Reel Streetz Media Camp uses the communicative power of filmmaking to give marginalized and at-risk youth in the Hamilton downtown core a very public voice. Our guiding principle has been a simple one: let the youth tell their own story, in their own words, on their own terms. Given this opportunity, the youth have responded with powerful spoken word pieces and interviews that give a raw, truthful, inspiring and even heartbreaking look into their daily lives.
Reel Streetz is a FMC-run community program and has been working with youth from the Good Shepherd & Notre Dame House School as well as the Living Rock. It is funded through art grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Council for the Arts.
“It’s true that Hamilton is undergoing a rebirth of sorts but all that progress won’t mean a thing if those who are most at-risk in our community are ignored and left behind in the process. Giving a public voice to those who are at-risk is not only greatly empowering to them, but also to anyone listening to what’s being said.” – Reel Streetz program coordinator Shane Pennells
Click here to see the gala event held at the conclusion of this program.
“The Struggle To Survive” (2:44)
This is the first project done by Reel Streetz and was done with youth from The Good Shepherd School and Notre Dame House. It focuses on spoken word pieces written by the youths which highlights the struggles they face every day. The project was inspired by a youth mental health awareness contest held by Children’s Mental Health Of Ontario.
“Love” (4:36)
This video was done in association with youth from The Living Rock, in association with The Rock’s “Arts Of August” youth arts festival. The interviews shown were based around a question that can simultaneously simple and complex: “What does the word ‘Love’ mean to you”.
“Stories” (11:46)
The final video done by Reel Streetz. Working again with the youth from The Good Shepherd School and Notre Dame House, this video focuses on the youths telling talking about their lives through spoken word pieces and very candid interviews.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.
We acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which last year funded 1,737 individual artists and 1,095 organizations in 223 communities across Ontario for a total of $52.1 million.
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