Join us for a cocktail party hosted at The Dunes to kick-start our weekend celebration of storytelling and design for good.
Tickets include one FREE drink and are available for $10 online or at the door, while they last. RSVP here: htt://benmedfestparty.eventbrite.com
About the Host:
The Dunes is a mixed media venue (owned by creative consulting firm The Dunes LLC) located in the center of Columbia Heights. The Dunes morphs easily from art gallery to concert venue to retail pop-up shop to cocktail lounge to private event space. The venue has a full alcohol license with accounts with all major distributors, and is equipped with an artisan crafted bar, a sound system that easily handles bands, large and small, and DJs. A highlight of the Dunes is its professional gallery hanging system with ample track lighting that always displays the latest monthly exhibit curated by The Dunes LLC; a beautiful backdrop to all events held at the space. The Dunes is as comfortable with 20 people as it is with 150 and is available for private functions consistent with The Dunes LLC's belief in the integration of creative exhibition with social interaction.
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ora777/sets/72157627125699309/show/
Directions:
We are 0.4 miles north of Columbia Heights Metro. The Dunes is not wheelchair accessible. Free Parking is available on residential streets.
Participants will be photographed with an everyday artifact - that thing that is always with you or that object that defines you in somehow. It may be functional or it may be sentimental. The photographs will be printed out and participants will be asked to write about the significance of their artifact. The portraits will be exhibited in the AMH gallery throughout the day; creating a commentary on the things that are important in our lives. Appropriate for all ages.
Participants will be provided with the materials to build and design their own kite. Then they will add a dream they have - for themselves, someone else or the world. The kites will be flown from a clothesline outside the Art + Media House to allow the collective dreams to take flight. Activity is appropriate for all ages.
A full set of sessions open to locally-focused, tech-minded participants (but geared towards those who may be new to computers!) who are exploring opportunities to bring broadband into communities in the District of Columbia. Including: a panel on the DC Community Access Network, workshops on community wireless network building, a conversation about Open 211, a "Discotech" technology discovery fair, creative explorations of what the internet looks like, and more.
The DC Time Bank creates circles of giving and receiving. In the DC Time Bank, the unit of exchange is an hour and everyone's time is valued equally. People exchange language, music, art, cooking, gardening, and design skills, editing and business plan reviews, child and pet care, car rides, and more. There are Time Banks around the country and the world, and the DC Time Bank has over 250 members.
For the upcoming Benevolent Media Festival on November 4-7, we're launching a Benevolent Media Exchange. The exchange will be held during the "Discovering Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide" event at Bread for the City on Saturday, November 5 from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We'll connect people interested in sharing skills with people interested in learning skills for storytelling and design for good. Skills could include anything from exchanging photography skills to sharing social media tips for nonprofit advocacy. By using the DC Time Bank platform, we'll be able to create ongoing connections between people interested in these ideas! Fill out this form to join in the fun. We'll do our best to find you a match and send you an invitation to our face-to-face meetup.
Examples of Exchanges in Storytelling and Design for Good
To participate, fill out this form.
Contact: allison.basile@the-hub.net.
Join the Center for Social Media and the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop fora special screening of The Interrupters, courtesy of Cinema Guild and Kartemquin Films. The Interrupters documentary film tells the powerful story of three individuals who choose to interrupt the cycle of violence they once employed in their own communities.
Following the screening, esteemed members of Free Minds will a special reading of poems relating to the issues in "The Interrupters" to kick off DC-focused dialogue about ways to decrease violence in communities. The vision of the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop is for every young inmate to receive the necessary tools, inspiration and community support to pursue education and follow a positive new path in life. Members' experiences are a direct reflection of The Interrupters story--Washington, DC's own struggle to face the issue of violence and the hope of transformation.
About the Speakers:
Michael Kemp, Free Minds Reentry Coach
Michael has been a Free Minds member since 2007 when he was first incarcerated as a juvenile at the DC Jail. As a reentry coach he draws on his own experience to motivate recently returned Free Minds members towards a positive life path. Michael also works at the Campaign for Youth Justice, an organization dedicated to ending the practice of trying and sentencing youth in the adult criminal justice system. He shares his life story with political leaders, service providers and students to educate the community on the underlying causes of youth incarceration. Michael is currently producing his own documentary on the challenges of reentry and is an avid poet and musician. He enjoys using his writing and musical skills to prevent more youth from entering the criminal justice system.
Mark Timberlake, Free Minds Reentry Outreach Specialist
For more than eight years, Mark has devoted himself to empowering young people in the District of Columbia. In role as part time Outreach and Reentry Specialist for Free Minds, Mark draws on his own powerful story of successful homecoming to motivate recently returned Free Minds members towards a positive life path. Mark connects Free Minds youth to employment and life skills training, job opportunities, and educational resources while providing an invaluable role as mentor helping them navigate successfully through the challenges of life after incarceration. Mark has also worked as a Family Support Worker and Community Resource Specialist at the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc. Mark has been nominated for numerous awards including Outstanding DC Government Employee of the Year, and was named Father of the Year in 2007 by the Alliance of Concerned Men.
Eddie Ellis Jr. , Founder and CEO of One By 1 Inc.
One By 1, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area that works to keep communities safe. One By 1 works with community based programs, grassroots organizations, service providing agencies and national advocacy groups to provide resources and expert trainings on equitable criminal justice reform. One By 1 also improves the lives of young people who are at risk, or already involved in the juvenile justice system by providing mentoring services and skill based projects designed to build self-esteem, confidence, and leadership skills. One By 1 strives to increase peace by speaking about the importance of establishing peace and to appreciate diversity within the community.
About "The Interrupters":
The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year out of Kartemquin Films, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape.
Join us in celebrating music’s ability to empower and change lives. Hosted at BloomBars in Columbia Heights, our two-hour concert event will feature sets from female hip-hop collective Lipstick Revolt, and Americana inde rock band Sweetbread Jim’s. Proceeds from the event to benefit DC-area girls music summer camp Girls Rock! DC and BloomBars.
The BOSS Group presents: GOOD by DESIGN 2011, a charity design day benefiting DC area non-profits.
Ever have that moment of clarity where you realized that you are in exactly the right place at the right time? That’s how we feel about being in the creative space and in the position to help out some local organizations hard-pressed by recent economic challenges. The BOSS Group has been serving creatives in the Washington DC metro area for over 22 years, first as designers ourselves then as a staffing agency for the industry. This fall, we’re especially pleased to be partnering with The Art Institute of Washington to host GOOD by DESIGN, a charity design day benefiting DC area non-profits November 6, 2011. This 10-hour design-a-thon will pair local area non-profits with leading creative professionals in the metro region for a day of pro bono design, marketing and interactive work.
We are seeking non-profits who need a creative hand in the following categories and volunteers to help execute:
Corporate Identity
Interactive & Web
Other Design, Marketing or Interactive Projects
Join us for what promises to be an inspiring event for up-and-coming photographers looking to bring social and environmental issues to light. We will have slideshow presentations from three photographers who use their talent to discuss social issues: Nancy Farese from PhotoPhilanthropy.org; Emma Scott from Critical Exposure; and JB Reed from The Nuru Project.
Following the slideshows, we will have a panel discussion, where the audience will have the chance to engage the photographers and learn how to get involved in benevolent photography.
Join us as early as 11:30 a.m. to chat with event organizer and photographer Aaron Minnick, about using photography to inspire nature conservation.
At this event, we will be screening some short films, all written, produced, directed, and edited by our Youth Media Organizers. After the screenings, our Youth Media Organizers will answer questions about the program, youth media, and the importance of youth voice in the the organizing process.
Gandhi Brigade helps young people realize their inner and collective power to become champions of the common good. We envision a radically diverse network of youth and adults who are united in their commitment to fight for the empowerment of all people through the Gandhi principles of nonviolence, awareness, and common effort. We offer young people opportunities to use the media arts as a developmental path for personal and community growth. First, we teach them how to create effective media messages. Second, we invite them to investigate power and privilege. Third, we empower them to apply these abilities, in collaboration with community allies, toward practical common good projects. Please visit our website to learn more about our programs and see updates from our students:
Whether you side with Spider-Man or the Green Goblin, 826 is giving you a chance to make your mark on the never-ending battle of good vs. evil. Students will get a crash course on essential superhero/supervillain knowledge and then create original characters. Then prepare for a battle of epic proportions when your characters meet for the first time. Who will prevail? Register today to find out—the fate of the world is in your hands!
Ages 6 – 10
Sign up here: http://community.826dc.org/page/s/harry-potter-spider-man-vs-the-evil-zombie-ninjas
Space is limited. Students may also sign up for workshops in person at 826DC. Please email mariam@826dc.org if you have any questions.
Miss Representation (2011, 85 min), Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s stunning documentary explores gender oppression of women by the mainstream media.
As part of the Benevolent Media Festival (November 4-7, 2011), BloomBars presents a screening and discussion of “Miss Representation” – a film which examines how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America and challenges the media’s limiting and often disparaging portrayals of women, which make it difficult for the average girl to see herself as powerful.
After our screening, we’ll be led in our discussion by Erica Schlaikjer and Jeff Riecke of Benevolent Media.
RSVP on Facebook & Invite Your Friends!
*Suggested Donation: $10 to support BloomBars. Free Popcorn and refreshments provided.
BloomScreen Indie Film Night – is a weekly series of independent and foreign films, accompanied by discussions with filmmakers and other experts. Our goal is to provide a unique experience that a local Cineplex cannot – an opportunity for discussion that allows a better understanding of issues affecting our communities and our world.
Volunteers wanted! Have a suggestion for a film? Know a local filmmaker who wants to screen their work? Want to lend a hand? Email jonathan@bloombars.com with your ideas.
In this rapidly changing world of mobile devices, social media and the cloud, how should cause-oriented organizations take advantage of new tech to raise money, influence thinking and make a difference?
Join Patrick White and Aziz Isham of Arcade Sunshine Media as they host a panel of experts presenting on the latest trends in multimedia outreach.
Arcade Sunshine Media (www.arcadesunshine.com) is a multimedia publisher working to transform the print industry by integrating social media, videos, animations, images and more. Their latest project is a multi-media book for 826DC (an after school tutoring program for inner-city youth).
This panel is open to nonprofit professionals, NGO workers, fundraisers, authors, journalists, media junkies, bloggers and anyone else interested in new modes of digital outreach.
Panelists include:
Austen Levihn-Coon is a New Media Associate at Fission Strategy. Prior to joining Fission Strategy, he worked as a Junior Associate at Joe Trippi & Associates where he implemented new media campaigns for progressive nonprofits and political candidates in the U.S. and abroad. Austen got his start in online organizing as a New Organizing Institute Fellow at the Energy Action Coalition, overseeing the social media campaign for Power Shift 2009, a national youth climate change conference, which brought more than 12,000 students to Washington, DC and launched a new generation of grassroots climate change organizers. Austen received his B.A. in Poverty, Social Inequities, and Social Movements at Middlebury College, where he conducted primary research analyzing the geographic and demographic trends of the burgeoning climate change movement in the United States.
Sarah Massey is a public relations professional who specializes in shifting the mass media conversation to include human rights, the arts, and socially responsible businesses. Sarah founded Massey Media in 2005 to build the progressive movement with creative and strategic communications. Over the last four years, Massey Media’s work has grown to include PR for arts groups, artists, and businesses.
Mike Miller owns and operates Think Out Loud (TOL in webspeak) - an award-winning media production company that produces original content for the web and broadcast. They provide a wide range of production services including cinematography, photography, editing, sound mixing, podcasting, file conversion, dvd authoring, motion graphics, and instructional workshops. Mike has a long and award winning record of producing media for nonprofits.
Aziz Isham was a TV executive and documentary filmmaker before launching Arcade Sunshine Media in 2010. He started his career in media at 60 Minutes, and went on to develop and produce numerous films and series for History, Discovery, National Geographic and several other broadcasters. He co-produced, with Patrick White, the critically acclaimed multimedia book Here on Earth for iPad -- which has been called 'the benchmark for interactive books in any genre' (appadvice.com) and was the first ebook to incorporate social networking. He graduated from Yale University with a BA in Anthropology, and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Patrick White is an independent documentary producer and writer. He ran the development department for JWM Productions, produced award winning films about public health in east Africa, created multiple series for many of the largest networks in commercial television and recently directed My Life is a Zoo - the highly rated National Geographic series. He was also named as one of the area's best DJ's by the Washington Post…a title he's earned three years in a row. He holds a BA from George Washington University and a MA in Film from Boston College.
Sponsored by Stone Soup Films, a nonprofit film cooperative based in DC, this workshop is a practical look at communications challenges many nonprofits face and how a film can help move the ball forward. This is a hands-on exercise, with real-life scenarios and examples. The workshop will be held at the World Resources Institute, a global environmental think tank.
You have tens of thousands of Facebook fans and a popular, mission-driven blog. You know your way around hashtags, SEO, and conversion rates. Now how do you take your social media strategy to the next level? Learn how to use social media for everything from internal communication to internships, CEO visibility to capital campaigns, and everything in between.
Being the American University Social Media Club, we’re pretty good at sharing information. This year we want to introduce members of the DC community to 10 of the coolest non-profits in the district that are doing BIG things to give back. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be making 10 short YouTube films about the key players at each organization, the projects they’re working on & what you can do to get involved.
Lucky for you, you’ll get a chance to check out our videos, learn more about the non-profits and the AU Social Media Club during this year’s DCWEEK and Benevolent Media Festival activities. Join us for a showing of our shorts & we promise you’ll have a feel-good time.
Please join us for the screening and discussion of the Together Through Film Project. The program's mission is to teach young people how to use documentary film as a way to explore and respect the world around them. Media professionals lead local youth in learning the skills needed to plan, shoot and edit documentary films.
On Monday night we will watch the student-made film and the behind-the-scenes from the weekend program. Then Aziz Abu Sarah, a peace activist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer, National Geographic filmmakers and high school student participants will discuss what they have learned about promoting peace and understanding.
There's an epidemic in our nation's capital - and few people talk about it.
The overall prevalence of HIV remains 3.2% among DC adults and adolescents, above the World Health Organization definition of 1% for a generalized epidemic, according to the Department of Health.
It's time to break the silence.
Join us for an Open Mic Night at Artfully Chocolate Bistro to share empowering and inspiring stories about living with HIV/AIDS in the District, and what's being done to help people move from crisis mode to compassionate relief. We welcome songs, poetry, spoken word and other narrative performances.
15% of tonight's proceeds will be donated to Whitman-Walker Health, a Washington DC community health center specializing in HIV/AIDS care and lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender care
Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m. Storytelling begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
Free admission.
If you're a performer and want to participate, contact Scott Thompson: sthompson202@gmail.com
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