NEW ORLEANS — “This Is New Orleans,” a youth-made documentary that reveals the reality of violence as well as potential solutions, is set to premiere at The Broad Theater on Saturday, June 8 at 11 am.
The film is the culmination of Enrichment 2 Empowerment (E2E), a yearlong program engaging young people in research and social action to help them understand and provide insight on the root causes of violence and its effects on themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods.
“Over the past 12 months, we’ve had over 20 young people ages 14 to 19 learning and sharing with community members to discover what might give them hope for the future of New Orleans, one where they have what they need to thrive,” said Micaiah Lugo, Senior Program Manager for E2E. “This film captures their effort, and we hope it inspires others to consider what they can do to support young people in their communities.”
E2E participants developed their own questions and filmed interviews with dozens of New Orleanians, including classmates, family members, educators, and leaders of local organizations. Edited by a youth affiliate of New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC), the film weaves these themes together to shift the narrative around young people to be about what they need and deserve to feel safe and supported now and into the future.
“We want city leaders to understand resources for kids and teens helps prevent violence,” said one of the interviewees from the documentary. “As an approach to violence prevention, funding for youth programming should be plentiful and permanent and provide for a variety of interests that reflect the vibrance of New Orleans. We hope people that see the film recognize that and join us in asking policymakers for sustained investment in young people.”
The screening event will also feature a Q&A session with E2E participants, offering attendees the opportunity to discuss the research as well as the social action components of this program.
The screening is donation based, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. More information is available here.
For media inquiries, please contact Carrie Moulder at 504-813-5332 or cmoulder@tulane.edu.
ABOUT ENRICHMENT 2 EMPOWERMENT
Enrichment 2 Empowerment is a program within the Center for Youth Equity, a research hub at the Violence Prevention Institute of Tulane University. E2E focuses on youth-led conversations and decision-making as well as social-emotional learning to cultivate mutual respect and apply principles of Youth Participatory Action Research, an innovative approach rooted in social justice that involves young people in understanding and finding solutions to pressing issues for themselves and their communities. This programming is funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and is part of their Youth Violence Prevention Centers.
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