Today on Education Counts Michiana, Notre Dame Student Film Festival, South Bend Empowerment Zone Black History Month Showcase The Club Teen Center in South Bend A Black History Month Celebration Arts and Culture Education Counts Michiana is underwritten by Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

Investing in education and economic development for centuries, supporting the past, current, and future development of the Michiana region.

Community Foundation of Elkhart County Inspire Good.

Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Where Donor Dreams Shine.

The Dekko Foundation Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Crossroads United Way, serving Elkhart, Lagrange, and Noble Counties.

United Way of Saint Joseph County.

Marshall County Community Foundation.

Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition and a Gift by Elmer and Dolores Teppe.

Thank you.

Welcome to Education Counts Michiana.

I'm your host, James Summers Education Counts highlights programs and initiatives that are impacting how we teach, how we learn, and how we embrace education.

This program explores ideas in all education sectors.

Preschool through lifelong learning, K-12, post-high school and job advancement training with the philosophy that we should never stop seeking knowledge.

Find additional resources at WNIT.org And on the Education Counts Facebook page First up, the power of storytelling.

The Notre Dame Student Film Festival is an annual event that features narrative and documentary films made by undergraduate students.

The festival is an opportunity for students to share their works with audiences, and it also serves as a launching pad for future careers in the film and entertainment industry.

Nathan Krebs produced this story.

So the Notre Dame Student Film Festival features this year 14 undergraduate films that were produced in the film, television and theater department, undergraduate courses over the past year.

So last spring semester, in this past fall semester, there are everything from documentaries to short narrative films.

And then everything from an introductory production class all the way up to an advanced production class.

So the students are responsible for everything from writing the scripts, casting actors, directing, filming, editing, sound mixing, everything from beginning to end It all starts on the page, of course.

And so for this particular assignment, for the class, everyone had to write a script and only half were picked and then everyone was kind of paired up.

So fortunately or unfortunately, I don't know, depending on how the audience takes it, my script got picked and I was paired up with my friend Alexx Johnson, who you'll probably hear from.

And together we rewrote the script.

So that took a lot, you know, a couple of weeks to rewrite it, really get our story going and really nail the jokes.

It's called "Confishion," and it's a comedy drama about a girl who has this kind of deep discussion with her priest.

And she actually babysat a fish for him.

And there's kind of conflict that arises among both of those two things, kind of interplaying together.

That was really fun.

That was literally my very first narrative short film that I made.

And, you know, I felt like I was going in kind of blind.

So it was really great to have someone that was able to, you know, hear out some of my crazy ideas.

And I got to hear out some of his.

And I think something that makes this department great is the collaboration.

So especially me coming from a different major and transferring it to film and having that sort of pivot into what I actually want to pursue, being immersed in just people who are equally passionate about filmmaking and being able to bounce ideas off of them and and just really be engaged in the process of production has been really special.

From where they start at the beginning of this semester to where they end the end of the semester.

There's a huge growth, you see in students, so they can make a film and perhaps finish a first cut two months before the end of the semester.

But working on it and working on it and working on it, I mean, as an artist, that's what artists do.

You keep refining your work and making it better and better and better, and the satisfaction of seeing what they end up with and where they began is really part of the educational process.

What I really enjoy is seeing the students reactions to their to the audience's reactions to their films.

Like, see, like, wow, wow.

My film really did have an impact on an audience.

They laughed where they were supposed to.

They were moved by my film.

They really enjoyed the film.

So I think I think just seeing our students smiles when they come out of the cinema is the first time that they've shown it to a large audience, especially in a great venue that we have here, the Browning Cinema.

It's it's really special.

it's of utmost importance.

I mean, as a filmmaker, you're really doing this to share your ideas, to express yourself, and to hopefully make an impact.

And you can't make an impact if people don't see your work, like what's the point You know, of having a guitar if you don't play it?

And so having this as an outlet for that.

So we our films could reach a wider audience and, you know, kind of give us initial feedback if we want to submit it into any more festivals like this is pretty low stakes.

And so it's nice to have that kind of opportunity to show off your stuff and really get that full filmmaking experience.

not a lot of us get to see the fruits of our labor being viewed by such a diverse group of people.

So I think I think that really teaches us how to pivot our ideas and how to how audiences react to them and how even the smallest detail can change audience experience.

So I think it's it's really important for outreach and engagement among filmmakers to be able to sharpen their tools.

Many of our alumni whose films first were screened here in the Notre Dame Student Film Festival, have gone on to the industry and work in all aspects of the industry, from screenwriting to network executives.

We have students at Netflix, former students and Netflix, alumni at NBC Universal, Saturday Night Live, all aspects of the industry.

So it's really kind of a launching pad, I think, for careers in the industry.

Having this festival on campus really can help build that confidence and help give you a platform to finally experience that.

Because when you're I mean, when you're getting a grade for stuff that helps boost confidence in a certain way.

But then I think this just takes that to the next level, especially for filmmakers, and really can help someone build that their confidence in their work and in themselves.

Learn more about the film festival at WNIT.org Black history celebrated.

The South Bend Empowerment Zone hosted its annual Black History Month showcase at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Elementary and middle school students from local schools perform dance and music acts about different movements throughout Black history in America.

The students also enjoyed other cultural learning experiences and celebrations as part of the event.

Kristen Franklin, Videographer.

Greg Banks, Editor.

We are here to celebrate the first annual Black History Month showcase from the South Bend Empowerment Zone.

No justice, no peace.

This is the contemporary arts movement.

So we are very excited that there is a movement happening now.

Say it with me - movement is happening now.

Movement is happening now.

The movement is the theme for this year's Black History Month showcase.

Last year we did a different theme that focused really on the arts and the culture that African-Americans have contributed to throughout American history.

This year, we're focusing on different movements throughout history.

So whether that's the Harlem Renaissance or the Civil rights movement, etc.. And so this is an opportunity for the students of the empowerment zone to display what they have learned in preparation for this event.

But it's also an opportunity for them to just be here at the Morris, which is an amazing facility, and we're so appreciative for the Morris for allowing us to be here as well as all the other sponsors.

Ivy Tech, South Bend Alumni Association, South Bend Education Foundation, First Source Bank, Alpha Dog, just to name a few.

And we can't forget McDonald's, who've all worked together to make this event possible for the students and families of the West Side.

It is Black History Month showcase, which is an opportunity for us to bring our kids from all five of our schools.

They've been working for months now on learning and performing acts that walk us through the Black movements that have shaped American history.

So it's a great time for all of our kids to come out and watch and learn.

So it's an educational process and a cultural celebration event, which is fantastic.

allowed the schools to look at different movements and they each chose whatever movement it is that they thought would best represent to them that they would want to display.

And so different schools, with students input, determine the different types of movement that they would go into.

And so earlier we just saw from Navarre they did.

The Harlem Renaissance of students presented works from Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, just to name a few.

And a short while ago, we saw a a dance performance from the students at Wilson that really focused on the civil rights movement.

So I will admit that I've not seen any of the performances yet.

So I'm seeing it for the first time.

Just like all of the viewers who are here today.

But I can tell that the students have worked really so hard in making today a special time.

Anyone thinking about college for the future?

That's why we're doing things right here.

Kids are loving it, right?

They're bouncing off the walls.

And the beautiful thing is they are just freely themselves in school.

And the parent you know, in school, your children are trying to hold it together.

They're trying to get the things done they need to get done.

And certainly there is boundaries that we have anywhere.

But when they're at this event, they are getting to celebrate, They're getting to dance and getting to enjoy music and to enjoy the culture that we're presenting here today.

it's important to us that this is taking place at the Morris because the Morris not only is it beautiful, but it represents something in our city.

It represents the greatness and the history of our city.

And in this event, we're showing our kids that the goodness in the city is for them.

It's for all of us, right?

So they can be here and they can be able to participate in that.

And it's specifically important because as we celebrate the showcase and our theme of the movement that we're talking about, the movements that have shaped American history and American history, it hasn't always been obviously pleasant and it hasn't always been equal.

And we have a lot of growth to make.

So to be able to talk about these movements in such a central figure to our city is really important to who we are and the message we're trying to get across to our students about the work that has been done and the work that still needs to be done.

So we honor the past.

We're honoring the present, which is happening right now, which is taking us to the future.

All right.

So we are not done yet.

All I could think to do is create the problems and solutions people can work on together.

I love telling my community to see goodness in the world.

They say I'm an activist.

Just keep creating, keep changing the world.

Learn more about the South Bend Empowerment Zone at WNIT.org.

Speaking of empowerment, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Saint Joseph County opened a new afterschool teen center at the Portage School of Leaders.

The center is an innovative and welcoming space for teens to relax and hang out, and it also provides resources for mentorship, wellness and emotional health.

Teens at the center also explore careers and learn job skills through programing that partners with local businesses and industry leaders.

Segment Produced by Nathan Krebs.

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County, we have a waitlist right now of over 800 children.

And so the demand for services, particularly out-of-school time programing, is at an all time high.

We need to be sure we're engaging kids in a productive and engaging way and giving them the opportunities and access to become the best version of themselves in the future.

Yeah, the idea came to fruition really based on demand and access.

We had kids come to us and say, Hey, I don't want to go to the same place that my younger siblings are going to.

I want a place that feels like it's our own, that we're feel comfortable with.

We feel safe, we belong.

And that really was how the teen center came to fruition.

It was at the voice of our young people, telling us what they wanted.

For me, it's very important since my family is very busy with work, since we're very like work oriented, that sometimes we don't really have somewhere to go after school immediately.

So that place is like very important for me to be able to be with my sister and be safe.

The club does offer like a restoration room, which is like a relaxation room, Since students do get like overtired and like stressed out during the school day.

After school.

They go in there and then like, we relax.

Yeah.

So the Teen Center really is in collaboration with The Portage School of Leaders and the Future Lab.

And the idea is to not only give kids a safe place to come and to be, but to also give them access and opportunity to other other endeavors, particularly in career pathways.

Teens are telling us they want to work.

They want to get those durable and soft skills to go out and earn a living wage.

And so we really need to bring those opportunities to their fingertips, to the doors, to their doorstep.

And I think this place really allows us to do that.

This building that you see in this maker space here is a building about 42,000 square feet and we've renovated it to have three distinct but related functions.

So within the building you have the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center, and then you have the Portage School of Leaders.

Our new high school.

And then you have the Future Lab, which is a makerspace designed with all the latest state of the art technology, preparing students for careers, high demand, high wage careers in computer science and engineering and entrepreneurship, machinists.

You know, we have health science classes happening here.

And so we're really trying to, in the Future Lab again expose students to career training opportunities to prepare them for whatever career they intend to go on.

So we've got future scientists and future doctors and students that are going to be starting up new businesses and really driving our economy in the future.

I think with the club and what our school is teaching us is like collaboration and teamwork would go well with like any job site anywhere and or like meeting new people.

Like we could have a good conversation with them.

Yeah, our hope is really that collaboration in that congeniality between all of us serves as a model for other entities to learn from, to grow from.

But the thing that I love the most about this facility is it serves all kids, all club kids, regardless of where they go to school.

They all have the opportunity to come here.

To learn.

To grow.

To get access to millions of dollars of machinery and equipment.

And then to go out and become the best version of themselves.

And I feel like that is something that we really need to embed in and really seize and take advantage of as a community, because our young people deserve the very best that we can offer them.

The teachers here and the staff here really care about kids and want students to be successful and are talented.

They they want to be here.

And, you know, there's if you walk through the building right now, there are teachers still planning and assessing and designing their curriculum.

And so I think it's just that culture that when you have talented teachers and staff that are working alongside students, it creates an atmosphere where students want to be here.

I think it all comes down to relationships.

It's having that high trust, high reward with an adult in your life that really is advocating for you, that is allowing you to build that social capital to go out and do the things that you want to do.

And it's allowing us to give our kids a space to dream, to dream big, and again, giving them the skills that they know that they need.

We really believe that we give kids that agency and that autonomy to become the best versions themselves.

They will rise.

And so we just need to build it and they will come.

Find out more about the program at WNIT.org Art as voice.

Community members gathered at Beacon Health System in Granger to celebrate arts and culture as part of Black History Month.

During the event, artists shared the inspirations and processes behind their works.

They also emphasized the importance of education, innovation and creation for younger generations.

Kristen Franklin, Videographer.

Greg Banks, Editor Art is the hardest profession on earth.

We have an African-American, a social resource group here, and it's important for us to feed our members and also the community.

Right?

We use our resource group as a vehicle to attract more diverse talent.

We also use it to educate our younger generation coming up as well.

So today's event was a couple of different fold, right, it's Black History Month.

So we wanted to celebrate that.

We wanted to create awareness about just arts and culture for our younger generation.

So we brought in five talented artists to share their craft, talk about their passions, inspire young minds, and even older minds, right?

I play my music loud because privilege has a way of casting a cloud.

So I threw my fist in the air and I say, I'm black and I'm proud.

Today's event.

I was honored to be invited to to be amongst some other artists and be able to present.

Initially, I was only going to present poetry, but they also asked me to bring some artwork.

So the larger painting that's behind me is a collage.

I work for the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and so we were looking to do they were looking to do a mural and all of these were photographs of something.

And I just kind of put them together with shapes.

So show something like resistance, unity, just the mind and the thinking.

There's the doves that actually go through our hair.

Think about the planet and the peace side, and then how we teach our young to about peace.

This was actually the first event of its kind, is our first arts and culture event.

I'm the events coordinator for our resource group here, so I've just been experimenting with a lot of different events.

We've done a pause in paint.

We brought in numerous speakers to talk about different topics to just feed our our intellectual appetite.

So today was about just kind of shifting gears a bit and bringing in some some art and just having a day of culture and some some good soul food and fellowship.

This is what I do for a living.

I don't know why I'm so fat Because folks like to talk about starving artists, and I haven't missed a meal in 77 years.

I have experienced a lot.

I've seen a lot.

And the art is and folk.

That had been a big help to me along the way.

There is nothing I can do for them, but it's young artists that I try to encourage to do more, be more.

And to travel and stay in school.

I love that we have a month that is dedicated to our history but like of course, black history is American history.

It should be taught all year long.

Like if you exclude anybody, any one person's history to one month, then you've never going to get the whole story.

So like, I'm excited in that fact that we do have this time in this platform to really stand out.

But also this should be all year long.

Every part of art is taking something and renewing it.

The mannequin here her globe head.

Women have so many thoughts and words being processed throughout the day.

They say our vocabulary is 10,000 more words than men.

I think it was really a great experience.

There were so many young people in the audience.

So I think they they sat there with the, like, wide eyed anticipation of what was next.

I think they really enjoyed the fact that each artist was so real.

It wasn't a stereotype.

So they got to feel what the artists was actually saying to them.

I always thought of birds as something that is free.

When people talk about freedom and think of birds that, you know they're going without borders, you know, they migrate from one end of the globe to the other.

So I'm tied to like, making a lot of bird sculptures.

To the artists, much appreciated.

To them donating their time.

I mean, it's so they have that saying if you can see it, then you can be right.

So that's why I wanted them to be here, right?

Especially African-American artists, right.

Young black girls, young black boys.

Look at look at these people.

You can be that.

Right.

And then on the other side, for the for the kids that got to come here, I wanted to have a meaningful experience for them Learn about what drives other people in terms of their passion related to, like hobbies.

I wanted to expose them to our corporate office here at Beacon Health System.

So, yeah, twofold.

When I don't know how it's going to all work out and just going ahead and starting without knowing what the result is going to be, just having trust in yourself would be like my biggest advice Don't be limited to one area.

Experiment.

I taught preschool art for four years, so it was a big thing about "Oops," there are no "oops" in art.

It can all be transformed.

Check out WNIT.org for more information on all these stories.

Thank you for joining us on Education Counts Michiana.

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The success of every student matters.

Education Counts Michiana is underwritten by Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

Investing in education and economic development for centuries, supporting the past, current, and future development of the Michiana region.

Community Foundation of Elkhart County Inspire Good.

Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Where Donor Dreams Shine.

The Dekko Foundation Community Foundation of Saint Joseph County Crossroads United Way, serving Elkhart, Lagrange, and Noble Counties.

United Way of Saint Joseph County.

Marshall County Community Foundation.

Ready to Grow St. Joe Early Childhood Coalition and a Gift by Elmer and Dolores Teppe.

Thank you.

This WNIT local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.