Challenging War Where It Starts

Earlier this year we had several talented young film makers following us around documenting some of the work we do. They ended up not only putting together a really amazing snapshot a our work over the course of a few months, they also have stayed involved with our Student Career Alternatives program ever since.

I hope you will take the time to check out the film they made, there's a few real highlights that might inspire you to share it with your networks.

Here's their synopsis of the film:

Last Best Option
A short documentary produced by Georgia State University students Kristy Breneman, T.J. Hicks, Victoria Temple, and Kristan Woolford in collaboration with the American Friends Service Committee's Student Career Alternatives Program (SCAP) and GSU's Peripheral Visions lab under the direction of Professor Niklas Vollmer.

LAST BEST OPTION from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.

Food For Thought Sparks Funds For Change

This past Sunday Student Career Alternatives Program(SCAP), a project of AFSC, hosted an event called "Food For Thought".

SCAP organizers spent all day cooking a delicious three course meal for attendees. The event was a fundraiser for SCAP's scholarship fund, and it was an opportunity to create important conversations about some of the issues SCAP focuses on.

After everyone loaded up on food we screened two short films, the first one was, "Last Best Option" which was produced by several really talented Georgia State Students. The film basically chronicled some of the work the SCAP does in Atlanta. We were really lucky to have all the film makers( Kristy Breneman, Kristen Woolford, Victoria Temple, and T.J. Hicks) present along with one of the youth featured in the film(Aisha Davis) for a Q&A after the screening. We all feel that, "Last Best Option" is a really great snap shot into what SCAP stands for, and more importantly what we actually do. Sometimes it's difficult to adequately give the skinny on how SCAP works, so it's really amazing to have this resource to share with folks in the future.

The second short film entitled, "Migrant Youth Voices" is on in a series of films designed to raise the voices of undocumented youth in Georgia. The short that was shown Sunday evening was a compilation of several interviews. The audience was treated to a Q&A with both of the courageous youth chronicled in the film. I can honestly say that there were few dry eyes after the short film was shown. I can't explain how truly inspiring it's been working everyone associated. Migrant Youth Voices is part of a national AFSC effort, here in Atlanta we've been watching what Oakland's been putting out with excitement.

We're really excited at the prospect of showing both of these films around the state or Georgia, feel free to contact me in you would like to set up a film screening at your school, church, community center, ect.

Big thanks to everyone that came out Sunday! We raised a lot of awareness and over $4oo.oo for SCAP's scholarship fund!


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee
tfranzen@afsc.org

AFSC/SCAP Featured in Documentary Film!!

Last Friday evening Peripheral Visions did a film screening of several short documentaries. One of them, called "Last, Best Option", chronicled the work AFSC does to promote non-military options for Atlanta youth. About fifteen of us went to the screening, none of us had seen the film so we were all pretty anxious. The film makers(Kristy Breneman, Kristan Woolford, Victoria Temple, and T.J. Hicks) did an amazing job of capturing the spirit of what we do in Atlanta. All of us were just blown away with the quality and the content of the film.

At the event raffle tickets were sold with all of the proceeds benefiting Student Career Alternatives Program's scholarship program. At the end of the night we were presented with $470! Big ups to everyone with the Peripheral Visions crew for making last Friday such a great night for us. The film is something we're all really exciting about using in the future to shine a light on the work we do.

Film maker Kristy Breneman also worked with our own Josie Figueroa to put together a great short film on our Migrant youth Voice Project.

You can see both short films, meet the youth who were featured in them, meet the film makers, Help lift up the youth we work with, and enjoy a delicious three course meal by attending this event on May 29th. Just Click THIS for the details.


'Last, Best Option'
by
in collaboration with Members of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and its Student Career Alternatives Program (SCAP)
Last, Best Option explores the work of the Student Career Alternatives Program (SCAP), an initiative of the southeast regional office of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). The short documentary looks into the ways in which SCAP seeks to educate, activate, and empower young people who are struggling to find future paths, especially those students who feel military service is their "last best option." Veterans, active duty soldiers, military recruiters, students, SCAP organizers, and volunteers all add their own unique voices to a discussion of what this young and innovative program is doing to promote peace and help at-risk youth within the Atlanta area community.


Here's Josie introducing and answering questions about Migrant Youth Voice:




Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee