people passing out water, gatorade and food and didn’t expect anything in return. Protestors were going around with hand sanitizers so we could stay safe and not have to choose between our health or justice.  A quick protocol was made amongst the protestors for when someone would faint from the heat. They would yell medic and everyone would clear a path so that person could get help as soon as possible. I vividly remember when this one person fainted there weren’t any medics around so everyone got their signs together and used it to give her shade from the sun until medics could arrive. These actions might seem meager, but it was a change. There have been movements in the past where different communities came together. Or protests where people were fighting for the rights of a minority group. To say this movement and these protests are different from the ones that came before them may seem like a distorted truth or naive to some. But it is the truth. When has there ever been a protest where we have people of all races, religions, social and economical statuses, sexes, etc. When has America ever had a movement where we have people in other countries standing with us. When have we ever had companies, major media outlets, rich and famous people apologize for any part they have played in hurting members of the black community simply because of their race or ideologies. And then proceed to now help the blacklivesmatter movement. Their apologies and promises to change may not be sincere, but it is setting a precedent that will not be forgotten. 

As our world continues to become more technology focused, technology has also become more than just a way to entertain yourself and be kept up to date. Social media, blogs, youtube channels, etc. all became another way for people to protest without leaving their homes. All over Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok you would see people talking about what’s going on, ways that you can help and social media users even began exposing people if they weren’t doing anything about what’s going on and they had the means to. Celebrities were called out if they were silent about this injustice and lost many fans, followers and money potentially. Many businesses and even government officials experienced the courtroom of social media and faced the punishments if they were doing too little, or nothing at all. Youtube channels and blogs would write and talk about what’s happening so people that couldn’t be there know every advancement made. Also, it gave people in other countries an opportunity to know what’s happening here in America. I believe the online activity during these protests have helped advance the movement with simple things like telling people where to meet for the marches, which town hall meetings to attend or where to donate. However, I believe the most impactful difference social media and other online sources made is it gave everyone a voice. You didn’t have to be rich, famous or powerful for you to get your opinion across; you could easily just send out a tweet. And it was those voices that held people accountable for their actions. It was the tweets, posts, snaps that let people see what was going on from an average person's point of view and what they saw. Our information no longer came only from major news sources that have to edit out certain things or exaggerate for a storyline. Social media may have a bad reputation, but it gave us the truth when we needed it. 

I don’t know if the protests have actually changed how people think. All these advancements may just be symbolic acts to get people to stop talking and go home. These new bills getting passed and companies promising to change the systematic racism they allowed may not be sincere. Sincerity would be great, but at this point the main goal is to reform the police system we have now that is targeting and killing black people. I believe blacklivesmatter main focus right now is to make sure black people are not being killed by the police because they’re seen as a threat or dangerous because of the color of their skin. If this can be accomplished, then maybe one day everyone will view a black life as important as everyone else’s.