CURRENT YOUTH MEDIA PROJECTS
MEDIA ARTS IN MAC
MCMINNVILLE - Through a US Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, the Young Filmmakers Program is partnering with the McMinnville School District to support its Academic and Media Program, a 5-year effort aimed at increasing academic performance and the graduation rates of low income students. With the professional mentorship and instruction of filmmakers Andrew Blubaugh and Liz Randall, students at Patton and Duniway Middle Schools and McMinnville High School have produced live action and animated shorts through an after-school and summer program offered at various times during the year. This year, the new McMinnville Arts & Communication Academy (MACA) for grades 7-12 has been added as a site, supporting its plans to make media arts a bone fide part of the regular curriculum.

UNDERAGE DRINKING DRIVEN DRY
NEWPORT, TOLDEO, LINCOLN CITY - This year at Lincoln County’s Newport High School, Toldeo High School, Career Tech High School and Taft High School, students and teachers are working with filmmaker Trevor Fife to create peer-to-peer public service announcements as part of the Underage Drinking Awareness Project (UDAP), a partnership of the Young Filmmakers Program and a coalition of Lincoln County enforcement, prevention and social service agencies. UDAP continues the work started with the highly successful Tsunami Awareness Project (TAP), and the Methemphetamine Awareness Project (MAP), funded by a US Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services grant, which involved eight sites within the District, including schools in Eddyville, Waldport and Siletz, and filmmakers Andrew Blubaugh and Ed Mellnick. Look for a grand premiere at the Newport Performing Arts Center and local cable television airings of the work.

ON STAGE ON SCREEN
PORTLAND - Through a grant from the Theatre Communications Group, Oregon Children’s Theatre is working with the Young Filmmakers Program this year to explore how moving image media can enhance its mission of bringing theatre arts to the community. Through the New Generations Project, selected members of OCT’s Yount Professionals troupe are learning about hands-on media production under the instructional leadership of filmmaker Andrew Blubaugh by creating short films about the behind-the-scenes creative process and other stories which can be used on the organization’s website and in its outreach activities with schools. An exciting new summer workshop which brings together teen filmmakers and teen actors for a collaborative project, is in the works, and will be announced soon.