Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities Hosts Premiere of Youth-Produced Documentary on Diversity

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities Hosts Premiere of Youth-Produced Documentary on Diversity

Documentary Celebrates Diversity, Twin Cities Efforts to Combat Prejudice

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities tonight is hosting the premiere of "Finding You in Me," a new documentary focusing on celebrating diversity and efforts to combat prejudice, bigotry and discrimination in the Twin Cities. The event is being held at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club in St. Paul. The Allstate Foundation - a national diversity partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America funded the documentary.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050921/CLW030LOGO )

The event will include a "movie premiere" atmosphere, with searchlights sweeping the sky, a red carpet and even paparazzi. Following the premiere, Boys & Girls Club members and staff, parents and community leaders are participating in a Town Hall meeting to discuss the issues of diversity covered in the documentary.

"Finding You in Me" was produced by members of the Eastside Boys & Girls Club's Keystone Club, a teen-focused program within the Club. It highlights diversity and tolerance issues that have emerged in the Twin Cities, using the Hmong community as its initial focus, while also examining issues in the local Latino community.

The young documentary-makers interviewed young people and adults from around the city and attended a range of community events.

"This was a great opportunity for us to become skilled in producing movies, learn skills we can use in school and in our futures, plus tell an important story about our community," said Chia Yang, one of the Eastside Boys & Girls Club members working on the project.

The teens assisted in writing, directing and producing the documentary, with the support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, local Club staff and technical assistance provided by Ed Heil of Storyteller Productions.

Whether recent allegations of racism along the Gulf Coast regarding the response to Hurricane Katrina reflect reality or perception, it is clear the U.S. still has divisions that fall along ethnic and racial lines. A recent Boys & Girls Club survey found that young people believe their race, ethnic group or religion is still the main factor in achieving financial success, but also that a diverse population makes our country stronger.

"The goal of 'Finding You in Me' was to create a chronicle of experiences showing how our community is dealing with issues of diversity and local efforts to combat prejudice," said Jim Crotty, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. "The documentary highlights diversity education programs like Youth for Unity available through Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities."

The project had many strong educational benefits for the Club and the participating members:

-- It created an opportunity to focus on Boys & Girls Clubs' Youth for
Unity diversity education program.
-- Members were able to hone their writing and organizational skills.
-- Members gained experience in all the elements that go into creating a
short documentary, including planning, interviewing, filming and
editing.

Youth for Unity Diversity Education Program

BGCA and The Allstate Foundation have partnered to create Youth for Unity, a program designed to address important diversity issues, combat prejudice and intolerance and educate young people about diversity.

Youth for Unity is a comprehensive, multi-faceted program that is building the capacity of local Clubs to help their more than four million members nationwide promote and celebrate diversity and combat and prevent prejudice, bigotry and discrimination.

The program is designed to help children and teens appreciate themselves as unique and special individuals, understand our society's diversity, recognize bias and unfairness, and take personal leadership in confronting bias.

30 Boys & Girls Club sites around the nation began Youth for Unity pilot programs this fall. They joined 15 sites that piloted the program in 2004. Two Clubs in the Twin Cities, the Eastside Club and the Jerry Gramble Club, were among the 2004 pilots.

Boys & Girls of the Twin Cities has been a leader in implementing diversity education programs and was recognized this year with two national awards presented by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Allstate Foundation: the Vision for Unity and Youth for Unity Leadership Awards.

The Allstate Foundation

The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by the Allstate Corporation. Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote "safe and vital communities"; "tolerance, inclusion, and diversity"; and "economic empowerment." The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America's families achieve their American dream. For more information about The Allstate Foundation, please visit http://www.allstate.com/\foundation.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For almost a century, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has been recognized as community-based organizations that welcomes all youth, regardless of their race, religion or gender. BGCA (http://www.bgca.org/) comprises a national network of some 3,700 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 4.4 million young people, primarily from disadvantaged circumstances. Known as "The Positive Place for Kids," the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050921/CLW030LOGO
Source: Boys & Girls Clubs of America

CONTACT: Mitch Leff, +1-404-861-4769, or mitch@leffassociates.com, or
Julie Herron Carson, +1-404-285-3434, or jhcarson@bellsouth.net, both for Boys
& Girls Clubs of America

Web site: http://www.bgca.org/
http://www.allstate.com/\foundation

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