April 30, 2010

Seven fifth grade students from Walter Chrysler Elementary School have spent the school year creating an environmental justice-themed short film. The movie, entitled WhyDetroit?, follows a group of young detectives investigating a series of disappearances that have happened around the city. Going on a hunch that rumors surrounding the Detroit incinerator are true, the sleuths set out to find the missing people and stop whoever is holding them captive. The movie was entirely written, directed by, and stars the seven students in the film club, an after school program delivered by Y-Arts YMedia Works and organized at Chrysler by the Dad’s Club.

In the program, the students were introduced to the fundamentals of movie production while also exploring issues of environmental justice. With guidance from Lottie Spady of the East Michigan Environmental Action Council, the students created the script for their hilarious mystery and then went to work producing the twenty minute video presentation with help from two well known local video artists, Steve Coy and Mikey Brown.

The premiere screening of the movie will be at 6pm on Friday, April 30, in the Marlene Boll Theatre (Boll Family YMCA, 1401 Broadway, Detroit). All are invited to attend. Tickets are $5 with proceeds going to support the continuation of this and other after school programs at Chrysler. Free popcorn and drinks! Call 313-223-2751 for more information.

Very special thanks to the Erb Family Foundation for supporting this and other YMedia Works programs, including the upcoming YMedia Works Summer Institute 2010!

Y Arts is delivering the camp in partnership with the Macomb County Abstinence Partnership (MCAP) and the East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC). Each partner is delivering a complete curriculum to the camp, giving kids the tools to make healthy choices when confronted with drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity (MCAP’s portion), as well as a smart respect for our local environment and investigations into issues of environmental justice (EMEAC’s portion).  The kids use the information and knowledge gained from these groups as the subject matter of their video and other media, which they learn to produce from the Y Arts team of multimedia and visual artists.

You can read about the entire Summer Dreams program in this feature from the Detroit Free Press which outlines this and other camps it supports. Please consider giving to this incredible program, and if you have given already, please accept a sincere thank you from Y Arts, MCAP, EMEAC and the more than 50 children using the cameras this summer!