youth institute - Change Agent Productions

INTERNATIONAL
YOUTH INSTITUTE
NEWSLETTER
S U M M E R 2015
LONG BEACH, CA • ANAHEIM, CA • BERKELEY, CA • EAST LA, CA • EAST PALO ALTO, CA • HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CA • RAPID CITY,
SD • CAMBRIA, CA • SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA • KIRKLAND, WA • SNOQUALMIE, WA • SAN DIEGO, CA • SURREY, BC, CANADA
2015
YOUTH INSTITUTE
REPLICATION
by BOB CABEZA
Founder of the Youth Institute,
Vice President of Community Development
As I reflect on the past summer and the great progress made with all of the
Youth Institutes, I can't help but feel immensely proud of the commitment and
ownership of all the dedicated staff and other YMCA's who worked so hard to
make their Youth Institutes successful for so many young people across the nation and abroad.
The Youth Institute is now a movement in its own right. A movement of youth
development and transferable skill building that helps young people succeed
on so many levels. From advocacy to technology, from social skills to academic
success, we are targeted, strategic and intentional in how we engage young
people and support them through their journey to adulthood. For instance now
we have so many young adults in college who need assistance with scholarships, FASFA financial aid, housing, etc. We help youth get paid internships and
jobs through a collaborative workforce program and our social enterprises in Los
Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Rapid City, SD and Long Beach.
But let's always remember what keeps the Youth Institute a true high quality
integrated and comprehensive youth program. It is the best practice framework
based on research, not opinions, the relational approach to youth work and
a documented and scrutinized evaluation that guides our future decisions in
improving program quality constantly.
Keep up the great work and reach for even greater excellence in your program
design and quality. Our youth deserve the best and need you to provide it for
them.
CONTACT
BOB CABEZA, Vice President of
Community Development and
Founder of Youth Institute
E [email protected]
P 562.624.5474
LES PETERS, Executive Director
of Youth Institute &
Curriculum Development
E [email protected]
P 562.624.5469
JONATHAN GRAY,
Youth Institute
Operations Director
E [email protected]
P 562.624.5477
DANIEL MEZA, Senior
Art Director of
Change Agent Productions
E [email protected]
P 562.624.5468
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE • 525 EAST 7TH STREET • LONG BEACH, CA • 90813
ANAHEIM YOUTH INSTITUTE • ANAHEIM, CA
ANAHEIM FAMILY YMCA
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Anaheim Family
YMCA Youth Institute
by Alex Chung,
Youth Institute Director
This is the fourth summer of the Youth Institute at
the Anaheim Family YMCA. It has been a pleasure to see the program evolve over the years.
Our Youth Institute program has combined their
Wilderness Retreat at Camp Fox on Catalina
Island. Campers participated in teambuilding
games, water tubing, snorkeling, campfires,
archery, dances, and kayaking. Most importantly
they bonded together as a group.
The YI students took the teamwork skills they
learned at Camp Fox and applied them to our
technology lab. They dove head first into the
magazine. Participants wrote diverse topics they
were passionate about such as video games,
extreme sports, to fashion tips. The short films
were just as diverse, ranging from fantasy to
drama and required a lot of production work.
They worked hard to make sure they hit all their
deadlines. It was an intense eight weeks of writing, graphic designs, and filmmaking but the end
products were amazing and worthwhile.
At the beginning of the summer they started off
as strangers. By the end they became friends.
They couldn’t have completed the projects without each other. The Youth Institute has wrapped
up its summer component but youth are looking
forward to the year round program. Not only are
youth planning their own personal short film projects but the City of Anaheim has asked the Youth
Institute to make a public service announcement
on water conservation. The youth are excited
about starting pre-production on the PSA project!
It will be a busy school year at the Youth Institute
but we’re looking forward to it!
2 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
KTUB & SNOQUALMIE YOUTH INSTITUTE’S • KIRKLAND, WA & SNOQUALMIE, WA
BELLEVUE FAMILY YMCA-KTUB & SNOQUALMIE VALLEY YMCA
YOUTH INSTITUTE
YMCA of GREATER SEATTLE
Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation Supports
YMCA/KTUB Youth Institute Program
It was Saturday, August 1 at the YMCA/KTUB building in Kirkland. You could feel the excitement in the air and
see the look of accomplishment on their faces. It was time
for the participants of the Youth Institute Program 2015 to
receive their Certificates of Completion and their monetary
stipend. The room was filled with parents, family and friends
who had come to support these 32 young people who had
worked hard for the last 6 weeks to complete this program.
What exactly is the Youth Institute Program? It is a 6
week program for students entering 8th grade to 12th grade
who must apply through their local high schools. The program started three years ago and is sponsored by YMCA/
KTUB . It is comprised of intense workshops focusing on digital media, arts, creative writing, scripting, film making, oral
presentations, community awareness and college field trips.
The first year, the program had 5 participants, the second
year 15 and this year double that at 32 graduates.
The program was designed to give these teens media skills that can help them in their lives professionally, but
what they weren’t expecting were experiences that took
them well beyond where they were the day it all started.
They didn’t know they were embarking on a life-changing
road that would help shape them as individuals as well as
give them experiences that would help them learn to work
with others, respect boundaries and learn what true friendship is.
To start the program off, the kids were taken on a 4
day/3 night Wilderness Retreat. These kids didn’t know each
other and many tended to be loners. They were assigned
to groups, given materials to build a lean-to tent, told they
would be sleeping on the ground on tarps, would be preparing all their own food, AND would not be able to shower
until they left camp. But the worst part for them was -- no
technology was allowed for the full retreat. This was not a
happy bunch of kids at this point! The groups were chosen
by the heads of the program and they purposely put kids
together that normally would not hang out or even talk to
each other. It turned out to be a great learning experience
for all the participants who said they were able to work
through their differences and make wonderful friends. The
whole group of teens agreed that campfire in the evening
was the best part of the retreat. That is where they really got
to know each other and share their life stories. One young
man said, “Even though we were so different, we were so
much alike. It was great to be with other kids who could relate to you. It felt like a family and we shared a lot of love.”
At the retreat, Kalika Curry, KTUB Program Coordinator shared something that all the participants took to heart
and used during the whole program – “step up, step back”.
She encouraged them to take a different approach to
their challenges by doing the opposite of what they would
normally do. If they were used to staying in the background
and being quiet, they were encouraged to come forward
and speak up. This was also true for those who were used
to taking charge – they were reminded to step back and
let their new friends be heard. Kalika said, “This created an
equal playing field for everyone”. Through this experience,
they learned patience, tolerance and leadership but more
importantly to trust themselves and others.
After the retreat, their media work began. They
were again broken up into groups of three and given a
topic to create a short video. Those topics included teen
suicide, depression, addiction, bullying and coming up with
college tuition – things many teens are faced with today.
They had to write the script, film the video, edit it and put
music to it. They all agreed there were some tough moments, but again, they learned to work together, respect
each other and be professional. Each participant also
wrote an article for the magazine that was published at the
end of the 6 weeks. The articles were written from these
young people’s hearts and told many moving stories about
their daily lives and experiences they have had.
At the completion of the program, each participant
was given an award and a cash stipend up to $500. The
stipend was determined by completion of all aspects of the
program which included attendance, punctuality, tolerance, patience, working well together and meeting deadlines. There were 6 alumni attending the program this year
that were able to share their previous experiences with the
“new kids” and help them with their projects.
Danel Lawerence, the Leadership Development
Director for KTUB said, “It has been amazing to see this program and the participants grow. Every year we continue
to see the impact and value of a program like this.” Thanks
to Xina Events for helping organize and decorate for the
graduation, Lucia for providing dinner and Sips N’ Stems for
donating the beautiful flowers.
The Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation is proud to be a
major contributor to this exciting and future
building program. If you would like more
information about the program, please contact Danel Lawrence at [email protected].
If you would like more information about
the Kirkland Kiwanis Foundation, please visit
http://kirkland.kiwanis.org.
Bonni Sundberg
Marketing Chair
Kiwanis Club of Kirkland
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 3
STEPHENS YOUTH INSTITUTE • LONG BEACH, CA
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
STEPHENS
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Community Development
by Braulio Roman,
YI/EPIC Staff
It is no surprise that this year, as many years before
that, Stephens Middle School has participated in
the summer YMCA Youth Institute program. This year,
however, was a little different. The youth who chose
to participate in the program learned more than just
a few basic technology skills. They learned how to be
self-sufficient and how to balance that with team cooperation. The summer began quite normal, the first
week of program the youth learned individual basic
computer skills such as: Inspiration, Microsoft word,
and PowerPoint; little did they realize that underlying
the technology stuff, the youth were also learning a
bit about who they are, where they come from, and
most importantly, who they hope to one day be.
The second week, things got a little (a lot) harder.
The youth were put in an unfamiliar environment and
asked to cooperate in order to “survive” and make
the Wilderness Retreat a pleasant experience. It
wasn’t a “camp” and the youth quickly learned that.
From setting up their own sleeping quarters, to preparing their own meals –perhaps for the first time ever-,
to team building activities, to long hikes, and even
to rappelling; the youth challenged themselves and
each other to step outside their comfort zone and
grow as individuals and as a family. The success of this
method was seen on Thursday night that week, when
the youth were comfortable enough to share their
deepest fears, secrets, memories, wishes, and their
greatest accomplishments. The group dynamic was
set, and the environment created.
After the wilderness retreat, the summer passed by
quickly. The youth were challenged more than any
other year and they stepped up to the challenge.
Things started rather slow, the staff introduced new
concepts of design and story telling the youth didn’t
previously know. They were also encouraged to use
jargon commonly found in the field, and albeit it took
them a while to use it correctly, they finally managed
to do it! All of the youth figured out the fortes and
worked tirelessly to improve on them. The youth created better magazine article layouts than ever before
and can proudly say, “Yeah, that’s completely my
film.” Overall, this year the Stephens Middle School
Youth Institute did more than just technology, they
managed to create a close family who succeeded
together.
4 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
LB YOUTH INSTITUTE • LONG BEACH, CA
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
YOUTH
INSTITUTE
Community Development
At the camp, before coming to the Y, I learned so much about
what it means to be a kid. Through all
of the intense experiences that I got
to endure with my group, I realized
that the other kids became more than
just acquaintances in this program.
They became friends, and to a certain degree, family. Through every
personal moment that I got to share
with everyone at the camp, I got the
luxury of feeling others’ emotions, and
more importantly, my own. The camp
showed us what we could do as a
unit. It showed what humans can truly
accomplish, whether we all know each
other or not. It was time to settle our
differences and become something better than ourselves. We
went into the camp blind and
with an ignorance that showed
just what we were as innocent
children. But after one week, we
grew more than we could have
ever grown in a lifetime. In a nutshell, the camp was everything
we could’ve hoped for.
In the return home, the
program took a major shift. After
connecting to our native roots
around the campfire, we started
connecting to the major contents of our present…technology. After several lessons on programs like Photoshop, Garageband,
and lessons on camera equipment, we
were given a sudden assignment to
create a short film in about three hours.
The six separate groups of the new
class scrambled to create a storyboard
and genuine idea for a two-minute film.
Luckily, the students were all warmed
up to each other at this point of the
summer. We were three weeks into the
program, and we all grew on each
other. After being rushed to create an
acceptable film, we realized how well
we all worked together in our groups.
Personally, for me, making the short film
was a fun experience. My group and I
laughed and in the end, came up with
a decent movie. We all had our ideas
planned out very well and we each
took our roles into great consideration.
Only halfway through the Youth Insti-
by Jordan S.,
YI New Class 2015
tute program, the students of new class
were already creating work that we all
could be proud of.
Our biggest project was creating our major short film of about a four
to five minute length. We had about
three weeks to create a storyboard,
film the movie, create a soundtrack,
and create a poster that could portray
our movie in the best way possible.
Every single group experienced a problem when making the film, but we all
found that we could easily get through
any obstacle. In fact, we became closer to each other thanks to the problems that we faced on such an extensive project. In the end of it all, we were
left with nothing but our creations. We
all waited for the day we would get to
see our films on the big screen during
graduation.
Coming towards the end of
the program, I could see everyone getting closer to each other in the Youth
Institute. I cannot explain how united
we were as people. The Youth Institute
took us on great trips to the beach and
to Knott’s Berry Farm. The final days of
the program brought us together and
since we all finally got the chance to
hang out, we remembered how much
we loved being around each other.
I can honestly say that it meant so
much to me to have bonded with the
kids so quickly. Even the staff shaped
into friends, rather than just our elders.
Student or staff in the Youth Institute,
we all treated each other with great
respect and friendship. The impact that
we all made on the program and that
the program made on us was amazing.
Experiencing the Youth Institute, I was
able to feel myself changing through it
all. I was learning so much about computer programs and filming. Of course
those skills could help me gain special
careers in the future, but I believe that
we all found so much more value in the
social aspects of the program.
In the end, I realized that I
wanted to work with these close friends
in the future. I can help them and
they can help me. The Youth Institute
opened our eyes to something so
much brighter than the hard work that
school gave us. It showed us hard work
that was more than just for the
purpose of working. It was all for
a good purpose and reason.
Overall, the Youth Institute gave
us reason. When there’s reason,
there’s benefit in the end. The
kids that surrounded me gave
me reason to move on and to
work hard. It was not about us,
or the staff, or this program as a
whole…it was about us as people. There is nothing wrong with a
perfect balance between work
and fun. Since I focused on work,
I was able to learn all of the skills
that the program was trying to
bless me with. When I focused on
my friends, I was able to lean all of the
social aspects that will forever grace
me in their presence. There is gain in
both spectrums of the program, and
since we focused and concentrated
all of our energy, we were able to gain
everything that the Youth Institute had
to offer. The only way to do great work
is to do what you love. I can honestly
say that we all loved this program more
than anything. We had fun those six
weeks and most importantly, produced
great work.
We may be kids on the outside,
but because of the Youth Institute, we
became something so much greater
on the inside. We are the youth of this
nation with the responsibility to make a
greater impact on our community, and
we can assure you, big or small, we will
make change to our world.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 5
EAST LA YOUTH INSTITUTE • EAST LOS ANGELES, CA
WEINGART EAST LOS ANGELES
YOUTH INSTITUTE
YMCA OF METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES
by David Valdez,
Director of Youth Development
This Summer Youth Institute brings to me a bittersweet feeling. Four years ago when we launched the program, we introduced our first participants into the world of digital media. They made basic short films then and learned about internet
safety and professional development. Some of the first students continued to come back summer after summer in our
Alumni program. This year, a select few will have grown up with our Youth Institute during their entire high school careers.
At the end of the program, these students will be entering college and they will begin their journeys as young adults. They
have become an integral part of our program’s growth, teaching us about how to challenge ourselves in delivering positive
youth development results.
Much like a parent, I am proud to see them go and take flight into their own paths. At the same time, we look forward to
a new group of youth leaders who begin their introductions into the work we do in partnership with The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities – Boyle Heights initiative. The California Endowment has provided generous support to
provide technical training and create opportunities for our young people to be involved in civic engagement for their communities. Throughout the year, these teens will serve to support the local community campaigns focused on Health Happens
in Schools, Health Happens in Neighborhoods, Health Happens with Prevention, and the Brothers/Sons/Selves coalition,
working to improve the disparities faced by boys and men of color.
These are important issues for our young people to be involved with. They participate in leadership development and then
use their skills as digital media practitioners to create content and raise awareness. They may only be 13 or 14 or 17 years
old, but these teenagers are #LatinoContentCreators – and they use their skills to advocate for issues that resonate within
their communities and across the state. They have embraced exciting partnerships: producing Public Service Announcements for 21st Century FOX, cheered on the athletes as Fans In The Stands for the Special Olympics World Games, and took
full advantage of the resources available at The Wellness Center in the Historic General Hospital.
It was a tremendous summer, but our story is just beginning to unfold. We look forward to writing the next chapters together.
6 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
VANCOUVER YOUTH INSTITUTE • SURREY, BC, CANADA
TONG LOUIE FAMILY YMCA
YOUTH INSTITUTE
YMCA OF GREATER VANCOUVER • CANADA
by Jethro Kambere,
Youth Institute Director
A Summer of New Experiences
Given the uniqueness of our program and the experience we
had last year, the YMCA and the Surrey Schools took to the
drawing board to see how we could make this program meet
our demographics and our youth’s need. What we came up
with is someting that has the potential to be very special for
the city of Surrey and the Greater Vancouver region. We ran
our digital media program all summer for ten weeks with two
week sessions for twenty youth outreaching to a total of 100
youth throughout the summer. In the two week sessions, youth
learned the basics of photo design and film making, creating
their own projects for social justice and change in their community.
Because of having a short time in the studio, the youth in each
session completed one group project and one individual project which varied from Vlogs, YouTube channels, PSA’s, call-toactions, music videos, silent movies and so much more. Youth had the opportunity to share their stories and tell other youth
what is important to them. Every youth was required to do a street audit. BEST Living Streets and the YMCA partnered up to
improve the condition of streets in Surrey by reducing congestion and making streets more accessible for those who ride
bikes and are in wheelchairs. We did this by making audit films of areas that need improvement. And besides expanding on
their skills in digital media, the youth learned valuable life skills in leadership, education, career prep and becoming a better
teenager who will impact their community positively. They developed lasting friendships and built strong relationships with
everyone involved. Many youth will be participating in the YMCA’s year round Youth Institute program which will involved
reporting the news, sharing current events that are happening in their schools and community and letting other youth know
why these issues are important to share and to discuss.
Omada Teambuilding
Science World and Ice Skating
Telus World of Science was offering the perfect
symposium that highlighted the renaissance of
digital media and how it has evolved over the
years, offering a look into the future, showing
youth what digital media might become when
they are adults.
Youth got to the opportunity to explore their
creative side at Science World, learning about a
variety of cool and interesting things from; exotic
animals, dinosaurs, the human mind and even
natural resources like bees and honey.
Of course, as much as we want to educate and
expose our youth to useful information, what is
summer without a little bit of fun?
It was surprising how many of our youth, throughout the summer, could not ice skate. But that did
not stop us from having fun. Youth got the opportunity to learn how to skate from experienced
and trained experts. They strapped the GoPro
on, and let us see first hand what they were seeing, while group leaders skated around with the
point & shoot cameras taking action shots!
Each group got the experience to
participate in the Omada Team
building challenge. Youth strapped
on their GoPro, grabbed their
hand-held camcorders and took
to high and low rope obstacle
courses, developing team work,
cooperation and enjoying a new
experience. Two of our youth will
be doing marketing and communication projects for future Omada
groups!
Lynn Canyon Provincial Park
The groups all got to have a full day nature experience at Lynn Canyon Provincial Park, where they got to cross the famous suspension
bridge, take part in group bonding and get to know about each
other and the beauty of BC.
Stanley Park
Each group got to experience biking the Sea-Wall at Stanley Park
while shooting film and photos with our point & shoot and GoPro!
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 7
RAPID CITY YOUTH INSTITUTE • RAPID CITY, SD
YMCA of RAPID CITY
YOUTH INSTITUTE
by Anthony Raaphorst,
YI Teen Site Coordinator
and Rebecca Egbert,
YI Alumni Staff
The Rapid City’s Youth
Institute finished its fourth summer.
This was our first summer in our new
building, the Y-Church. The program continues to grow with 23
Class of 2015 graduates, 8 Alumni,
and 2 Mentors (a new level in our
program). We had Ben (Class ’12)
return as a second-year staff and
Lane (Class ’13) was hired as a first
year-staff. We also launched our
Perspective business.
Each Class brings its own
flavor and the Class of 2015 was
no different. This Class had the
oldest and youngest person to do
the Youth Institute. It was amazing to see how at the end of the
Wilderness Retreat how closely
bonded everyone was. That bond
stayed throughout the whole
summer and continues to. The
Class of 2015 was a very creative
and ambitious Class that thought
outside of the box. The Alumni
Class hosted the first Showcase in
which they showed off some of
their work. Their videos raised the
bar for future video projects. The
two Mentors were the editors for
the New Class magazine. Both of
them had to do a capstone project. One of them created a new
font and the other created logos
for Perspective. We had the honor
of being visited by Audrey Rowe,
Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service from the United State
Department of Agriculture. She
visited with the teens about school
lunches and asked for their input
on them. She asked YI to produce
videos about healthy living to distribute.
Perspective was rolling
before the summer even started.
Perspective was asked to a Kickstarter video for a local business.
The local media covered this and
this brought another project for
Perspective. The new project was
to create a commercial-video for
a client that hopes to appear on
the national television program
“Shark Tank” and on the “Today”
show. We also had a T-shirt order
for a local competition. There are
more projects and orders coming
in for the school year. We are excited to see what happens the next
few months.
Bryan Konechne, Communications Director, visits with the Youth Institute Class of 2015 about photography
8 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
EAST PALO ALTO YOUTH INSTITUTE • EAST PALO ALTO, CA
YMCA of SILICON VALLEY
YOUTH INSTITUTE
LEWIS AND JOAN PLATT EAST PALO ALTO FAMILY YMCA
by John Oliver Santiago,
YI Consultant
Together with my colleague, Leslie Barnes, we were
given the opportunity of leading
the summer YI program at East Palo
Alto. The week before the program
started, my coworker and I took the
chance to meet the youth and their
parents. Looking through the applications and in conversation, we kept
seeing a recurring theme with most
of the parents: that they all owned
their own businesses. They were all
entrepreneurs. They all earned their
keep, folks who worked for instead of
asking anything of the world.
In the same vein, the youths
were spitting images of their parents.
Fiercely independent and headstrong, they were not afraid of the
work. Each one filled with moxie, a
strength of character that most adults could not even find in themselves. Tough on the outside, they are also some of the
most kindhearted kids I have met. They are quick to defend and comfort each other whenever things got frustrating. If
there is anything I have learned from being involved in youth development all these years, at their core young adults are
the same. They seek the stability and a safe space to grow, a place to learn about themselves and their place in the world.
East Palo Alto is a city filled with honest folks who are working for a better future for their families. Honest folks who
are betting everything for their kids to be rise above the noise of an unfairly stereotyped community. And these are kids
who refuse to be beaten down by struggle. These are young adults, who with warm smiles and a willingness to work, that
are making their own luck.
This summer, we embarked on a journey together that has been
nothing but a joyous ride from beginning to end. From the first day meeting
the youth, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Coming from my
home in Long Beach, CA and going to be with everyone in East Palo Alto,
CA, leaving behind family, and everything I knew was something very different for me. But in what I left behind I gained, something that I will never
let go of and that’s another family. I got to know so many new people and
enjoy many different personalities. John Oliver Santiago and myself embraced a great friendship through out the summer. Sharing everything for a
few months with someone you barely knew seemed like a huge deal, but
it came to find out we were more alike in many ways. We all have different
personalities and different mindsets, but we all ended up seeing that without this family, we could not accomplish and conquer the summer.
Now going forward we all have something and someone to look
forward to and that’s each other. I hope they all use what we have learned
together to embrace life and future endeavors. No one can take anything
away from them as long as they put everything they have into it. They are
and forever will be my kids. No matter what ups and downs, ins and outs,
we are all family.
by Leslie Barnes,
YI Consultant
2015 East Palo Alto YI Magazine
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 9
LAKEWOOD YMCA YOUTH INSTITUTE • HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CA
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Weingart-Lakewood Family YMCA • City of Hawaiian Gardens
by Jon Cabral Dela Cruz,
YI Consultant/Coordinator
With the opening of any new Youth Institute Replication site, there becomes a stage of adaptation and
development. The Hawaiian Gardens Youth Institute is no different, and in fact solidified this ideology and we,
the class of 2015, together. Through the cold, wet, and wild conditions of the rain, hail, and sun the Wilderness
Retreat presented to the creation and execution of our summer magazine and films, the summer became a
constant opportunity for adaptation, development, and implementation of education and youth development
methodologies. The Hawaiian Gardens Youth institute is a program that we, mentors and youth, created together and one we will continue to grow and nurture together.
Each youth of this summer’s program exuded a distinct personality, exposing each other to different
perspectives and opinions, This allowed the organic creation for a much more diverse atmosphere of to present
unique voices and ideas. This summer, we’ve experienced how one youth’s logical, technical mentality paired
with another youth’s creative and eccentric personality can create a new concept or idea. Through group discussions after activities to the genesis of our summer films, we always had something different to learn from one
another.
Our youth proved that tough situations create the strongest bonds. This summer, we have created memories and a union that will live on through the years, just like this program. This summer, we pioneered a program
that will help create a new type of youth for our future. Here’s to the first class, our family of 2015.
10 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
BERKELEY YOUTH INSTITUTE • BERKELEY, CA
YMCA of the Central Bay Area
YOUTH INSTITUTE
PG&E Teen Center Berkeley
by Steven B.,
YI Alumni of 2013
It would absolutely be an understatement
to say that the Berkeley Youth Institute is just ok. This
program is really my home. The wilderness retreat is
where this feeling is created. This year we were at
Camp High Sierra in Mammoth Lakes, California. Even
though we were five hours away from our actual
home, everyone became one family. The new class
always has a fantastic time in the first week.
The entire purpose of the retreat is to
connect with people that you don’t know. One of
the ways that we bonded this year was the late night
campfire. It’s a really special part of the program.
We are completely free to talk about anything that’s
going on in our daily lives. We also built trust with one
another using team building activities, such as hiking
and group games. The weeks after the retreat, are
even better (in my opinion). We got to learn about
different programs like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator,
Celtx, Premiere Pro and After Effects. We then took
that information and created short films on any topic
that we wanted as long as it was PG-13. This year, my
group (Years 3 and 4) was given a $300 budget to
complete our film!
We eventually displayed all of our work at our
2015 Summer Showcase on August 15th. Everyone’s
family members and others from the community
attended this special event. With the skills that I’ve
acquired this summer, I want to continue to flourish
in the movie making business. I might even want to
have it as a full time job. I could very well be the next
Steven Spielberg. We’ll see...”
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 11
MISSION VALLEY YOUTH INSTITUTE • SAN DIEGO, CA
YMCA of San Diego County
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Mission Valley YMCA
by Lily C.,
YI New Class of 2015
revealed itself, I became a stranger to myself. This summer
was a time to discover myself, who I really was when people
were around. I grew every second of the summer, all for the
better.
As the days went by, the people stood out to me more and
more. They were so unique, no two alike. I loved them for
everything that they were. What I loved the most was that
when they were around I would quickly forget the things
that I hated about myself and I could almost love myself as
much as I loved them. Sure, I did not get along with everyone, but I still loved the souls that were among me. They
quickly became brothers and sisters to me and even to this
day, I can easily say that I would do anything to see them
happy.
This summer, out of many summers that I have had, was
the best. There was not one thing in particular that made it
extraordinary, on the contrary, it was quite ordinary. Maybe
it was because everyday was a new surprise and because
I never knew what was going to happen next. Maybe it
was the people, the vibes. Maybe it was the weather or the
challenges. All I knew was that I loved everything about
each day and all the days together. I will never know exactly why it was so special, like a magic trick, not knowing
how it was done was what made it magical. One thing that
I am certain of is that I was the most human this summer.
I laughed, I cried, I interacted. I got to be myself, without
doubt or fear. The people around me made me feel like I
could be every side of me and that it would never change
how much they cared. I got to see who I was and how other
people saw me. I had never felt so comfortable before. I
built a family with people I did not know and who I never
thought I would get along with. I learned many things, but
out of all of those things, I learned to love.
This summer was eye-opening. Beforehand I always thought
I had a good grip on the person I was and the qualities I
possessed. Yet, when I began to face challenges, such as
being in a room full of strangers, I froze up. I never thought
I was that way. I believed that I was different, that I could
interact without hesitation. Yet, the second the opportunity
12 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
This summer, I realized how important being human was. I
realized how much of an impact you have on the people
around you. Specially in the wilderness, I noticed the importance of living in the moment. Without devices between us,
I noticed that I listened more closely when people spoke
or looked around me with more enthusiasm. I loved being
human with people I just met. It felt like a fresh start, which
was something I greatly needed.
Most of all, aside from the skills we learned and the activities
we did, I got to live in the present even for just a minute. I
got to really look at the people and the sky that wanted to
be seen and hear the wind and the voices that wanted to
be heard. I got to smile and mean it. I got to cry and feel
relieved. I got to love and feel like the feeling was returned.
If there was one thing that I would be most grateful for, it
would be the people. To whoever is responsible for making
this summer the best, I thank you with my most sincere gratitude. I do not know how my cards would have played out
if I hadn’t met these 27 people and if I had not joined the
Youth Institute. We live most of our lives never really thinking
about the consequences of every decision. Life passes by
and we decide things that seem relatively meaningless at
the moment, like turning left instead of right or joining a program instead of not. Then we realize how the smallest most
meaningless choice, turns your summer in the best time you
have had.
LB SUMMER ALUMNI YOUTH INSTITUTE • LONG BEACH, CA
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Summer Alumni
When I came into the Youth Institute I knew I was lucky to get
the opportunity to be a part of a program like this. Knowing
I get to learn more about myself and learn more skills that
could help me in the long run is the reason I come back here.
Each year is always a new experience because there will always be something I can improve and there will always be
mistakes I’ll learn from. Every time I would have an idea what
I can do differently the next summer
I come back but last summer I didn’t
know what to expect at all because
this year we were given a task never
done before by the past alumni.
I was given the chance to
work with two independent filmmakers, Brett and Mico, and their team
about what each individual position
does to make a film and how each
position is important and necessary
for the process. At first I was nervous
and bit intimidated to shadow a person who is a professional in the movie
making process because the films I’ve
made through the YI might not look
very impressive to them because they have more resources
to make their films better. Even though I was nervous I was
really excited to learn what it’s like to be on a real set. Brett
and Mico interviewed me to see what position I would most
like to learn more about and it didn’t take long for me to
answer because I knew from the beginning I wanted to learn
about production design. Production design to me is what
makes a film because it is the process of creating the world
of the film and making the audience believe it is real to them
and that they are actually there witnessing this world go in
motion. When I was finally given my mentor and position I
was excited to know I got to be working with the production
designer Bobby Guard who was going to teach me about
the movie we were making with Brett and Mico called The
Grounds Keeper.
I was surprised to know that they way the film team
would work on set was very similar to what we learn in the
program in terms of teamwork and communication skills. It
was thrilling to be on a set at four in the morning working with
everyone. The first day of set was most exciting for my position
because I got to do a lot of hands on work like making the
ice cream prop in the ice cream shop scene and help with
the special effect of the ice cream being sliced in half and
fall to the floor with a splat. At first it was stressful because the
fake ice cream my mentor Bobby used was made of mash
potatoes as a three scooped of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and the layers of scoops slowly kept squishing all the layer
making the cone become soggy and
fall a part. When I saw that the ice
cream was made of mash potatoes
it made me feel a little better about
being intimidated because these
professionals did exactly what us kids
do in the program which was think of
ways to make our ideas work without
needing much money to accomplish
them; in others words he used what he
had and made the best of it. At first I
was afraid we wouldn’t finish the ice
cream before they need to start rolling but luckily I though of an idea that
would keep it study and look like a
freshly scooped ice cream. After that
my mentor said I was a natural at this and it made me feel so
proud to able to help and be useful. The rest of the two days
I continued to be a great help to Bobby and learned a lot
from him. The most important things I learned though were to
always be over prepared rather then under prepared in the
movie business or in life in general and when it comes to my
future he told me to do what I love no matter what because
it will be far more rewarding doing something I’m good at
and love rather than something that will pay the most. By far
this alumni experience was the most rewarding of them all
because I realized that I am capable of much more than I
think I am.
by Daniela B.
YI Alumni 2012
This last summer was my third year with the Youth Institute and it still
hasn’t lost its spark. With the program, this year I worked on a professional
movie set, created an amazing movie with my friends, and so much more.
With help from Opening Image Productions, we learned many new skills in
workshops with people in the movie industry. I learned how much responsibility
and trust goes into every position. These workshops really resonated with me
and gave me newfound knowledge to use in the creation of our films. Our
films premiered with a new found quality to them. Our films depicted emotions
on a much deeper level then before. They depicted new stories, and did so
uniquely.
In my opinion with the help of both Opening Image and these
workshops, our skills were both tested and improved. Over the course of this
summer I can honestly say I have learned more than any summer before. This
past summer has provided challenges and responsibility’s most teenagers won’t see in their lifetime. I just want to thank the
Youth Institute for providing me with these opportunities for the past three years and hopefully the future.
by Isaias R.
YI
Alumni
2013
LB YI Alumni articles continues to next page.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 13
LB SUMMER ALUMNI YOUTH INSTITUTE • LONG BEACH, CA
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Summer Alumni
Every summer there’s new experiences here at the YMCA either
it’s learning a skill or meeting new
people. There is always something
new for me to experience. This year
I was lucky enough to be able to
go to camp for three whole weeks.
I learned a lot about nature, the
city of Mammoth, the staff, and I
learned a lot about myself. During
the three weeks I worked as kitchen
staff, basically getting all the food
and putting them in bins for the kids
to pick up and take down to their
camp site. Bob was immensely kind
and took us on various activities;
such as, hiking a trail, swimming a
lake, or fishing all day in the sun. I am
just grateful be able to go to those
three awesome weeks. Being with
the alumni this year was a fresh experience. I was extremely hesitant
about a portion new class that recently turned into alumni because
they didn’t take anything seriously.
They would talk back to the staff and
basically would not respect staff. But
by the end of the camp on the final
campfire the group that was being
out of order stood up and gave an
apology to every one. During camp
with the rest of the alumni we did a
number of activities for teambuilding and for ourselves to show our
creativity and some just for fun. As
a big group we all did multiple team
building exercises to get to know
each other. The next day we went
on a long hike and swam in the lake
that the trail led to. On the final day
we did a scavenger hunt looking for
markers with images. Afterwards we
went to the wall and repelled down.
Camp was great to come back to
after a stressful school year. I look forward to going back next year.
This year my production group
thought of a genius movie idea while
I was at camp. They told me that at
first it was a joke, but the idea kept
rolling around their heads until they
had to produce this movie. They
thought about making a “narco”
cinema. It’s a uncommon idea here
at the Y but it completely worked
out. During the process we worked
diligently on every single detail that
would make this movie unique, hilarious, and suspenseful. We were look14 • INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER
by Edmundo Z.
YI Alumni 2012
ing for people for roles, locations
for scenes and props to give each
scene a believable effect. During
the actual process of filming everything flowed so smoothly and we got
work done remarkably quick, yet our
only problem was time delay and
our schedule because when ever
we had something planned something would go wrong and we would
have to change the date. Other
than that, our movie was a success
at the premiere because every one
was laughing during the funny parts
and it stayed silent during the serious
parts and afterwards people would
tell us how great our movie was and
how there has to be a sequel but my
group thinks otherwise.
With camp done and our movies
complete there was one more thing
that we were assigned to do. The
YMCA this summer decided to partner up with a production studio and
we had to shadow cast and crew
members of an actual production.
We were given mentors of the jobs
we find the most interesting so we
can learn a new skill and so we can
get tips and advise on how to progress in that field of work. I was given
a mentor that filmed documentaries
and we filmed a lot of the movie
production process in so many creative ways. Either it was a time lapse
or a slowed down shot of someone
doing something. We wanted to
tell a story in a ten minute video.
The whole process of working with
a professional crew was a whole
new wake up call because they
were professional and we wanted
to be professional or at least be as
close to what they are. Everyone felt
comfortable yet rushed because
we were being told that “time is
money.” Eventually we got our jobs
done with our mentors and when I
had nothing else to do I would go
and see what other kids are learning from their mentors and how the
mentors are teaching it. Every single year there is always something
new to learn at the YMCA because
there are new people with skill sets
that you will want to learn and that’s
the biggest thing I learned. At the Y,
you learn new skills and meet new
people.
CAMBRIA/SLO YOUTH INSTITUTE • CAMBRIA & SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
San Luis Obispo County YMCA
YOUTH INSTITUTE
Note: Article is from “The Tribune,” local newspaper from San Luis Obispo, CA. Local News Section - The Cambrian - Cambrian Arts & Events.
Cambria • San Luis Obispo
Teen girl designs winning Scarecrow Festival logo
Nirvana Resfayohannes won $150 for her design to promote the autumn event
By Dennis Frahmann
Cambria is a town rich in creativity. Just ask Dan Hartzell,
director of a YMCA Youth Institute of San Luis Obispo County
program that guides some 30 middle-schoolers through the
wonders of the digital media arts. Better yet, ask Nirvana
Tesfayohannes, who just won $150 for her winning logo to
promote the 2015 Cambria Scarecrow Festival.
To create her winning design, Nirvana, 13, played with
both the image of scarecrows and the theme of “a magical
place.” The festival will use her logo on a variety of projects
to promote the town’s annual display of scarecrows — including banners, literature, T-shirts and other merchandise.
But logo design is just one aspect of the media program.
On Saturday morning, Aug. 15, additional participants in
the program will be recognized for their work in filmmaking.
Short films created by media camp students in Cambria, as well as in a sister
program at Laguna Middle School, will
be shown at the Fremont Theater, in
San Luis Obispo.
The film festival starts at 10 a.m. and
is open to the public. Tickets are $5
at the door. Six short films by middle
school students, as well as three short
commercial productions by Coast
Union High School students, will be
shown. Proceeds from ticket sales will
be donated to the Patience & William
Robbins Memorial Fund. Patience and
William died in an auto accident on July 14, and two of their
family members have been participants in the media arts
program.
Program participants submitted more than 20 designs to
the logo contest sponsored by the Cambria Scarecrow Festival. Judge Dena Kuhn, a local graphic designer, said of the
winning entry, “We liked that it was instantly recognizable as
a character for the Cambria Scarecrow Festival while also
reflecting the theme of a magical place.” Other judges
were Patty Griffin, local ceramics artist, and Jayne Koontz,
local children’s book illustrator and artist.
Hartzell said about the logo contest, “This was a great
way to give our students a real world experience.”
About the program
The overall program, modeled after one first created
in Long Beach, is in its fourth year. The five-week summer
experience empowers youth in both digital media arts and
workforce development. During the program, the participants work as teams to create a print magazine and
independent films. The program begins with a one-week
wilderness retreat, held in the mountains of Southern Califor-
nia. During that week,
the middle-schoolers
work together to cook
their food, clean up
and develop a sense of
teamwork. “The week
helps kids go from storming to performing, since the bonding
experience is designed both to push their creativity and to
coax it into full bloom,” Hartzell said. “They come out of that
week ready to work as a team.”
After the retreat and back in Cambria, teams of two to
four students envision a concept for a short film. They go
through a “shark tank” type of process to pitch their film
idea to the instructors and prove they have a concept that
is both manageable and engaging.
Once the concept is approved, they
complete the steps of storyboarding,
scripting, filming and editing. It all culminates Saturday in the live showing of
their films at the Fremont.
Over the past four years, the program
has evolved into a growth pathway for
students who are interested in digital
arts. There is an opportunity to return
after the first year as digital artist interns
and later as supervisors who are even
paid a small stipend. Ashley Martinez,
who is now on the staff and will attend
Coast Union High School as a senior this fall, has been with
the program all four years. She recalled that the first year
she didn’t want to attend, but that attitude soon changed.
The program helped her learn new skills in programs such
as Photoshop and also helped her learn how to be comfortable talking with people. Her advice to potential future
students was simple: “Just be yourself. Be creative and have
fun.”
For the YMCA, the program costs about $1,000 for each
student; but the fees charged students are lower thanks
to funding and donations. In addition, the program seeks
either to prorate fees or offer assistance to those who can’t
afford it. Individuals interested in donating to support the
overall program can do so by visiting sloymca.org.
Taylor Hilden, president of the Cambria Scarecrow Festival, noted that “as a local nonprofit that promotes the local
creative arts, we think it’s great to have local students in
the media arts program help create our festival materials.
We hope this year’s contest will be the start of a long-term
relationship.”
Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/08/12/3759583_teen-logo-cambria-scarecrow-festival.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER • 15
A
B
F
C
G
H
D
E
I
J
2015 Summer Youth Institute Magazine covers
A. Anaheim, CA.
B. Berkeley, CA.
C. Cambria &
San Luis Obispo, CA
D. East Los Angeles, CA
E. East Palo Alto, CA
F. Hawaiian Gardens, CA
G. San Diego, CA
K
L
H. Rapid City, SD - New Class
I. Rapid City, SD - Alumni
J. Kirkland &
Snoqualmie, WA
K. Long Beach, CA - Middle School
L. Long Beach, CA - New Class
M. Long Beach, CA - Alumni
M
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
YOUTH INSTITUTE
525 EAST 7TH STREET
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA • 90813
YI News
Look for possible new YI sites in 2016.
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota
• Coachella Valley, California
• Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Texas
2015 YOUTH INSTITUTE REPLICATION SITES
15 Cities, 18 Sites, 50 Staff, 500+ Youth served
YMCA OF GREATER LONG BEACH
ST. LUKE’S • STEPHENS MS • HAWAIIAN GARDENS
YMCA OF METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES
EAST LOS ANGELES - NEW CLASS & ALUMNI
ANAHEIM FAMILY YMCA
STANTON
YMCA OF THE CENTRAL BAY AREA
PG&E TEEN CENTER BERKELEY
YMCA OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
SANTA LUCIA MS • CAMBRIA HS • SAN LUIS OBISPO
YMCA OF SILICON VALLEY
EAST PALO ALTO
YMCA OF GREATER SEATTLE
KIRKLAND TEEN UNION BUILDING (KTUB)
• SNOQUALMIE VALLEY
YMCA OF RAPID CITY
RAPID CITY
YMCA OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
MISSION VALLEY
YMCA OF GREATER VANCOUVER • CANADA
SOUTH SURREY
YMCA SOUTH AFRICA • SOUTH AFRICA
DURBAN • CAPE TOWN
(NOV/DEC 2015)